Prev. Article Next Article Table of Contents

Activity

Fluorescent Fun: Using a Homemade Fluorometer

Your current credentials do not allow retrieval of the full text.

Purchase the full-text

PDF/HTML,
figures/images,
references and tables,
(where available)

M. Farooq Wahab

Department of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, PAKISTAN

J. Chem. Educ., 2007, 84 (8), p 1312A

DOI: 10.1021/ed084p1312A

Publication Date (Web): August 1, 2007

Abstract

This activity highlights fundamental aspects of fluorescence phenomena using a homemade fluorometer constructed from items readily available in the home. The activity investigates the fluorescence of highlighter marker ink using a flashlight or white LED as a light source, colored cellophane sheets as filters, and the human eye as a detector. The activity relates to the concepts of excitation and emission, Stokes shift, and the dependence of fluorescence on the intensity of light.

Keywords (Audience):

First-Year Undergraduate / General

Keywords (Domain):

Analytical Chemistry

Keywords (Feature):

JCE Classroom Activity

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives

Keywords (Subject):

Fluorescence Spectroscopy

View: Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links

Citing Articles

Citation data is made available by participants in CrossRef's Cited-by Linking service. For a more comprehensive list of citations to this article, users are encouraged to perform a search in SciFinder.

This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

Classroom Activity Connections: Lessons from Fluorescence
Aoife MacCormac, Emma O’Brien and Richard O’Kennedy
Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (7), 685-686
- Classroom Activity Connections: Lessons from Fluorescence
  Aoife MacCormac, Emma O’Brien and Richard O’Kennedy
  Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (7), 685-686
  This Classroom Activity Connections paper describes an extension to the JCE Classroom Activity #68 “Turning on the Light”. A number of additional common items that display fluorescence under UV light are described, including fruits, vegetables, and ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Fluorescence Spectroscopy in a Shoebox
M. Farooq Wahab
Journal of Chemical Education2007 84 (8), 1308
- Fluorescence Spectroscopy in a Shoebox
  M. Farooq Wahab
  Journal of Chemical Education2007 84 (8), 1308
  This article describes construction of a simple, inexpensive fluorometer. It utilizes a flashlight or sunlight source, highlighter marker ink, bowl of water with mirror as dispersing element, and colored cellophane sheets as filters. The human eye is used ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links