(orchestral music clip)

(swoosh)

[Narrator] Sometimes, even scientists just wanna have fun.

So let's get this party started as we groove

on what's inside glow sticks.

Now, as any good event-planner knows,

the key to a memorable evening

is bringing together just the right mix of elements.

For example, H2O2, A.K.A. hydrogen peroxide,

an oxidizer in bleaches and disinfectants

that rips apart molecules to whiten or clean.

The H2O2 is sealed in a glass capsule

with a stabilizer, like dimethyl phthalate

to preserve shelf life.

Though some companies have cut the phthalates,

since they're not only difficult to pronounce,

but could possibly affect reproductive growth as well.

Meanwhile, outside the capsule,

you'll find oxalate esters, trademarked

by American Cyanamid as Cyalume,

the military, rather than booty shaking applications.

Along with fluorescent dyes

and a super-solvent butyl benzoate

to keep things evenly distributed and flowy in your glowy.

But the second you crack the stick,

is when the elements really have a chance to shine.

The hydrogen peroxide mingles with the oxalate esters,

producing a highly unstable compound

that quickly breaks down into CO2,

releasing energy into the dyes,

which in turn, emit photons and chemiluminescence

in all your favorite psychedelic colors,

from Anthracene green to Lumogen Red 300,

making glow sticks the kind

of science we're happy to rave about.

(orchestral swoosh)

(pop)

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