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mummymonkey · 19th November 2005, 02:00 PM

What causes the violet light you get when you open a self adhesive envelope in the dark?

Noticed this today when I opened an envelope in the gloomy front hall. It only works on some, so it must be a propety of a particular kind of adhesive I assume.

Nick Bogaerts · 19th November 2005, 02:19 PM

Where does the light come from? Stamps and pre-printed envelopes have phosphor or fluorescent inks for use by the sorting machines.

mummymonkey · 19th November 2005, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by Nick Bogaerts

Where does the light come from? Stamps and pre-printed envelopes have phosphor or fluorescent inks for use by the sorting machines.

There is a momentary purple light emited from the seperation point as you pull the two glued surfaces of the envelope apart.

TobiasTheViking · 19th November 2005, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by mummymonkey

There is a momentary purple light emited from the seperation point as you pull the two glued surfaces of the envelope apart.

Can't remember the specifics, but you can get the same when you crush a suger cube. And, i believe, in earthquakes....

Ryan O'Dine · 19th November 2005, 03:24 PM

I believe the sugar cube is from piezoelectricity - the tendency of some crystals to generate a voltage when compressed.

I don't believe this would explain the envelopes. My guess - it was licked closed by a reptiod from Planet X.

mummymonkey · 19th November 2005, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by TobiasTheCommie

... And, i believe, in earthquakes....

Every cloud.

TobiasTheViking · 19th November 2005, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by Ryan O'Dine

I believe the sugar cube is from piezoelectricity - the tendency of some crystals to generate a voltage when compressed.

I don't believe this would explain the envelopes. My guess - it was licked closed by a reptiod from Planet X.

Yeah, that's the thing, and i believe it is the same with the envolope, atleast i think Discovery Channel told me that.. But then again, Discovery Channel told me that aliens were living in the US and liked strawberry icecream.... i **** you not.

TobiasTheViking · 19th November 2005, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by mummymonkey

Every cloud.

sorry? i don't get the reference.

That is the information i have, it may be wrong, i did say "think" and it is something i just catched on Discovery channel some 4-5 years ago.

TX50 · 19th November 2005, 03:34 PM

Some interesting information on this phenomenon is
here (including reports of explosions caused by peeling
off adhesive labels):

http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=lw261

Iamme · 19th November 2005, 06:13 PM

This is interesting.

Now, if only we could figure out how to power our cars using self-sealed envelopes.

Do you suppose God allows some of this wild and crazy stuff, like half the stuff we debate around here, just to keep man from being bored while being on earth? That there is more to life than sleeping, eating, shelter and that other thing that we do to occupy our time?

Then again, someone might be laughing, knowing they are going to cause millions of people to take envelopes into a dark room and try this. Could be a conspiracy by the Company making envelopes. Maybe the Mead company is behind this.

apocalypse · 19th November 2005, 06:33 PM

This reminds me of a "puzzler" that began every chapter in my physics book in college. The particular puzzler referred to the spark that occurs when chewing a wintergreen Life-Saver.

Here is the explanation of the effect.

"The graininess of electricity is responsible for the blue glow that is emitted by a wintergreen Life-Saver while it is being crushed. When the sugar (sucrose) crystals in the candy rupture, one part of each ruptured crystal has excess electrons while the other part has excess positive ions. (A positive ion is an atom or molecule that has lost one or more electrons.) Almost immediately, electrons and positive ions jump across the gap of the rupture to neutralize the two sides. During the jumps, the electrons and positive ions collide with nitrogen molecules in the air that is then flowing into the gap.

The collisions cause the nitrogen to emit ultraviolet light that you cannot see and blue light that is too dim to see. Oil of wintergreen in the crystals absorbs the ultraviolet light and immediately emits enough blue light to light up a mouth or a pair of pliers. However, if the candy is wet with saliva, the demonstration fails, because the conducting saliva neutralized the two parts of a fracture crystal before sparking can occur."

mummymonkey · 20th November 2005, 01:02 AM

Originally Posted by TobiasTheCommie

sorry? i don't get the reference.

http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...er-lining.html

mummymonkey · 20th November 2005, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by Iamme

Then again, someone might be laughing, knowing they are going to cause millions of people to take envelopes into a dark room and try this.

You have me sussed.

TobiasTheViking · 20th November 2005, 02:53 AM

Originally Posted by mummymonkey

http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...er-lining.html

OK, silver lining, yeah know it

force_redo · 21st November 2005, 07:46 AM

I found a german webpage referring to this phenomenon. It looks like this:
http://www.kopfball.de/filme/img/040425_a_01.jpg

I try to translate the explaination:
These envelopes use a syntetic glue. When you close the envelope, electrons travel from one surface to the other. You end up having two areas with two different electric charges.
If you open the envelope you tear these two charges apart and end up with an electric field between them. The electrons "want to equalise" the charge and by doing so, they hit nitrogen molecules in the air which get charged by them. As soon as they loose this charge again, they emmtt light.

Please don't ask me anything about this, I just tried too translate...

FR

ETA: It's apparently called "tribolumeniscence"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboluminescence

Dr Adequate · 21st November 2005, 11:58 AM

I have fun on a woo forum

Magic spiritual envelopes, hooray!

alfaniner · 21st November 2005, 01:20 PM

You can also get the same effect with Breathe-Right nasal strip packages. Occasionally I find I need to put one on after having been in bed for a while, so I open it in the dim light. I'm almost always surprised by the light show.

Then I rub my cat on the wool blanket for some real fireworks. From the blanket, I mean.

Iamme · 21st November 2005, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by apocalypse

This reminds me of a "puzzler" that began every chapter in my physics book in college. The particular puzzler referred to the spark that occurs when chewing a wintergreen Life-Saver.

Here is the explanation of the effect.

"The graininess of electricity is responsible for the blue glow that is emitted by a wintergreen Life-Saver while it is being crushed. When the sugar (sucrose) crystals in the candy rupture, one part of each ruptured crystal has excess electrons while the other part has excess positive ions. (A positive ion is an atom or molecule that has lost one or more electrons.) Almost immediately, electrons and positive ions jump across the gap of the rupture to neutralize the two sides. During the jumps, the electrons and positive ions collide with nitrogen molecules in the air that is then flowing into the gap.

The collisions cause the nitrogen to emit ultraviolet light that you cannot see and blue light that is too dim to see. Oil of wintergreen in the crystals absorbs the ultraviolet light and immediately emits enough blue light to light up a mouth or a pair of pliers. However, if the candy is wet with saliva, the demonstration fails, because the conducting saliva neutralized the two parts of a fracture crystal before sparking can occur."

What then might happen if one chewed on these AND pop rocks at the same time with a mouthful of metal fillings? Can you imagine. It could be like the Fourth of July...and the person might even hear songs by John Phillip Sousa.

Ryan O'Dine · 21st November 2005, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by Dr Adequate

I have fun on a woo forum

Magic spiritual envelopes, hooray!

You certainly wound them up. But now they're on to you.

19th November 2005, 02:00 PM	#1
mummymonkey Did you spill my pint? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,921	Glow in the dark envelopes What causes the violet light you get when you open a self adhesive envelope in the dark? Noticed this today when I opened an envelope in the gloomy front hall. It only works on some, so it must be a propety of a particular kind of adhesive I assume.
	__________________ Knees bent, arms stretched, Ra! Ra! Ra!

19th November 2005, 02:26 PM	#3
mummymonkey Did you spill my pint? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,921	Originally Posted by Nick Bogaerts Where does the light come from? Stamps and pre-printed envelopes have phosphor or fluorescent inks for use by the sorting machines. There is a momentary purple light emited from the seperation point as you pull the two glued surfaces of the envelope apart.
	__________________ Knees bent, arms stretched, Ra! Ra! Ra!

19th November 2005, 02:47 PM	#4
TobiasTheViking Resident Viking Autist Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: With your mother Posts: 6,923	Originally Posted by mummymonkey There is a momentary purple light emited from the seperation point as you pull the two glued surfaces of the envelope apart. Can't remember the specifics, but you can get the same when you crush a suger cube. And, i believe, in earthquakes....
	__________________ He pricked me with his prick that prick - NobbyNobbs Endearingly Obnoxious - Rebecca Watson

19th November 2005, 03:24 PM	#5
Ryan O'Dine OD’ing on Damitol Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Walk in an ever expanding Archimedean spiral and you’ll find me eventually Posts: 1,184	I believe the sugar cube is from piezoelectricity - the tendency of some crystals to generate a voltage when compressed. I don't believe this would explain the envelopes. My guess - it was licked closed by a reptiod from Planet X.
	__________________ I collect people like you in little formaldehyde bottles in my basement. (Not a threat. A hobby.)

19th November 2005, 03:25 PM	#6
mummymonkey Did you spill my pint? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,921	Originally Posted by TobiasTheCommie ... And, i believe, in earthquakes.... Every cloud.
	__________________ Knees bent, arms stretched, Ra! Ra! Ra!

19th November 2005, 02:19 PM	#2
Nick Bogaerts Muse Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Didcot, Oxfordshire Posts: 617	Where does the light come from? Stamps and pre-printed envelopes have phosphor or fluorescent inks for use by the sorting machines.

19th November 2005, 03:29 PM	#7
TobiasTheViking Resident Viking Autist Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: With your mother Posts: 6,923	Originally Posted by Ryan O'Dine I believe the sugar cube is from piezoelectricity - the tendency of some crystals to generate a voltage when compressed. I don't believe this would explain the envelopes. My guess - it was licked closed by a reptiod from Planet X. Yeah, that's the thing, and i believe it is the same with the envolope, atleast i think Discovery Channel told me that.. But then again, Discovery Channel told me that aliens were living in the US and liked strawberry icecream.... i **** you not.
	__________________ He pricked me with his prick that prick - NobbyNobbs Endearingly Obnoxious - Rebecca Watson

19th November 2005, 03:30 PM	#8
TobiasTheViking Resident Viking Autist Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: With your mother Posts: 6,923	Originally Posted by mummymonkey Every cloud. sorry? i don't get the reference. That is the information i have, it may be wrong, i did say "think" and it is something i just catched on Discovery channel some 4-5 years ago.
	__________________ He pricked me with his prick that prick - NobbyNobbs Endearingly Obnoxious - Rebecca Watson

19th November 2005, 03:34 PM	#9
TX50 Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,577	Some interesting information on this phenomenon is here (including reports of explosions caused by peeling off adhesive labels): http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=lw261
TX50 Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,577

19th November 2005, 06:13 PM	#10
Iamme Illuminator Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Western Wisconsin Posts: 4,622	This is interesting. Now, if only we could figure out how to power our cars using self-sealed envelopes. Do you suppose God allows some of this wild and crazy stuff, like half the stuff we debate around here, just to keep man from being bored while being on earth? That there is more to life than sleeping, eating, shelter and that other thing that we do to occupy our time? Then again, someone might be laughing, knowing they are going to cause millions of people to take envelopes into a dark room and try this. Could be a conspiracy by the Company making envelopes. Maybe the Mead company is behind this.
	__________________ I lost my mind many years ago and it hasn't affected me a bit...a bit..a bit..a bit. Last edited by Iamme; 19th November 2005 at 06:15 PM.

19th November 2005, 06:33 PM	#11
apocalypse Student Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 45	This reminds me of a "puzzler" that began every chapter in my physics book in college. The particular puzzler referred to the spark that occurs when chewing a wintergreen Life-Saver. Here is the explanation of the effect. "The graininess of electricity is responsible for the blue glow that is emitted by a wintergreen Life-Saver while it is being crushed. When the sugar (sucrose) crystals in the candy rupture, one part of each ruptured crystal has excess electrons while the other part has excess positive ions. (A positive ion is an atom or molecule that has lost one or more electrons.) Almost immediately, electrons and positive ions jump across the gap of the rupture to neutralize the two sides. During the jumps, the electrons and positive ions collide with nitrogen molecules in the air that is then flowing into the gap. The collisions cause the nitrogen to emit ultraviolet light that you cannot see and blue light that is too dim to see. Oil of wintergreen in the crystals absorbs the ultraviolet light and immediately emits enough blue light to light up a mouth or a pair of pliers. However, if the candy is wet with saliva, the demonstration fails, because the conducting saliva neutralized the two parts of a fracture crystal before sparking can occur."

20th November 2005, 01:02 AM	#12
mummymonkey Did you spill my pint? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,921	Originally Posted by TobiasTheCommie sorry? i don't get the reference. http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...er-lining.html
	__________________ Knees bent, arms stretched, Ra! Ra! Ra!

20th November 2005, 01:03 AM	#13
mummymonkey Did you spill my pint? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,921	Originally Posted by Iamme Then again, someone might be laughing, knowing they are going to cause millions of people to take envelopes into a dark room and try this. You have me sussed.
	__________________ Knees bent, arms stretched, Ra! Ra! Ra!

20th November 2005, 02:53 AM	#14
TobiasTheViking Resident Viking Autist Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: With your mother Posts: 6,923	Originally Posted by mummymonkey http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...er-lining.html OK, silver lining, yeah know it
	__________________ He pricked me with his prick that prick - NobbyNobbs Endearingly Obnoxious - Rebecca Watson

21st November 2005, 07:46 AM	#15
force_redo Thinker Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 146	I found a german webpage referring to this phenomenon. It looks like this: http://www.kopfball.de/filme/img/040425_a_01.jpg I try to translate the explaination: These envelopes use a syntetic glue. When you close the envelope, electrons travel from one surface to the other. You end up having two areas with two different electric charges. If you open the envelope you tear these two charges apart and end up with an electric field between them. The electrons "want to equalise" the charge and by doing so, they hit nitrogen molecules in the air which get charged by them. As soon as they loose this charge again, they emmtt light. Please don't ask me anything about this, I just tried too translate... FR ETA: It's apparently called "tribolumeniscence" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboluminescence
force_redo Thinker Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 146	Last edited by force_redo; 21st November 2005 at 07:51 AM.

21st November 2005, 11:58 AM	#16
Dr Adequate Banned Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Waiting Long Enough By The River Posts: 17,897	I have fun on a woo forum Magic spiritual envelopes, hooray!

21st November 2005, 01:20 PM	#17
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 11,467	You can also get the same effect with Breathe-Right nasal strip packages. Occasionally I find I need to put one on after having been in bed for a while, so I open it in the dim light. I'm almost always surprised by the light show. Then I rub my cat on the wool blanket for some real fireworks. From the blanket, I mean.
	__________________ Science doesn't lie.

21st November 2005, 03:04 PM	#18
Iamme Illuminator Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Western Wisconsin Posts: 4,622	Originally Posted by apocalypse This reminds me of a "puzzler" that began every chapter in my physics book in college. The particular puzzler referred to the spark that occurs when chewing a wintergreen Life-Saver. Here is the explanation of the effect. "The graininess of electricity is responsible for the blue glow that is emitted by a wintergreen Life-Saver while it is being crushed. When the sugar (sucrose) crystals in the candy rupture, one part of each ruptured crystal has excess electrons while the other part has excess positive ions. (A positive ion is an atom or molecule that has lost one or more electrons.) Almost immediately, electrons and positive ions jump across the gap of the rupture to neutralize the two sides. During the jumps, the electrons and positive ions collide with nitrogen molecules in the air that is then flowing into the gap. The collisions cause the nitrogen to emit ultraviolet light that you cannot see and blue light that is too dim to see. Oil of wintergreen in the crystals absorbs the ultraviolet light and immediately emits enough blue light to light up a mouth or a pair of pliers. However, if the candy is wet with saliva, the demonstration fails, because the conducting saliva neutralized the two parts of a fracture crystal before sparking can occur." What then might happen if one chewed on these AND pop rocks at the same time with a mouthful of metal fillings? Can you imagine. It could be like the Fourth of July...and the person might even hear songs by John Phillip Sousa.
	__________________ I lost my mind many years ago and it hasn't affected me a bit...a bit..a bit..a bit.

21st November 2005, 04:10 PM	#19
Ryan O'Dine OD’ing on Damitol Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Walk in an ever expanding Archimedean spiral and you’ll find me eventually Posts: 1,184	Originally Posted by Dr Adequate I have fun on a woo forum Magic spiritual envelopes, hooray! You certainly wound them up. But now they're on to you.
	__________________ I collect people like you in little formaldehyde bottles in my basement. (Not a threat. A hobby.)