There are several ways to observe triboluminescence at home. If you have wintergreen-flavored Lifesavers handy, get in a very dark room and crush the candy with pliers or a mortar and pestle. Chewing the candy while watching yourself in a mirror will work, but the moisture from saliva will lessen or eliminate the effect. Rubbing two sugar cubes or pieces of quartz or rose quartz in the dark will also work. Scratching quartz with a steel pin may also demonstrate the effect. Also, sticking/unsticking most adhesive tapes will display triboluminescence.
For the most part, triboluminescence is an interesting effect with few practical applications. However, understanding its mechanisms may help explain other types of luminescence, including bioluminescence in bacteria and earthquake lights. Triboluminescent coatings could be used in remote sensing applications to signal mechanical failure. One reference states that research is underway to apply triboluminescent flashes to sense automobile crashes and inflate air bags.
Additional Reading
- Chemiluminescence Movie - This is a QuickTime movie of solution-phase chemiluminescence using hydrogen peroxide and a peroxylate ester.
- Impurities give crystals that special glow - Wu's article summarizes Sweeting's research on triboluminescence and discusses why some materials are triboluminescent.
- Triboluminescence - This is a brief description of how Wint-O-Green Lifesavers emit triboluminescence. There is a photograph of the blue light.
