# Household item that will react to Black or UV lighting



## Lilly

I found this and though it was interesting ,and since alot of people ask what can I Use so here goes...Surprisingly it doesn't all have to be the blueish color as we all know.

Question: What Materials Glow Under a Black or Ultraviolet Light?
Answer: There are a lot of everyday materials that fluoresce, or glow, when placed under a black light. A black light gives off highly energetic ultraviolet light. You can't see this part of the spectrum, which is how 'black lights' got their name. Fluorescent substances absorb the ultraviolet light and then re-emit it almost instantaneously. Some energy gets lost in the process, so the emitted light has a longer wavelength than the absorbed radiation, which makes this light visible and causes the material to appear to 'glow'. 
Fluorescent molecules tend to have rigid structures and delocalized electrons. Examples of common materials that contain fluorescent molecules include:

White Paper
White paper is treated with fluorescent compounds to help it appear brighter and therefore whiter. Sometimes forgery of historical documents can be detected by placing them under a black light to see whether or not they fluoresce. White paper made post-1950 contains fluorescent chemicals while older paper doesn't.

Club Soda or Tonic Water
The bitter flavoring of tonic water is due to the presence of quinine, which glows blue-white when placed under a black light.

Body Fluids
Many body fluids contain fluorescent molecules. Forensic scientists use ultraviolet lights at crime scenes to find blood, urine, or semen (all fluorescent).

Vitamins
Vitamin A and the B vitamins thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin are strongly fluorescent. Try crushing a vitamin B-12 tablet and dissolving it in vinegar. The solution will glow bright yellow under under a black light.

Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll makes plants green, but it fluoresces a blood red color. Grind some spinach or swiss chard in a small amount of alcohol (e.g., vodka or everclear) and pour it through a coffee filter to get chlorophyll extract (you keep the part that stays on the filter, not the liquid). You can see the red glow using a black light or even a strong fluorescent bulb, such as an overhead projector lamp, which (you guessed it) gives off ultraviolet light.

Antifreeze
Manufacturers purposely include fluorescent additives in antifreeze fluid so that black lights can be used to find antifreeze splashes to help invesitagors reconstruct automobile accident scenes.

Laundry Detergents
Some of the whiteners in detergent work by making your clothing a bit fluorescent. Even though clothing is rinsed after washing, residues on white clothing cause it to glow bluish-white under a black light. Blueing agents and softening agents often contain fluorescent dyes, too. The presence of these molecules sometimes causes white clothing to appear blue in photographs.

Tooth Whiteners
Whiteners and some enamels contain compounds that glow blue to keep teeth from appearing yellow.

Postage Stamps
Stamps are printed with inks that contain fluorescent dyes.

Jellyfish
If you have a jellyfish handy, see what it looks like under a black light in a darkened room. Some of the proteins within a jellyfish are intensely fluorescent.

Some Minerals and Gems
Fluorescent rocks include fluorite, calcite, gypsum, ruby, talc, opal, agate, quartz, and amber. Minerals and gemstones are most commonly made fluorescent or phosphorescent due to the presence of impurities. The Hope Diamond, which is blue, phosphoresces red for several seconds after exposure to shortwave ultraviolet light.
from: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/f/blblacklight.htm


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## Aelwyn

Cool! Very informative. I love the idea of glowing chlorophyll, since you can now buy this in liquid forms at Health Food stores.  And I'll have to try the B-12 stuff, too!


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## Sickie Ickie

Semen anyone?


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## Liam

Wow, that's excellent information! Thanks, Lilly.

And Sickie, you're sick...oh, wait. Right.  Hehe...

L


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## Turbophanx

Sickie Ickie said:


> Semen anyone?


I was going to say Motel bed covers....


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## sharpobject

very interesting reading - thanks Lilly


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## redquestron

amazing information! Im really keen to see the tonic water result and extract some chlorophyll.
thanks!


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## RAWR

This may be a given but if you happen to have printable neon paper which you can buy in bulk at office depot and stores like that, they glow to. And its not that expensive.


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## Revenant

redquestron said:


> amazing information! Im really keen to see the tonic water result and extract some chlorophyll.
> thanks!


The tonic water looks very cool. It glows a pale blue. Not a lot of light but a very nice color. I tried it with my ultrasonic fogger and the mist does indeed glow; not real strong but it glows. *NOTE: If you decide to do this, pour the tonic water into an open pitcher and let it stand overnight!!* Tonic is carbonated, and if you don't let it go all the way flat first yer gonna have a royal mess when that fogger starts vibrating it!!


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## Haunted Bayou

Don't let Sickie anywhere near your fogger...ahem!


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## beelce

Thanks Lilly...that's good info


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## ubzest

*glows under black light*

Heres a few more things that glow under black light. green dishwashing liquid,
the plastic lucite handle of my plunger, and grease! I plugged a black light bulb in my stove socket and boy did I get a shock! you can tell where the grease splashed up on the back of the stove and wall! Iam soooo embarrassed I said that now!:googly:


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## Haunted Bayou

You sure it wasn't blood from an old unsolved murder? Yep..not grease...old blood. See now you don't have to be embarrassed!


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## ubzest

lol thanks!


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## dynoflyer

Lilly said:


> Body Fluids
> Many body fluids contain fluorescent molecules. Forensic scientists use ultraviolet lights at crime scenes to find blood, urine, or semen (all fluorescent).


*Now there's an interesting idea!* 

For a more practical solution, try Mountain Dew soda under black light.


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## spinachetr

PERT shampoo and silly string also glow under a black light. In my college dorm room (many moons ago) I hung fishnets from my ceiling and sprayed them with cans of different colored silly string. The silly string hardened and hung down from the nets.


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## Draik41895

im suprised no one said any thing about pet scorpions, I thought it was obvious.


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## BackYardHaunter

hahah im going to go pee all over my haunt walls now. lol

-BYH


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## scream1973

And not only a glow but it will impart a haunting smell as well


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## Vlad

Good thing I had a jellyfish handy.


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## turtle2778

neon highlighters also glow under black light and the marker tubes can be added to water to make all the liquid glow.


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## The-Haunter

grEen monster energy drinks will glow also. I made jello shots with just a touch of tonic to make them glow turned out real well


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## Nightwing

I've read that petroleum jelly will glow under blacklight too, but I haven't tested that out yet.


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## jaege

Pretty cool info. I like the red of chlorophyll. That would be a cool compound for a witch's jar!


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