Bioluminscence Greek bios = living Latin lumen = light

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Bioluminscence Greek bios living Latin
lumen light

• the production and emission of light by a living
  organism as the result of a chemical reaction
  between two different chemicals during which
  chemical energy is converted to light energy.
• Most of the world's bioluminescence exists in the
  ocean. Of the marine animal phyla, 14 have
  members that produce light, more than half of all
  animal phyla capable of bioluminescence.
• Bioluminescent life forms live mostly in the
  twilight or disphotic zone the poorly lit part
  of the ocean.

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Natural Bioluminescence

• Cells contain a chemical called luciferin and
  make an enzyme called luciferase.
• To make light, the luciferin combines with oxygen
  to form an inactive molecule called oxyluciferin.
  
• The luciferase speeds up the reaction, which
  occurs in two steps

1. luciferin ATP -------------gt luciferyl
   adenylate PPi
2. luciferyl adenylate O2 -------------gt
   oxyluciferin AMP light

The cells that make the light have uric acid
crystals that help reflect the light away from
the abdomen. The oxygen is supplied to the cells
through a tube in the abdomen called the
abdominal trachea. It is not known whether the
on-off switching of the light is controlled by
nerve cells or the oxygen supply.
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Uses for Bioluminscence

• Communication Fireflies flash at one another in
  a species-specific pattern, often to find a mate.
  
• Locating food In the depths of the ocean, some
  fish species use their light like a spotlight to
  find prey.
• Attracting prey Some species, like the angler
  fish, use a luminescent lure to attract other
  fish.
• Camouflage In the darker parts of the ocean,
  it's hard to see anything below you, but it's
  easy to see the silhouette of what's above you.
  For this reason, some species produce spots of
  light on their undersides, which blur their
  outlines and allow them to blend in with the
  light from above. This is also known as
  counter-illumination.
• Mimicry The cookie-cutter shark has one unlit
  patch on its underside, which resembles a smaller
  fish when viewed from below. When a large
  predator approaches, the shark can take a large
  bite and then flee. This allows the cookie-cutter
  shark to prey on animals that are much larger and
  more powerful than itself.
• Self-defense When threatened, some animals
  release a cloud of bioluminescent fluid, similar
  to the way squid defend themselves with a cloud
  of ink. Others use a bright flash to blind
  predators.

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Found in

• Marine Vertebrates
• Marine Invertebrates
• Microorganisms
• Terrestrial Animals
• Symbiotic organisms within larger organisms

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hydromedusa Aequorea victoria is probably the
most influential bioluminescent marine organism.
Remember Transgenic Organisms???!!
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FLUORESCENCE as in bulbs

• There is a stream of electrons flowing between
  the electrodes at both ends of the fluorescent
  bulb.
• The electrons interact with mercury vapour atoms
  floating inside the bulb.
• The mercury atoms become excited, and when they
  return to an unexcited state they release photons
  of light in the ultraviolet region of the
  spectrum.
• These ultraviolet photons collide with the
  phosphor coating the inside of the bulb, and the
  phosphor creates visible light.
• The phosphor fluoresces to produce light. A
  fluorescent bulb produces less heat, so it is
  much more efficient. A fluorescent bulb can
  produce between 50 and 100 lumens per watt. This
  makes fluorescent bulbs four to six times more
  efficient than incandescent bulbs. That's why you
  can buy a 15-watt fluorescent bulb that produces
  the same amount of light as a 60-watt
  incandescent bulb.

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Flourescence

• There is a chemical in the shell of the scorpion
  that makes it glow under long wavelength UV
  light.
• Baby scorpions do not glow.

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Phosphorescence

• Glow in the dark stickersThe excited product is
  more stable, so that the time until the energy is
  released is much longer, resulting in a glow long
  after the light has been shut off.

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Chemiluminesence

• The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate
  ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and
  an unstable peroxyacid ester.
• The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes,
  resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic
  peroxy compound.
• The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon
  dioxide.
• This decomposition releases energy to the dye.
• The electrons in the dye atoms jump to a higher
  level, then fall back down, releasing energy in
  the form of light.

• The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate
  ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and
  an unstable peroxyacid ester.
• The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes,
  resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic
  peroxy compound.
• The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon
  dioxide.
• This decomposition releases energy to the dye.
• The electrons in the dye atoms jump to a higher
  level, then fall back down, releasing energy in
  the form of light.

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Triboluminescence

• Occurs when molecules (crystalline sugars) are
  crushed, forcing electrons out of their atomic
  fields. Free electrons bump into nitrogen
  molecules in the air. When they collide, the
  electrons impart energy to the nitrogen
  molecules, causing them to vibrate. In this
  excited state, and in order to get rid of the
  excess energy, these nitrogen molecules emit
  light.

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Triboluminescence

• Are You Ready
• For Some
• Fun?!

methyl salicylate
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How it works

1. When you shatter the sugar crystals with your
   teeth, electrons (which are negatively charged)
   break free. As a result, the atoms in which the
   electrons were formerly embedded become
   positively charged.
2. As the sugar crystals disintegrate, nitrogen
   molecules from the air attach themselves to the
   fractured surfaces. When the free electrons
   strike the nitrogen molecules, they cause the
   latter to emit invisible ultraviolet radiation,
   along with a faint visible glow.
3. The UV radiation is absorbed by the wintergreen
   flavoring, methyl salicylate, which is
   fluorescent. This then emits the fairly bright
   blue light you see.