Can you explain how something can glow-in-the-dark?



Can you explain how something can glow-in-the-dark?
Flashing Blinky Lights...
Products that glow in the dark do so because electrons are falling from a higher orbit to a lower orbit. When they fall to a lower orbit, they emit energy as visible light. Glow products fall into 2 different categories: chemiluminescent products (chemical necklaces and light sticks) and photoluminescent products like our paints and gloves.

The first category is chemiluminescent products. These products are like the chemical necklaces and light sticks that you can purchase from Extreme Glow. A chemical reaction is taking place. (Two chemicals react with each other to become one chemical.) When the reaction occurs, the electrons in the new product get excited, and they emit light when the electrons fall back into their normal orbits.

The second category is photoluminescent products. These products have chemicals in them with electrons that get excited by light waves. No chemical reaction actually occurs. When removed from the light source, the electrons will fall back into their normal place and emit light in the process. That is the glow that you see. There are two basic chemicals for photoluminescence. One is Zinc Sulfide, and the other is Strontium Aluminate. The Zinc Sulfide product is what you get in most glow products. (stars, moons, etc.) It will glow for about 5 minutes after the light source is removed. Strontium Aluminate will glow for up to 40 hours depending upon the type of charge it receives, the temperature of the substance, etc.

We use the strontium aluminate in our re-chargeable products, and we claim up to 14 hours of glow based on typical average temperatures and proper charging.
Flashing Blinky Lights...

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