Luminol

Materials

2 Liter Erlenmeyer Flask

Magnetic Stir Bar and Stir Plate

White Glow Sticks

Gloves and Goggles

Small Bottle of Potassium Ferricyanide Crystals

Luminol Solutions:

Solution A (1 liter)	0.1 g Luminol (3-aminophthalhydrazide) & 5 mL 5% NaOH (sodium hydroxide)


Solution B (1 liter)	10 ml 6% H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide) and 0.25 g potassium ferricyanide

Procedure

In a 2-liter erlenmeyer flask, mix one liter each of solution A and solution B. This produces a fluorescent yellow mixture that you can see glow when the lights are turned off.

To get a brighter glow, you can pour potassium ferricyanide crystals into the solution. They should glow on the way down.

Optional: Different Dyes can be used to make the Luminol glow different colors.

The luminol demo has 2 solutions. Solution A is 0.1 g luminol, 5 mL 5% NaOH (sodium hydroxide) per liter water; solution B has 10 mL H₂O₂ (6% hydrogen peroxide) and 0.25 g potassium ferricyanide per liter. Should use equal amounts of A and B but it will glow if you use unequal amounts. The room has to be dark to really see it; bring white light sticks so you can see to pour. Should glow for a minute or two.

When glowing begins to fade, or if you want it brighter, you can sprinkle ferricyanide crystals into the solution. They should glow on the way down.

Waste Management

This solution should be given to EH&S as hazardous waste