1. Glow Sticks By: Savannah Myers & Hannah Lacombe

2. Light Light is a form of energy, which can be emitted through a variety of processes. These processes include Incandescence - The emission of light due to heat (as in an ordinary light bulb or a gas lantern) Fluorescence and phosphorescence - The emission of light in response to radiation energy (as in a fluorescent light bulb or a television) Laser generation - The concentrated emission of light using stimulated emission (see How Lasers Work for details). A glow stick does the same basic thing, but it uses a chemical reaction to excite the atoms in a material.

3. The Chemical Reactions The chemical reaction is set off by mixing many chemical compounds A typical commercial light stick holds a hydrogen peroxide solution and a solution containing a phenyl oxalate ester and a fluorescent dye. Here's the sequence of events when the two solutions are combined: The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and an unstable peroxyacid ester. The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes, resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic peroxy compound. The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon dioxide. This decomposition releases energy to the dye. The electrons in the dye atoms jump to a higher level, then fall back down, releasing energy in the form of light.

5. Things You’ll Need 2 liters distilled water 50 milliliters hydrogen peroxide at a 3-percent concentration 0.5 grams ammonium carbonate 0.2 grams luminol 4 grams sodium carbonate 0.4 grams copper sulfate pentahydrate 2 glass bowls 3 or 4 test tubes with stoppers peroxide solution oxidizing the luminol. The glow should last for a few minutes before fading.

6. Instructions 1 Use a glass mixing bowl to mix 1 liter of water with the hydrogen peroxide. 2 Mix the sodium carbonate, luminol, copper sulfate and ammonium carbonate in another glass bowl, along with 1 liter of water. 3 Hold out an open test tube and pour in 2 tablespoons of the first mixture. 4 Pour in 2 tablespoons of the second mixture and cap the test tube tightly. 5 Gently shake the test tube to mix the contents. As the chemical reaction begins, you'll see the mixture start to glow--a result of the hydrogen