Tabla de Contenidos
Organisms, chemicals or various materials can produce light and glow in the dark. 12 cases are listed below.
The radio
Radium is a radioactive chemical element that emits pale blue light produced by its decay (gradual transformation). It has been used in paints combined with phosphorus; the radioactive decay of radium generates the emission of light from the phosphor, which in this case is green.
radon
Radon is a colorless gas at room temperature, but emits light when cooled. The light it emits is yellow when it is at its solidification point, turning to orange-red if the temperature drops further.
plutonium
Plutonium, like radium, is a radioactive element that produces light. But the light it emits is due to its reaction with the oxygen in the air; this produces a deep red glow. This type of element is called pyrophoric.
tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of the element hydrogen that emits greenish light. Tritium is incorporated into some fluorescent paints and in gun sights.
chemical lights
The glow sticks in bars emit light as a result of a chemical reaction, that of chemiluminescence, generally produced by two components, one providing energy to excite the other, a fluorescent or phosphorescent compound.
The match
Phosphorus, like plutonium, emits light as a product of its reaction with oxygen in the air. The phosphor glows with a green hue.
tonic water
Tonic water has a chemical called quinine that produces bright blue light when exposed to ultraviolet light, also called black light.
The fireflies
Fireflies are insects of the lampyrid family that emit light to attract their partners in a complex dialogue between males and females. The males fly in search of a mate emitting flashes at a characteristic frequency of each species; if the females respond with flashes also at a characteristic frequency, mating occurs. The glow is produced in the ventral area of the insect’s abdomen by the reaction between oxygen in the air and luciferin, in the presence of the enzyme luciferase.
Jellyfish
Several species of jellyfish produce bioluminescence. Other species contain proteins that emit light when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
fluorescent coral
Coral, like jellyfish, emits light by itself or when exposed to ultraviolet light. The color it emits is generally green, but there are also corals that emit shades of red and orange.
the foxfire
Foxfire is a form of bioluminescence produced by some species of fungi. Bioluminescence is observed in fungi of the genus Armillaria . Like fireflies, light emission is caused by the reaction of the enzyme luciferase with luciferin. Fungi that emit green light are more common, but some species produce a shade of red.
Glossy paper
Bleaching agents, substances that cause white paper to take on a bluish hue when illuminated with ultraviolet light, are added in the paper production process.
Sources
Felix Coluccio. Folk Dictionary of the Flora and Fauna of America . Accessed November 2021.
Haschke, Thomas M.; Allen, Thomas H.; Morales, Luis A. Surface and Corrosion Chemistry of Plutonium . Los Alamos Science (26): 257, 2000.
