Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Does the luminol in glow sticks have different substances than the luminol that invesitgators use in crime scenes?

Hi maricruzrios,

Luminol is a specific chemical compound with a specific chemical formula: 3-Aminophthalhydrazide, 5-Amino-2,3-dihydro-1,4-phthalazinedione. So, if a glow stick used luminol as its chemiluminescent agent, then yes, the luminol in the glow stick would be the same chemical compound as the luminol used for crime scene investigation applications.

That being said, there are several caveats. First, the purity of the compound could differ, just like the purity of baking soda differs from the purity of analytical-grade sodium bicarbonate. Second, luminol only emits light once activated by the appropriate chemical reactions. The chemicals used to activate the luminol might be different. Third--and perhaps most importantly--there are several different chemiluminescent chemicals. I suspect that the agent in glow sticks isn't luminol but instead a different chemiluminescent compound.

All the best,
Terik