![]() ![]() Part of why we find things that glow under ultraviolet lights - like some minerals, fish, and tonic water - to be fascinating is because we cannot see the (ultraviolet) light they absorb, but we can see the visible light they emit (which is blue in the case of quinine). In general, something fluoresces because it has absorbed light energy, which makes it excited, and then it releases (or emits) light as it returns to its normal, un-excited state. Under an ultraviolet "black light," the quinine in tonic water makes the water fluoresce a brilliant, bright blue (even though a relatively small amount of quinine is dissolved in the water). Quinine not only gives tonic water a characteristic bitter taste (which was offset by mixing medicinal tonic water with gin by the British to create gin and tonics, and is offset today by the addition of high fructose corn syrup to bottled tonic water), but this chemical can also be very fluorescent under the right conditions. Quinine is from the bark of a tree and has been used for centuries as a treatment for malaria. The rest of the items do.Tonic water is a carbonated beverage that has a chemical called quinine dissolved in it. What objects in the display?Īs a “control” (known variable in a science experiment) there is a vial of regular tap water. So you can see that UV-A is a small section of the total spectrum. The whole UV spectrum goes from 400 nm to 10 nm. But one way to easily distinguish the two is by observing them under a blacklight Black Locust will emit a strong yellow-green glow, while Mulberry will be. Fluorescence is when some substances absorb the normally invisible UV and re-radiate it as visible light. UV-A is defined as 400 nm (nano-meters) to 315 nm. UVA - black light Harmless UVB causes Suntan, makes the skin produce vitamin D, Most dangerous as it can cause burns and skin cancer UVC Used to Sterilize things - Not a hazard as not much occurs naturally. By the numbers, light is measured in wavelengths. Having several different terms for this section of light does make it confusing at times. We are only using the “black light” section of the UV spectrum. But UV is a spectrum, so what wavelengths of UV are in this display? UV-C is also dangerous, but Earth’s atmosphere keeps us safe from UV-C exposure. Set them under black lights to look like strange experiments. For eerie glowing decorations, pour tonic water into test tubes and beakers. You can also use tonic water ice cubes in drinks. Set up black lights and serve tonic water for glowing drinks. No, UV-A is mostly blocked by glass, but even if it were not, UV-B is responsible for damaging sunburns. Tonic water glows when black lights are used because of the quinine used to make it. Will being close to the exhibit cause me sunburn or tan? ![]() In the case of your skin, it doesn’t emit the energy as visible light, but does convert the energy into pigmentation (tan or sunburn), and it uses that energy to help create vitamin D, a vitamin we need to stay healthy. Mainly there are three type of things that could be glowing in the dark that are phosphorescence, Fluorescence, and Chemiluminescence. In the case off all but one object in our display, the material releases the energy it absorbed from the light back as light in the visible spectrum! Depending on the atoms involved and their structure (how they are arranged to build the object you are looking at), determines how the object reacts. What’s happening physically is the material absorbs the UV light, just as your skin can absorb UV light. When you turn on the UV Lamp in the exhibit, you can see our minerals, scorpions, and a few other objects glow! What we see in our exhibit are objects that Fluoresce or glow when exposed to UV light. And finally Gamma Waves, these are more rare on Earth, and more common in space. Reheating leftovers in the microwave? You guessed it, microwaves are also a form of light! So are X-rays, like those you get at the doctor’s or dentist’s office. Listening to the radio in the car, or watching broadcast TV? Then you’re tuning your electronics into specific radio waves. Getting a sunburn or tan? Certain wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) light are the cause. While we are most familiar with Visible light, we experience other forms quite often! Feeling warm? We perceive infrared light as heat. ![]()
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