You will need to gather a few objects, many of which you likely have lying around your home!
Look around your for any of these things: tonic water, honey, vitamin b pills (riboflavin), plants, eggs, milk, bananas, olive oil, laundry detergent, or your own skin.
Alcohol can also be used as a way to help increase the fluorescence of an object. Overall, the brightness of the fluorophore can depend on the solvent.
You will also need a blacklight or UV light. This will help you view the glowing associated with fluorescence that is not visible with the naked eye.
Experiments
Fluorescence can be observed in many ways. Here we provide common approaches.
You can find a blacklight or UV light in many places, but here is a list of places with hyperlinks to help with your search: Amazon, Walmart, Party City, Lowes, or you can try to make your phone into a blacklight
Warning: Prolonged eye exposure to UV light can cause eye damage. Make sure to wear eye protection, and take breaks while doing these experiments!
Warning: Prolonged eye exposure to UV light can cause eye damage. Make sure to wear eye protection, and take breaks while doing these experiments!
Milk & Tonic Water Experiment:
Ingredients Needed:
Start in a dark room with the UV light turned on and set up. It should illuminate the room, and you should be able to see the tonic water glowing before beginning the experiment. Then, take the see-through glass and add in the 1/2 cup of milk. On top of the milk, pour in the 1/3 cup of tonic water. You should then let this mixture sit for about five minutes.
Observations:
Watch as the milk's tryptophan begins to curdle, and see the yellow fluorescence begin to reveal itself.
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/3 cup of tonic water
- see-through glass
- UV light
Start in a dark room with the UV light turned on and set up. It should illuminate the room, and you should be able to see the tonic water glowing before beginning the experiment. Then, take the see-through glass and add in the 1/2 cup of milk. On top of the milk, pour in the 1/3 cup of tonic water. You should then let this mixture sit for about five minutes.
Observations:
Watch as the milk's tryptophan begins to curdle, and see the yellow fluorescence begin to reveal itself.
Lettuce/leaf & Alcohol Experiment:
Ingredients Needed:
Set up in a dark room with the UV light on. Take the leaf or a leaf from the lettuce head and tear it into small pieces. Then, pour your alcohol of choice into the cup. Be sure to pour enough to submerge the leaves. Let the pieces submerge in alcohol for 30 seconds. Then, remove it and pat dry with a paper towel. Observe the leaves after submersion underneath a UV blacklight.
Observations:
The leaves should fluoresce a red color, due to the chlorophyll in the leaves. This becomes more intense after dipping the lettuce in the alcohol wash.
- lettuce head/leaf
- alcohol of choice, clear preferred
- UV light
- paper towels & cup
Set up in a dark room with the UV light on. Take the leaf or a leaf from the lettuce head and tear it into small pieces. Then, pour your alcohol of choice into the cup. Be sure to pour enough to submerge the leaves. Let the pieces submerge in alcohol for 30 seconds. Then, remove it and pat dry with a paper towel. Observe the leaves after submersion underneath a UV blacklight.
Observations:
The leaves should fluoresce a red color, due to the chlorophyll in the leaves. This becomes more intense after dipping the lettuce in the alcohol wash.