Lightsticks contain dilute hydrogen peroxide in a phthalic ester solvent enclosed in a glass vial, which is surrounded by a solution containing phenyl oxalate ester and a fluorescent dye. When the lightstick is "snapped" and the vial is broken, the two solutions react to produce an intermediate that transfers energy to a dye molecule. Visible light is emitted when the excited dye molecule returns to the ground state. Additional details on chemiluminescence and the reaction can be found in this issue of theJournal and other sources.
Supplement
The activity sheet is available as supplement material, which can be viewed as a pdf file using Acrobat Reader.
The "Chemistry Teacher Connection" (CTC) is especially for high school chemistry teachers. For only $40/year, it offers an online-only subscription to CLIC along with membership in the Division of Chemical Education, normally $65/year. CTC subscribers receive access to all articles and supplements from 1996 through the current issue.
Through special arrangement with the ACS, JCE High School CLIC is now able to provide subscribers with online access to Chemical & Engineering News articles that have been selected specifically for secondary science instructors and their students.
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