Why does tonic water glow under black light

Ask an Expert. Post a Question. Log In to Leave a Review. Explore Our Science Videos. Why Aren't All Medicines Pills? Introduction Have you ever been fascinated by things that glow in the dark? It can be a lot of fun to play with bracelets, wands, and other toys that are glow-in-the-dark, like some stickers and creepy, crawly, plastic insects!

Have you ever wanted to make something at home that glows? Of these, the brightest glow is produced by tonic water, which appears blue. Without a black light, drinks may be made to appear to glow using presentation tricks. You can use a glowing glass, ice cubes containing small lights, or use a glow stick as a stirrer. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.

How to Make Glow-in-the-Dark Drinks. Glow in the Dark Pumpkin Instructions. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Forensic scientists use ultraviolet lights at crime scenes to find blood , urine , or semen.

Blood does not glow under a black light, but it reacts with a chemical that does fluoresce, so it can be detected after this reaction using ultraviolet light at a crime scene. Bank notes, especially high-value bills, often glow under ultraviolet light. Some of the whiteners in laundry 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. Banana spots glow under UV light. Shine a black light on a ripe banana with spots. Check out the area around the spots.

Many plastics glow under black light. Often, you can tell a plastic is likely to glow just by looking at it. For example, neon-colored acrylic may contain fluorescent molecules. Other types of plastic are less obvious. Plastic water bottles usually glow blue or violet under ultraviolet light. 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 Sometimes forgery of historical documents can be detected by placing them under a black light to see whether or not they fluoresce.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 contains fluorescent chemicals while older paper doesn't. If you bought make-up or nail polish with the intention of getting it to glow under a black light, you knew what to expect.

However, you might want to check your regular makeup too, or next time you pass a bright fluorescent light emits UV or black light, the effect might be more "rave party" than "office professional. Hint: The bars at many restaurants have black lights to make drinks look pretty.

If you have a jellyfish handy, see what it looks like under a black light in a darkened room. What happens after the bleach is mixed in with it? If you do not see a change in the tonic water, try adding and mixing in a few more drops of bleach. What happens? If you have some left, under the black light you can compare the glow of the tonic water in the original bottle with the tonic water that has bleach mixed in.

Do they look very different? Overall, how did adding bleach to the tonic water change its glow under the black light? Extra: If you dilute tonic water with regular water, you can make the tonic water glow less brightly. What is the smallest amount of tonic needed as you dilute it with normal water for it to still visibly glow under an ultraviolet black light? Extra: Bleach is a type of chemical called an oxidizing agent.

Some other common household oxidizing agents include hydrogen peroxide and OxiClean which contains sodium percarbonate. When other oxidizing agents are added to tonic water, do they have the same effect on its glow under an ultraviolet black light that bleach does? Build a Cooler. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

Sign Up.