Glow-in-the-Dark DIY – How To Make Glow Stick!
Here’s a rather interesting DIY that shows you how to make 100-feet of glow stick using some chemicals.
Warning: TCPO is carcinogenic and you should wear gloves and masks while working with it.
The procedure is simple, mix together 500mg of 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene and 17g of TCPO in 500mL of diethyl phthalate solvent and heat it up until it dissolves. Then top it up to about 2.1 liters and add 120mL of hydrogen peroxide and 10g of sodium acetate. Shake thoroughly and draw into a 100 ft glow stick with an inner diameter of 3/8″. Suction by a vacuum pump is recommended.
To prevent spilling the ends should be capped with brass or plastic compression fittings. Leave 5+ feet of space in the tube to allow for expansion of the chemicals depending on temperature.
Glow stick will last for about 6 hours. Use more TCPO if a longer glow is needed.