First chemoluminescence research out of Bell Labs

1
Glow Sticks

• First chemoluminescence research out of Bell Labs
• Cyalume emits light when mixed with hydrogen
  peroxide
• invented by Michael M. Rauhut, D.Iba Sr., R.W.
  Sombathy and L.J. Bollyky
• 1976 U.S. Patent 4,064,428 for the original
  Chemical Light Device - Richard Taylor Van
  Zandt named inventor
• 15 million/year used by the US Department of
  Defense
• Glowsticking refers to dancing with glowsticks
• Since glow sticks contain hydrogen and phenol,
  contents should be kept off of skin

Chemistry

• Mixing phenyl oxalate ester hydrogen peroxide
  yields 2 phenols peroxy-acid ester

• Peroxyacid ester spontaneously decomposes CO2
  releases energy by exciting a dye molecule
• Dye relaxation results in photoemission
• Color of emission related to dyes structure.

2
Dye Color, Structure Spectra

• By eye green and yellow brighter than blue and
  orange.
• Spectra similar but not just shifted ?each dye
  has a distinct shape.
• Unique, unexpected bump in orange spectrum in
  the cyan region