EXPERIMENT TO MAKE FLUORESCENT LIQUID
| Theme | Fluorescence |
| Category | Home Experiments, Chemistry Experiments |
| Main products | Fluorescein Sodium |
| Short description | In this experiment you will be able to fluorescent liquidthrough the phenomenon known as fluorescence. The fluorescence is a physical phenomenon whereby certain substances absorb energy (from ultraviolet light) and re-emit it in the form of light. |
Experiment Materials
The materials to be used for the experiment are:
- Glass beaker or container
- Water (distilled water is better, but it will still work even if it is not distilled).
- One drop of ammonia
- Fluorescein Sodium - Buy
- Lantern ultraviolet light
How to make fluorescent liquid step by step
⇒ Step 1.
Pour distilled water into a beaker and add a drop of ammonia. This step is to raise the Water pH. The fluorescence peak of sodium fluorescein is 8. With a drop of ammonia we raise the pH of the tap water a little, bringing it closer to 8. This step is not essential, however, and you can do this experiment simply with tap water.
⇒ Step 2.
Add a few grains of sodium fluorescein. Sodium fluorescein is a powder that generates a very high fluorescence. With just a few grains you will see how the liquid becomes fluorescently coloured.
⇒ Step 3.
Illuminate the solution with ultraviolet light and you will see how the liquid glows in the dark with the phenomenon of fluorescence.
We repeat the process of introducing fluorescein into the water, this time in the dark, focusing it with ultraviolet light to see the phenomenon better.
Technical explanation of the experiment
This experiment is based on fluorescence. At this article you can read what fluorescence is. For this experiment, the product that gives us the fluorescence is the sodium fluorescein. Sodium fluorescein is a yellow, water-soluble organic dye substance which produces an intense green fluorescent colour in basic solutions (pH greater than 7). When exposed to ultraviolet light, the fluorescence absorbs certain wavelengths and emits fluorescent light. The maximum absorption is observed above 500 nm wavelength and the maximum emission in a pH medium around 8 and emission wavelengths close to 550 nm.
To obtain a basic solution (pH>7), add a few drops of ammonia to the water.
Making fluorescent liquid in Video
APPLICATIONS OF THE EXPERIMENT
Fluorescence generation has applications in the medical field, especially for eye detection. The products and kits we sell are not intended for any medical use.
One of the most direct applications of fluorescence is for hydrological leak detection.
SEE MORE EXPERIMENTS
In this section you can see more experiments: Home Experiments
How can I make sure that the phosphorescent liquid I got does not lose colour when I expose it to the sun? Normally on the second day it loses its phosphorescence and becomes just water, slightly tinged with yellow.