======Glowstick Dissection======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Alternative titles:** Chemiluminescence Painting  
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Put on safety glasses and gloves before handling glowsticks.  
  - Label containers for the two separate liquids: the clear activator (hydrogen peroxide) and the colored dye solution (diphenyl oxalate with dye).  
  - Use cutters to carefully remove the top of a glowstick and drain the clear activator fluid into a container.  
  - Remove the inner glass tube, rinse off hydrogen peroxide from the outside, and place it on a paper towel.  
  - Cover the glass tube with a paper towel, break it carefully with cutters, and pour the dye solution into a separate container. Dispose of the broken glass safely.  
  - Repeat the process with additional glowsticks to collect a variety of dye solutions for painting.  
  - Prepare petri dishes or dark containers as painting surfaces. Pour each dye solution into separate dishes.  
  - Using a dropper or applicator, add small amounts of hydrogen peroxide to each dish to activate the glow and create glowing artwork.  
  - Experiment with temperature changes (e.g., adding ice beneath dishes) or peroxide concentration to observe effects on brightness and duration.



====Links==== 
How Do Glow Sticks Work? - Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski: 
{{youtube>W4xKJ3LHlVM?}}\\

📄 Glowstick Dissection and Painting - The Oakland Toy Lab: [[https://www.instructables.com/Glowstick-Dissection-and-Painting/]]\\


====Variations====
  * Use glowsticks of different colors to create a wider palette for painting.  
  * Experiment with store-bought hydrogen peroxide of higher concentration to compare reaction rates.  
  * Chill the glow mixtures in ice baths or refrigerate them to slow the reaction and extend glow time.  




====Safety Precautions====
  * Safety glasses required.  
  * Gloves required to prevent skin contact with chemicals.  
  * Handle broken glass carefully and dispose of it in a proper sharps container.  
  * Do not ingest or apply glowstick chemicals to skin.  
  * Perform the activity in a well-ventilated area and avoid spills.  




====Questions to Consider====
  * What chemical reaction occurs inside a glowstick to produce light? (Hydrogen peroxide reacts with diphenyl oxalate to produce phenol, carbon dioxide, and energy that excites the dye molecules to emit photons.)  
  * How does changing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide affect the brightness and duration of glow? (Higher concentrations increase brightness but shorten glow time.)  
  * Why does lowering the temperature slow down the reaction? (Lower temperatures reduce the rate of molecular collisions, slowing the reaction and making the glow last longer.)  
  * Why do glowsticks use different dyes? (Different dyes absorb and emit photons at different wavelengths, producing a variety of colors.)