Editing Spartan Luminol (section)

== Why This Works ==

===Short Explanation===
''Chemilluminescence'' is when a chemical reaction produces light. The reaction does not have to emit heat, like when a reaction creates fire, but gives off light without being hot. For our reaction, we have a luminol solution mixing with a hydrogen peroxide solution. the hydrogen peroxide reacts with the luminol and causes it to release energy, which it does so by emitting light. If you were to touch the tubes while the reaction happened, they wouldn't be warm at all, even though they are glowing!

This kind of reaction is not very common in chemistry, but it is a reaction that we are all pretty familiar with. Glow sticks use a luminol reaction, by having the two solutions mix together in a small sealed tube. When you crack a glow stick, you are actually breaking a tiny glass tube inside the glow stick. This tube contains a hydrogen peroxide solution, which reacts with the glowing solution around it. Fireflies, or lightning bugs, also use chemilluminescence. When a firefly glows, it has a similar reaction happen inside of its abdomen, which causes a small burst of light. Fireflies create their lights in order to communicate, and each species of firefly uses a different flashing pattern!

===Full Explanation===
''Chemilluminescence'' is when a reaction produces light without also being exothermic. The release of ''chemical'' energy in the reaction excites the electrons in the atoms and molecules, and they go to a higher energy level. The electrons then drop to a lower energy level, emitting a photon in the process. This type of reaction is uncommon, as most reactions that produce light do so by blackbody radiation. ''Blackbody Radiation'' is when the electrons in an atom or molecule are excited and go to a higher energy level due to ''thermal'' energy. When they drop back to a lower energy level, they produce light. 

The Luminol reaction goes through three major steps. When the solutions are first prepared, the sodium carbonate create a basic solution, and luminol reacts with it:
{| class="wikitable" style="color:black; background-color:#ddd; text-align: left; right-margin: auto"
| Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> + H<sub>2</sub>O 
| '''→'''
| 2 Na<sup>+</sup> + 2 OH<sup>-</sup> + H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>
|-
| C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>7</sub>O<sub>3</sub>N<sub>3</sub> + 2 OH<sup>-</sup>
(Luminol)
| '''→'''
| C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>5</sub>O<sub>3</sub>N<sub>3</sub><sup>2-</sup> + 2 H<sub>2</sub>O
(Luminol Dianion)
|}
It is worth noting that the sodium bicarbonate in solution acts to buffer the carbonic acid (H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>) being produced, keeping the solution basic.

When the two solutions are mixed, the hydroxide decomposition is catalyzed in a two step reaction by the Copper salt anion:
{| class="wikitable" style="color:black; background-color:#ddd; text-align: left; right-margin: auto"
| 2 H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> + (2 SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>) or (2 Cl<sup>-</sup>)
| '''→'''
| 2 H<sub>2</sub>O + (2 SO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> + 2 O<sub>2</sub>) or (2 ClO<sup>-</sup>)
|-
| 2 H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> + (2 SO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) or (2 ClO<sup>-</sup>)
| '''→'''
| 2 H<sub>2</sub>O + (2 SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>) or (2 Cl<sup>-</sup> + 2 O<sub>2</sub>)
|}

The O<sub>2</sub> produced then reacts with the luminol dianion, replacing the Nitrogen and producing light:
{| class="wikitable" style="color:black; background-color:#ddd; text-align: left; right-margin: auto"
| C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>5</sub>O<sub>3</sub>N<sub>3</sub><sup>2-</sup> + O<sub>2</sub>
| '''→'''
| C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>5</sub>O<sub>5</sub>N<sup>2-</sup> + N<sub>2</sub> + Light
|}

Although the peroxide decomposition produces a small amount of heat, it isn't enough to generate the light at the end. The light produced is from the replacement of nitrogen with oxygen, which leaves extra chemical energy in the luminol dianion and excites the electrons on the oxygen. when the electrons release this energy, they release it as light.

This reaction can be found in nature, such as with fireflies using luciferin and the enzyme luciferase to produce light in their abdomens. This reaction is also commonly used as a novelty with glowsticks. Inside a glowstick is a small glass cylinder which contains a peroxide solution. when you bend a glowstick, you break this cylinder and let the peroxide react with the solution around it, producing light!