# Making chemlites

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 29, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402 "2002-05-29T17:51:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![satanslawyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@satanslawyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/satanslawyer)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402/1 "2002-05-29T17:51:16Z")

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Does anyone know any good recipies for making my own chemlites?

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**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2002, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402/2 "2002-05-30T11:09:45Z")

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Are chemlites the glowing tubes that you start by breaking the inner core? If so they are two parts.

1. Hydrogen peroxide solution

2. aminophthalhydrazide (luminol) + optional fluorescent dye (e.g. fluroscein) in water

peroxide oxidises Phthalhydrazide to give an excited species, which then either glows or excites dye to glow.

here is one formula  
Take 1 mL of dilute (0.15%) H2O2 (peroxide) solution and add 2 mL of luminol (3-aminophthalhydrazide) solution. Observe the “blue glow” of the mixed solution for a few seconds immediately after mixing, which is best done in a dark environment. The luminol solution is made up as follows: 0.4g Na2CO3 is dissolved in 125 mL water in a 250 mL flask. 0.05 g luminol is added and stirred until dissolved. Add 6 g NaHCO3, 0.13 g (NH4)2CO3.H2O and 0.1 g CuSO4.5H2O. Stir until solids dissolve and then make up to 250 mL. If there is any problem try using a slightly more concentrated peroxide solution." from [http://www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz/hotlines/chemistry.html#chem22](http://www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz/hotlines/chemistry.html#chem22)

adding different cloloured flourescent dyes will make it glow different colours

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**Author:** ![satanslawyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@satanslawyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/satanslawyer)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402/3 "2002-05-30T14:43:03Z")

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Ummmmmmm… OK. 😕

Well first of all, thank you for the reply. But is there any way you could put that in laymen’s terms?

I was really hoping for some kind of home made recipe using simple household chemicals or stuff I could snag from work.

I know my profile says I’m a technician, but thats not lab tech, its electronics tech. But still very cool that you replied scm1001 🆒

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**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402/4 "2002-05-30T17:25:15Z")

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I am sorry that there are no simple household chemicals that will glow when mixed. Life is not like the movies, where some geek mixes kitchen chemicals and makes a bomb, or flubber.

3-aminophthalhydrazide is avaliable from any chemical supply company, copper sulfate, peroxide, Na2CO3 (washing soda), NaHCO3 (baking soda) are common household chemicals though.

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**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-chemlites/111402/5 "2002-05-31T12:32:01Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Life is not like the movies, where some geek mixes kitchen chemicals and makes a bomb, or flubber.

[Make Flubber!](http://www.omsi.edu/visit/chemistry/flubber.cfm) (White glue + borax, common household chemicals by all means.)

Do you need a bomb link, too? 😃