Glow facts and information

How do Glow Sticks work ?

Most glow products work in the same way by using a simple chemical reaction and consist of 4 basic components :

• The outer plastic casing.
• The phenyl oxalate  fluid and fluorescent dye inside the plastic outer casing.
• An inner glass vial which floats in the fluid contained in the outer casing.
• A second chemical inside the inner glass tube.

Once the glow stick is bent using both hands you will hear a cracking sound. This is the inner glass tube breaking & allowing the two fluids and dye to mix. Once the fluids mix a chemical reaction takes place and your glow stick will 'Glow'. The type of fluorescent dye used determines the colour of the glow stick.

Giving the stick a shake will mix the fluids evenly giving a nice even glow along the length of the glow stick.

Glow Time

The length of time the reaction lasts depends on a number of factors such as the chemical compounds used, the size of the glow stick ( larger sticks contain more chemicals and therefore a longer reaction time ) and the ambient air temperature. The warmer the air the brighter the glow will be but the actual glow time will be reduced. Cooler temperatures will extend the the glow time but the brightness will be reduced.

Storage

Our glow sticks should be kept in a cool dry place until needed. Warm or humid storage conditions should be avoided as this will shorten their shelf life.

Shelf Life

All our glow products have a shelf life of between 1 - 4 years depending on their packaging & the conditions in which they are stored. As a guide the foil / plastic wrapped glow sticks have a longer shelf life of 2 - 4 years and the the tube packed glow sticks a shelf life of 1 - 2 years.