Things that Excite Electrons

• Heat• Light • Electricity• Chemical Reactions• Nuclear Decay

Things that Excite Electrons

Heat examples:

Flame LabMethanol Demonstration

LiCl SrCl2 CuCl2 KCl NaClWood Fire

Things that Excite Electrons

Heat examples:

Flame LabMethanol DemonstrationFireFire Works

Things that Excite Electrons

Heat examples:

Flame LabMethanol DemonstrationFire WorksFireThings that are “Red Hot”

Dude, that’s hot.

Things that Excite Electrons

Light examples:Fluorescence - A photon creates a very brief excited state (10-9 to 10-6 seconds) then when the electron returns to the ground state a different type of photon is released.

Fabric brighteners and how they work Black lights and posters

Phosphorescence - A photon creates longer excited state (10-3 to several minutes).

Glowing Bones and other glow things

Fluorescence: Photographed with a black light

South Korean scientists tinkering with fluorescence protein genes say they have

bred white Turkish Angora cats to glow red under ultraviolet light.

Fluorescence: Photographed with a black light

Phosphorescence

Things that Excite Electrons

Electricity examples:

LightningArc from an electrical shockEmission tubesFluorescent light bulbsNeon lights

Chaiten volcano in Chile in May 2008

Giant Van de Graaff Mario Tesla Arc Attack

Things that Excite Electrons

Chemical Reaction (Chemiluminescence) examples:

Glow sticks / necklace“Bioluminescence”

Bioluminescence

When living organisms can do chemiluminescence

Glow Worm Cave

Movie LinkWaves Link

Things that Excite Electrons

Nuclear Reaction examples:

Radioactive Decay

Radium mixed with copper-doped zinc sulfide produces a paint that will glow in the dark. The radiation from the decaying radium excites electrons in the doped zinc sulfide to a higher energy level. When the electrons returned to the lower energy level, a visible photon was emitted.

Actinium is a silvery radioactive element that glows pale blue in the dark.

This is a photo of uranium glass, which is a glass to which uranium was added as a colorant. Uranium glass fluoresces bright green under a black or ultraviolet light.

The night sights on some guns and other weapons use radioactive tritium-based paint. The electrons emitted as the tritium decays interact with the phospor paint, producing a bright greenish light.

Nuclear reactors display a characteristic blue glow because of Cherenkov radiation, which is a type of electromagnetic radiation that is emitted when a charged particle moves through a dielectric medium faster than the phase velocity of light. The molecules of the medium are polarized, emitting radiation as they return to their ground state.

Spent fuel rods in a holding pool.

Things that Excite Electrons

• Heat• Light • Electricity• Chemical Reactions• Nuclear Decay

POP Quiz! A) HeatB) Light C) ElectricityD) Chemical ReactionsE) Nuclear Decay

1) Fire works2) Bioluminescence3) Neon signs4) Glowing toys5) Fluorescent lights6) Regular “incandescent” lights

7) Radioactive glowing8) Fire9) Glow sticks10) Fireflies

What’s excitingthose electrons?