"Farooq W" wrote in message
ups.com...
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John Decker wrote:
My best guess is that furocoumarin (bergamottin) contained
(high as 0.2 to 0.5%) in Bergamot oil is the compound that is
responsible for its photochemical activity. In ethanol, a
triplet state quantum yield of about 0.37 is involved and
depends on the initial concentration and presence of
oxygen. The oxidation resulting from the reaction of hydrogen
peroxide and sodium hypochlorite may yield the necessary high
concentration of oxygen to initiate the brief luminous display.
Plant legumes may also yield brief but weak
chemiluminescence when suitably oxidized.

[Fraooq]
Thats interesting! Is the chemlumin. too weak to be
detected by eyes? Do you know which
plant legume (or the extract) show this behaviour?

[hanson]
I appears that a lot of bio systems do chemilum below
the limits of natural eye detection. One of the funnier ones
appeared in a very recent Discover Magazine issue where
some (IIRC) Chinese researcher measured weak biolume
coming from peoples' forehead and the soles of their feet.

[Fraooq]
A recent paper claims weak chemiluminescence from the
famous KMnO4 + oxalic acid reaction, though never observed
practically

[hanson]
Check whether fumes over Mn2O7[*] when made from KMnO4
+ Oleum glow in the dark. I seem to recall such an event when
I was a teenager and playing around with all that good stuff,
..... which had to be badly stinky, highly toxic or best of all
be explosive to the touch... to be considered as good stuff!
[*] = nasty irritant (1), explosive (2) dark oil (3), they say.
I can only attest to (3)... as it didn't seem to be more (1)t han
the migraines I got from nitroglycerine, nor more (2) than
fulminated Hg, of which I carried 3-4 oz around for weeks
in a glass bottle with rubber stopper and gave demos with
it in school to the delight of the teachers.... ahahaha...
Yeah, them golden days of chemistry... a magic world!

[hanson to Decker]
If so, then that suggests that it is not Bergamot oil but a trace
compound found only in the natural version.
BTW: The strongest chemoluminescene that I ever saw came
out of a mix (IIRC) of Haematin, H2O2 and Formalin. For a
company festivity we produced ~ 30 gallons (into 1 lt bottles)
that glowed in an eerie green for over an hour and strong enough
to light up the dance hall... sufficiently... not to cover up whose
fingers went where... ahahaha....

[Farooq]
Unfortunately, everything in a typical organic lab turns out to a
carcinogen some 50 years later. Just to cite an extreme case a
prestigous univ. saftey webpage places glasswool in the carcinogens
list! So not to mention, formalin is also a carcinogen (as listed).
Plus the interesting luminol sythesis involves hydrazine (a carcinogen)
the product luminol is a suspect carcinogen! This turns the fun part of
chemistry into fear of chemistry especially in poorly
equipped/ventilated labs.


[hanson]
The latest green **** came last night over TV on Nightline, where
vermiculite is now the subject of a class action suit...
.... what's next?.... Talcum, baby powder?... then next, the biggie:
"Household dust", when stirred up by gadgets from mfgrs with
deep pockets: Vacuumcleaner-, electronics firms, mop and fiber
producers etc... There plenty of money around .... ready for green
harvests....

Don't get me going off again on these mother****ing, cocksucking
paranoid green ****s who have destroyed more then a generation
of youngsters by/with their wussy/girly dooms-day whining and raping
the taxpayer in the process with all their permit charges, user fees,
enviro surtaxes etc... and with some of the real sharp green turds
siphoning billions off the public trough (superfund) or extorting
billions thru class action suits like the brokobitch, yet giving
nothing in return neither to any possible real victims nor contributing
to public health or safety.... **** enviros!... Don't buy any green
products and ALWAYS vote against any candidate who utters the
word "environment".... s/he's only after the environment in your wallet.

[Farooq]
BTW, how was haematin isolated from blood?

[hanson]
It happened when I was a high school kid and worked after-hours
in a research lab. IIRC, I had to get 1 gallon "beaten bull's blood"
from the butcher and that was poured into a glass container
containing 10 or 30 gallons of boiling glacial acetic acid.
After stirring for 12-24 hrs, the now brown liquid was filtered
(forgot whether glass frit or paper) and it left after washing
(forgot with what) about 1 oz of shiny black crystals that looked
like KMnO4: Heamatin, Haemin?. --- My mean ****ing bossman
told me at the outset that I must stay away from the fumes of the
glacial HAc, because it was bad for the skin.... Of course he was
old and therefore wussy, stupid and didn't know what he was
talking about.... hahahaha.... So, I didn't care when my hands
got into the swaths of HAc fumes while filtering the brew.
Actually, after washing the vinegar smell off my hands, my paws
looked lovely, felt and had the touch of a baby ass. Wonderful!
So, next morning I washed and dried my hands.... and the skin
of my index finger came off like a latex coating... exposing the
red dermis... and then the same happen to all 10 fingers... and
half of the palms... Until that day I had no idea what "raw nerves"
meant..... It was so bad I couln't even tolerate cotton bandages.
But the worst thing was the faint, contemtous smile I got from my
bossman, that heartless old ****!... But he was a good educator.
He tought me well. I do admitt to that... ahahaha....
However and regardless: ........ Enjoy chemistry... but **** enviros!
ahahaha... ahahanson

PS: Much, much too late I leaned that plastic surgeons use a
(ten) 10% solution of HAc for professional chemical skin peels
on wilting broads. .... 10%..because they both are wusses.
I used the 100% stuff... ahahaha..

hanson wrote:

[Fraooq]
A recent paper claims weak chemiluminescence from the
famous KMnO4 + oxalic acid reaction, though never observed
practically

[hanson]
Check whether fumes over Mn2O7[*] when made from KMnO4
+ Oleum glow in the dark. I seem to recall such an event when
I was a teenager and playing around with all that good stuff,
.... which had to be badly stinky, highly toxic or best of all
be explosive to the touch... to be considered as good stuff!

Long time, I also presumably made this nasty substance when I added
KMnO4 to conc. sulfuric acid which generated purple particulate smoke.
It turned out to be so reactive that a wooden splinter would catch fire
or anything organic would burst into flames.

So an advice: Do not experiment with it in the DARK.


[*] = nasty irritant (1), explosive (2) dark oil (3), they say.
I can only attest to (3)... as it didn't seem to be more (1)t han
the migraines I got from nitroglycerine, nor more (2) than
fulminated Hg, of which I carried 3-4 oz around for weeks
in a glass bottle with rubber stopper and gave demos with
it in school to the delight of the teachers.... ahahaha...
Yeah, them golden days of chemistry... a magic world!