Luminol Lantern
We created a device that transfers potential chemical energy to light energy. The function of this device is to provide light without fire. My team used the process of luminescence of luminol, a carbon based molecule, to produce a bright blue glow.
Proof of Efficacy Document
Terms
hv- light energy. We produced this, and used this variable in our energy calculations
Catalyst- a chemical that speeds up a reaction. In our second reaction, we used potassium ferricyanide.
Oxidation- The loss of electrons. .
Reduction- gaining of electrons. Sodium hydroxide oxidizes the luminol, which causes electrons to leave the molecule.
Dianion- an anion that has two separate negative charges; we changed luminol into a dianion after it reacted with sodium hydroxide
Photons- particles of light. Photons were excreted from the aminophthalate, the product of the luminol dianion and sodium peroxide.
Excited energy state- a state of a molecule where electrons are at a high energy level. In our second reaction, the aminophthalate's electons were coming back to their original energy level, which causes energy to be released through photons. This stabilization causes the blue light to be emitted.
Catalyst- a chemical that speeds up a reaction. In our second reaction, we used potassium ferricyanide.
Oxidation- The loss of electrons. .
Reduction- gaining of electrons. Sodium hydroxide oxidizes the luminol, which causes electrons to leave the molecule.
Dianion- an anion that has two separate negative charges; we changed luminol into a dianion after it reacted with sodium hydroxide
Photons- particles of light. Photons were excreted from the aminophthalate, the product of the luminol dianion and sodium peroxide.
Excited energy state- a state of a molecule where electrons are at a high energy level. In our second reaction, the aminophthalate's electons were coming back to their original energy level, which causes energy to be released through photons. This stabilization causes the blue light to be emitted.
Reflection
This project was very interesting and exciting. Our team was very efficient at learning the information needed to explain both chemical reactions. One thing that went poorly, however, was that our team argued about how to spend class time, which actually wasted time. Some members of our group wanted to spend extra time researching the physics behind the production of light, while some wanted to do more experimentation on how to make our device more efficient. We eventually all decided to do more experimentation. These disagreements improved my communication. I learned how to communicate quickly and fully about our priorities as a team. These arguments also helped our team collaboration. I found that once the entire group was in agreement, we were all very motivated to complete the agreed upon task. Unfortunately, we would not have been successful to split the team up between the two tasks.. One goal I have for future project is to be more creative. While the idea for glow sticks was creative, the process we used was not. For example, we did not try to make any unusual chemicals glow, or try and produce light in another way. For my next project, I hope to focus on making a creative design and challenge myself to carry out the making of this in an uncommon way. I also want to improve my communication. We presented this project mostly orally, which was not the best choice. When preparing our presentation, our team left out some information in order to make the presentation more succinct. One way to convey more information in less time could be to hand out flyers to the audience, and they would show a better representation of the reaction taking place than what I drew on the board. We also could have put up a slide showing the reaction as we talked. Next time, I will be sure to include a helpful visual of what we are trying to explain. I will use these ideas to have an even more successful project next time!