Elementary Productions: Chemiluminescence of Luminol

[technicgeek]

Hei. Du? Eg bare lutre på hvor du kjøper (eller framstiller) potassium ferricyanide.

[ArcanumComplex]

what is the significance of the quantum efficiency?

[alanomofo]

this is how you make nuka cola quantum

[aradioactivedonut]

that is a sexy beaker.

[reven676]

Hi Mabakken, is this safe to drink? and/or mix in the blood stream with out dying or horrible side effects?

[SpadeSerenade]

learn the chemistry behind glow sticks: watch?v=RNBVnGT4UFU

[matheuszaghetti]

Hi man, that's was nice! Where can i buy these products? Please reply.

[sorakairi1993]

Beautiful colour! Too bad it doesn't last very long

[Revelde20]

nice!

[theeedragonseye]

how much luminol did u add?

[biaienjei]

this really works? someone answer pliz im planing to do it for my science prject..

[uSee218]

wow

[TheTrollCity]

this guy is such a badass

[mapleguy1029384756]

How long does it last?

[dallzerz]

Please explain "quantum efficiency"

[farout81]

@dallzerz

in chemistry quantum efficiency refers to the number of species that undergo a reaction when excited by a radiation source. 1% is very low. this means that of all the molecules in the beaker only 1% of them are undergoing the reaction to produce light

[mewrox99]

Is a substance that emits light when oxidised

[zasx20]

What is luminol exactly?

[wattapassa]

you can add more potassium ferrocynaide and it starts glowing again.

[MusicWavesMan]

is potassium ferrocyanaide poisonous? anything with the word cyanide makes me think very deadly poison. I'm not a chemist so I have no idea..

[farout81]

@MusicWavesMan

it isnt very hazardous. when heated up it starts to decompose, however, and releases toxic fumes of cyanide and nitrogen oxides. other than that it is stable, just dont go eating it

[Mrluisao17]

very cool.good work

[EzraKile]

how did you make luminol?

i don't know how to condensate fatlicaciwith hidrazine...

[JAMProductions07]

Making Luminol cannot be done at home, due to the availibility of chemicals. to make it you need hydrazine, which is illegal unless you have a certain chemical license, as it is used by terrorists for rocket fuel and as an explosive. Bad Times!

[arande3]

!!!!

This reminds me of a "mad scientist" mixing chemicals and then drinking the glowing result. Fun!

[singcarcom]

Cool! Can i know what it means by quantum efficiency?

[megafeltch]

i think you could use diphenyl oxalate

[eljunkielovegun]

Hi, how is the DMSO used? Can someone explain it a little bit more? What substance in the original experiment does it replace? Thank you!

[laisiutung]

How long does the effective luminescence last for?

[qasdfvcxz]

not long. I did pretty much the same experiment and it only lasts for maybe 45 seconds.

[VincentLaporte]

just amazing!

[rihardo123]

drink it :b

[panic2001]

Also, did you find that at the end of the reaction, the solution began to fizz? Carbon dioxide was being given off. Did you also see this??

[mabakken]

Yes, I noticed the fizzing, but it's not Carbon Dioxide. It's Oxygen, from the decomposing Hydrogen Peroxide. =)

[panic2001]

nope, your wrong. It's nitrogen gas! =)

[panic2001]

hey mabakken, can you tell me the exact concentrations and volumes you used? (i.e. the mass of luminol used, the amount of NaOH in water used, amount of water mixed with NaOH, amount of hydrogen peroxide used, and my Potassium Ferricyanide is in green liquid form - so how many drops of that would i need?)

Thank you!!!!!

[mabakken]

1) Mix 5 grams of Sodium Hydroxide in 1000 ml of water + 0.1 grams of Luminol.

2) 10 ml of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide in 1000 ml of water + 0.25 grams of Sodium Ferrocyanide.

Try using these ratios. As I have no idea of the concentration of your Ferricyanide, it could be everything from 1 to 10 drops.

[hammr12]

I was wondering if this is the same solution availble for blood tracking or if a variation would be suitable?

[mabakken]

The solution used in forensics is quite similar to this Luminol solution, but in forensics, Sodium Perborate is used along with or instead of Hydrogen Peroxide (I think) to sensitize the solution.

[hammr12]

Thanks! Are you aware of any instructions and ingredient lists posted to create the blood tracking solution? This would be for hunting purposes to make it easier to track an animal in rough brush terrain. Thanks again!

[mabakken]

1. Prepare a solution of 0.100-g of luminol crystals, 5.0-g of sodium carbonate, and 0.7-g of sodium perborate in 100-mL of distilled water. Use immediately.

2. Place the solution in a spray bottle and spray over the surface containing blood. The blood will show as a faint bluish-white glow =)

[hammr12]

Thanks, when I get a chance to try it I will let you know the results.

[Daraabstar]

wow that is really cool.

[cobrasniper555]

mabakken! Great vids! I recently did a presentation for my AP chemistry class involving chemiluminescence. Everything matched your description except we didn't use potassium ferricyanide. For the luminol solution, I remember using sodium and ammonium bicarbonate (the slightly basic environment you speak of), copper sulfate (a hydrate; I can't remember of how much though) and luminol. The H2O2 solution is exactly as you described. It was a great experiment and this was a great vid! Good job!

[clerlic]

I've seen a video long time ago where a guy mixed crushed match heads in alcohol, injected the solution into a flower and then also injected it with hydrogen peroxide.

It looked really pretty and I bet he scored a bunch of times with those flowers. Is it the same kind of reaction? Would you make a video of it? I'll subscribe if you say yes :P

[mabakken]

hehe...a classical chemical misconception. The experiment is, in a lack of a better word: bullshit. Here's why:

- There is no Phosphorus or any other chemiluminescent substance in the head of the match.

- Phosphorus is insoluble in alcohol. Frankly, Red Phosphorus is insoluble in anything.

- Hydrogen Peroxide will not oxidise whatever chemiluminescent compound present without a catalyst or activator.

Sorry to disappoint you :)

[clerlic]

Ah damn :( Anyways could I make any glowing stuff with household stuff? I have hydrogen peroxide.

[edanove]

where can i get luminol?

[Sebbass69]

Would a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide make it glow brighter? Or perhaps adding more potassium ferro cyanide?

[mabakken]

A higher concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide would definately make i glow brighter, but for a much shorter time.

Adding more ferrocyanide would make it glow brighter as well, but not compared to a higher concentration of Hydrogen peroxide.

[asd52320032003]

also is it better under Uv

good work keep it up!

enjoying the vids

[asd52320032003]

0.5 molar NaOH is quite conc aint it ?

usually 0.1 molar is quite harmful

[mabakken]

I wouldn't call it quite concentrated, but as it is a very strong base, it is harmful.

[asd52320032003]

I heard that luminol is quite expensive how much did it cost you?

[mabakken]

It is very expensive, but you only use tiny amounts at a time. I paid $29 excl. shipping for 5 grams.

[mewrain]

How long does it take round about to complete the experiment?

[mabakken]

If you mean the reaction, it takes about 1 minute I would say...:)

[busterbone]

Man, holy schnikies-like wow dude

[Basco36]

Does it matter whether you use sodium ferricyanide or sodium ferrocyanide for this experiment? Cause i thought it was sodium ferrocyanide

[mabakken]

To be honest, I don't know! You'll have to try and see. Let me know if it works :)

[differens]

Good, i have 1000g of potassium ferricyanide and never though i could use it for anything. :)

[artmart88]

Hi there. I have to do conduct a similar reaction for a chemistry show that we're having in school. I followed the same procedure as you, but my solution only glows for maybe 1-2 seconds.

How do you get yours to glow for so long?

[mabakken]

Use a lower concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide. I bet yours glow very brightly, but not for a very long time. This is because the Luminol is oxidised by the Oxygen faster if there is a higher concentration of Oxygen. =)

[artmart88]

Thanks for the reply. When I did my trial experiment I used 30% hydrogen peroxide. What concentration do you think would work best/what did you use?

[mabakken]

hehe...I used a concentration of 0,03 % :)

[notquitegenius]

You could also try using DMSO as a solvent. It is much better at stabilizing the radical intermediate and luminesces for hours instead of seconds or minutes. Be careful with the dimethyl sulfoxide though.

[bejbynek]

Use DMSO as a solvent or just add some DMSO to water?

[notquitegenius]

DMSO as a solvent. A small amount of water is ok, but the more water you add the faster the reaction is quenched.

[mozartthebest]

Where got luminol?

[mabakken]

From a chemical supplier

[twirlywirly55]

hi

how long can the solutions be stored for on there own

thanks

[mabakken]

Quite long, actually. I let the solutions stand for 1, 2 and 3 weeks respectively, and even though chemiluminescence was exhibited in all those cases, the luminescence became more dim after having stood for some time. This is because the Hydrogen Peroxide slowly decomposes.