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I'm actually looking for 2 chemicals that will produce a really small exothermic reaction. The 3rd chemical would be there to separate the chemicals - like oil, water, and air.

Ideally, the 3rd chemical would be a nonreactive oxide of the other 2.

Also, they should all stay liquid on a hot summer's day.

As stated, they should produce a small exothermic reaction - I'm looking for mostly light that won't melt a glass bottle. Melting the bottle isn't ideal, but I can find a stronger material too.

Also, the chemicals should be as nontoxic as possible. They don't have to be though.

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  • $\begingroup$ I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish. A chemical flashlight? A bomb? This experiment is the closest one to your description: youtube.com/watch?v=Nyzlt-dVgWQ $\endgroup$
    – vapid
    Jul 15, 2016 at 9:25
  • $\begingroup$ I'm making a bottle of liquid that lights up. Explosion = failure. It would be used as a random shake-timer. Shake it and it lights up for a while, and then it would separate back out into it's original form. $\endgroup$
    – Jake L.
    Jul 15, 2016 at 9:31
  • $\begingroup$ You can buy these as light sticks. Why, because the chemicals are expensive, difficult to obtain and not pleasant to use. $\endgroup$
    – porphyrin
    Jul 15, 2016 at 9:44
  • $\begingroup$ Well I can give you a recipe for a solution that is colorless, turns blue when shaken, then it again becomes colorless after a while. The process can be repeated many times, and it doesn't require very sophisticated reagents. If you need light, then I guess you would have to look for some chemiluminescent reactions, but most of such reactions require some organic reagents that are not easy to get. $\endgroup$
    – vapid
    Jul 15, 2016 at 9:48
  • $\begingroup$ I would definitely use a light stick, however, usually they are one use, and last way too long. I'm sort of looking for a way to halt the reaction after an amount of time, and then reinitiating it by remixing the medium. $\endgroup$
    – Jake L.
    Jul 15, 2016 at 9:48

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As discussed in the comments... The two component chemiluminescence reaction: (Solution 1) To 50 ml of deionized water add 10-50 mg of luminol, 10-20 ml of 10% ammonia solution and 1-5 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide. (Solution 2) To 100 ml of deionized water add few milligrams of copper salt (e.g., sulfate) or few drops of blood or fresh horseradish juice. These are approximate quantities (they should work), but you can experiment with the concentrations, after all experimenting is the most fun part of chemistry. Now take the solution 2 (whole) and add few milliliters of solution 1 to it and shake it. You should be able to observe a faint glow. A brighter emission requires organic solvents (DMSO, DMF) and corrosive chemicals (KOH). Adding a third liquid that will separate the two other (as the OP suggested) is not a simple thing to do. I would do this otherwise: add some neutral ingredient to solution 2 to increase its density (possibly sugar, but I'm not sure if that will not quench the chemiluminescence) and place the solution in a container (preferably a long tube). Then carefully pour the solution 1 on the surface of the solution 2 (so that the solutions won't mix). When you shake the container the solutions will mix and produce glow. Another idea: place one solution in a container and layer it with a hot paraffin from a candle and allow it to cool down. Then you can pour the second solution on the solid paraffin. To start the reaction, simply break the thin paraffin layer by shaking (you can place some glass marbles in the container).

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  • $\begingroup$ You totally got the vibe of my question :-) I am trying to make a working staff that will have a bottle at the top that glows like alchemy or magic would. Now I can play pokemon go and scare away crazy thieves with something nonsensical and my staff! Mwahahahaha! $\endgroup$
    – Jake L.
    Jul 15, 2016 at 12:40
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    $\begingroup$ Also, would something like a Klein bottle work to measure a little of the 1st solution? Or is that too imprecise? $\endgroup$
    – Jake L.
    Jul 15, 2016 at 12:46

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