How do I make a glowstick?

[unnamedperson1]

For my science fair project, I am investigating the factors that can affect how long commercial glowsticks last. The second part would be to compare commercial glowsticks to one that I made. I need some help with how this could be done. I found a procedure online (http://www.ehow.com/how_2087434_make-a-glowstick.html). Could you please help me by telling me if this would indeed work and if so, where I could purchase the supplies I needed?

Thanks.

[deleted-71417]

Hi unnamed person#1,

First as to the question about the eHow recipe will work. I have more confidence that this Science Buddies project will work:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p078.shtml

The eHow recipe looks plausible, but I have no certain knowledge of it one way or the other. Note that the Science Buddies link above suggests purchasing a kit that has everything you need in it.

I have no idea where you live or what sources are available to you locally, so the following suggestions are of necessity very general and any particular one may or may not work for you in your particular situation. My guidelines:

1. Make a list of all the chemicals you need and carefully estimate how much of each chemical you will need to complete your project. The reason: It can be very expensive to legally get rid of the leftovers, more expensive than to buy them in the first place. You do not want to buy more than you need.

2. Enlist the aid of your parent(s)!!!! Most vendors of the chemicals you need will be FAR MORE WILLING AND HELPFUL to them than to you in acquiring what you need(maybe not fair, but FACT!). You may have to let them do the talking to get anywhere.

3. Start by approaching the chemistry or science teacher at your school. If you are really lucky your school already has some or all of the chemicals you need in their stockroom, and might be willing to sell just the amount you need to you at their cost. This can save you a ton of money if the smallest package you can buy is 500 grams and you need just 10 g (especially when you remember the cost of disposal of the leftovers). If the school does not have the chemicals in stock you still might have to buy them through the school. Many (most?) chemical vendors will not sell dangerous chemicals to individuals or ship to residential addresses, but will eagerly sell to recognized schools. Your chemistry/science teacher can be your biggest ally in this.

4.If your school can’t or won’t help, then the next step is to try to locate a local drug store/pharmacy or science/hobby store that sells or can order what you need. In the area where I live the large chain pharmacies(like Walgreens or Rite Aid) can special order non hazardous chemicals and have them available for pickup in 1 to 3 days.

5. Still no luck? Try buying over the internet. Carolina Scientific(www.carolina.com) has a fairly good reputation for working with student scientists, and can probably meet your needs. A second possible source is Science Stuff (find the link under Resources at the bottom of your eHow reference in your post). You can find other sources by typing “buy <chemical name>“ in your favorite search engine (like www.google.com).

I think it fairly likely that some combination of these suggestions will solve your problem.

Good luck and have fun with the project!

Barrett L Tomlinson

[unnamedperson1]

Thanks for the info and links. I read over the topic that you suggested and I will talk to my teacher about changing it tomorrow. Hopefully he will understand, as having a kit available and a outline for how to do the project would be great.

[deleted-71417]

Hi,

If your real interest is in lightsticks you will find this article interesting:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm ... scit4.html

I found it by exploring the bibliography references of the Scinece Buddies project I posted in the prior reply. Note the statements about the light efficiency of luminal vs. commercial light sticks.

Here is a chemical demonstration description that more closely resembles the commercial light stick behavior. It is more expensive and uses more advanced chemistry skills than the luminal demos.:

http://stason.org/TULARC/science-engine ... e-one.html

And a simpler version suitable for younger kids:

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/exp ... quid-light

And here is a you tube video that demos lightstick chemistry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation ... feature=iv

Have fun!

Barrett L Tomlinson