Some of our customers have been asking if we can break a cyalume glow stick to see if it is really as easy as 123. Here is our short video of what we have done.
To view the full list of cyalume light sticks, visit Apple Bazaar
Posts Tagged ‘light sticks’
Cyalume Light Sticks – Bend, Snap and Shake!
Monday, April 5th, 2010 by JoeCyalume Light Sticks – How do they work?
Monday, July 20th, 2009 by Lalu“LIGHT STICK GLOW IN THE DARK!”
Light (Glow) sticks have not only become an essential item for tactical forces and outdoor enthusiasts around the world but also for party and concerts staple since they were being invented around 25 years ago.
Have you ever wondered how do the glow sticks work? Lightsticks do not require bulb nor batteries to operate! While it may seem like supernatural magic, we are going to tell you the technology behind light sticks ( which actually is very simple!) in this entry.
A typical commercial light stick contains a Hydrogen Peroxide solution, a solution containing a phenyl oxalate ester, and a fluorescent dye. Before you activate the light stick, two solutions are kept in separate chambers. The phenyl oxalate ester and dye solution fills most of the plastic stick itself. The hydrogen peroxide solution, called the activator, is contained in a small, fragile glass vial in the middle of the stick. When you bend the plastic stick, the glass vial snaps open, and the two solutions flow together. The chemicals immediately react to one another.
Here’s the sequence of events when the two above solutions are combined:
1. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and an unstable peroxyacid ester.
2. The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes, resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic peroxy compound.
3. The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon dioxide.
4. This decomposition releases energy to the dye.
5. Electrons in the dye atoms jump to a higher
level, then fall back down, releasing energy in the form of light.
This is how the light sticks produces light. The particular dye used in the chemical solution gives the light its distinctive color.
If you want a brighter light to be emitted from the stick, you may heat it. Heat energy will accelerate the reaction between the chemicals and the stick will glow brighter, but for a shorter amount of time. If you cool the light stick, the reaction will slow down, and the light will dim. So f you want to preserve your light stick for the next day, put it in the freezer. It will not stop the lighting process, but it will drag out the reaction considerably.
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