The history of glowsticks
Glowsticks were originally invented and developed over 30 years ago. They were too expensive to sell to the public and were only available to government insitutions for safety applications.

Who usesglowsticks?
Glowsticks are used by party-goers, ragers and even pet owners. Sure, glowsticks started in the rage culture of the 1980s because their bright colours, lets say, excited the senses!

What to look for in glowsticks
Try to buy glowsticks that last. Cheap glowsticks tend to fade very quickly. The better, higher priced glowsticks, will last for hours rather than minutes.

Look for colours that are bright and vibrant. Cheap glowsticks tend to have dull, faded colours that do not glow brightly.

Glowsticking
Yes, now the practise of dancing with glowsticks has its own name. You can even buy videos of glowsticking to improve your technique!

Krill Lights
Krill Lamps are the replacement for the chemical glowsticks. They offer the same benefits of the glowstick for low level lighting the Krill lamps offer a few more.

Glow bracelets
These are glowing tubes with connectors at each end. Make as many as you like or your own glow necklaces or glow bracelets.

Glow gloves
Don't bother with glowstick when you can get gloves that do the glowing!The Bright Hands Glow Gloves are white (in the light) and glow bright green (in the dark). They will glow brightly in the dark after being charged with light and they glow very well under blacklight too. The gloves are designed for signing in the dark, however, you can get creative and find other uses for the glove.

Glowstick sizes
Glowsticks are sold in sizes often related to their length. 6 inch to 8 inch glowstics and lightsticksare the the most common.

Price
Glowsticks generally cost between 5p and 20p per stick depending on the volume.

Battery-operated glowstics
Battery Operated Glowsticks are the latest alternative to existing chemical glow sticks, and last up to 20 times longer. These can be switched on or off by the turn of a button when required. They are ideal for night clubs, raves, concerts, outdoor events, or as a source of emergency lighting for the car, boat or home.

How do glowsticks/lightsticks work?
Lightsticks or glowsticks are used by trick-or-treaters, divers, campers and for fun. To activate a lightstick, you bend the plastic tube breaking the glass container. The chemicals that were inside the glass mix with the chemicals in the plastic tube and a reaction takes place. This releases light, causing the stick to glow!

One form of energy is light. Some chemical reactions release energy; the chemical reaction in a lightstick releases energy in the form of light. The light produced by this chemical reaction is called chemiluminescence or photoluminescence.

Although the light-producing reaction is not caused by heat and may not produce heat, the rate at which it occurs is affected by temperature. If you place a lightstick in a cold environment (like a freezer), then the chemical reaction will slow down. Less light will be released while the lightstick is cold, but the stick will last much longer.

The chemical reaction in a lightstick?
There are three components of a lightstick. There need to be two chemicals that interact to release energy and also a fluorescent dye to accept this energy and convert it into light. Although there is more than one recipe for a lightstick, a common commercial lightstick uses a solution of hydrogen peroxide that is kept separate from a solution of a phenyl oxalate ester together with a fluorescent dye. The color of the fluorescent dye is what determines the resulting color of the lightstick when the chemical solutions are mixed.

The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester, to form phenol and an unstable peroxyacid ester. The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes, resulting in phenol and a cyclic peroxy compound. The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon dioxide. This decomposition reaction releases the energy that excites the dye.