Information AboutTriboluminescence |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TRIBOLUMINESCENCE | |
| luminescence | |
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For example, a Diamond may begin to glow while being rubbed. This occasionally happens to diamonds while a facet is being ground or the diamond is being sawn during the Cutting Process . Diamonds may fluoresce blue or red. Ordinary friction tape (the cloth type -- not the shiny Electrician 's tape) displays a glowing line where the end of the tape is being pulled away from the roll. Also when sugar crystals are crushed, tiny electrical fields are created, separating positive and negative charges that then create sparks while trying to reunite. WintOGreen Lifesavers work especially well for creating such sparks, due to the fact that Wintergreen oil ( Methyl Salicylate ) is Fluorescent and converts Ultraviolet Light into Blue Light . The process by which triboluminescence was discovered was actually an accident. In the late 1790's sugar production began to produce more refined pure sugar crystals. These crystals were formed into a large solid cone for transport and sale. This solid cone of sugar had to be broken into usable chunks using a device known as sugar nip. Early American scientists and laymen alike begain to notice that as sugar was "nipped" in low light, tiny bursts of light were visible. The first recorded observation however, occurred even earlier and is attributed to English scholar also reported on some of his work on triboluminescence in 1663 . MECHANISM OF ACTION Materials scientists have not yet arrived at a full understanding of the effect but the current theory of triboluminescence, which is supported by crystallographic, spectroscopic, and other experimental evidence, posits that upon fracture of asymmetrical materials, Charge is separated and when the charges recombine a flash of light is seen as a result of the electric discharge ionizing the surrounding air. Research further suggests that crystals which display triboluminescene must lack symmetry (in order to permit charge separation) and be poor conductors. However, there are substances which break this rule, and which do not possess dissymmetry, yet display triboluminescence anyway. It is thought that these materials contain impurities, which confer properties of dissymmetry to the substance. Much of the work done on triboluminescence has been done by Dr. Linda M. Sweeting who is professor of chemistry at Towson University. EXTERNAL LINKS AND RESOURCES
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