@chemteacherphil: Making your own glow in the dark stars is not very difficult, and it involves a unique process called phosphorescence! Most glow in the dark materials use zinc sulfide that has had tiny impurities added to the crystalline material, most commonly manganese, copper or silver ions. These impurities alter the electron energy levels in the crystal, so that when light hits the powder, electrons get excited and trapped in the material's structure, unable to quickly fall back down to the ground state. After the light source is removed, these trapped electrons slowly release stored energy as light, causing the powder to glow. This phosphorescent glow persists even after the initial light exposure, which makes it useful for watch dials, signs, and of course, those glow in the dark stars you put on your ceiling. If you want to make some like I did, just mix some glow powder with some white glue or mod podge and paint onto thick paper or cardstock (I used watercolor paper), cut out your shapes and put them where ever you’d like! #chemistry #phosphorescence #chemteacherphil #learnontiktok

Phillip Cook

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Region: US

Sunday 26 November 2023 18:10:20 GMT