Pumukli
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I'm baffled. Light from envelope glue???
Dear All,
It's been quite a while that I posted something (meaningful - some might think? -) but a few days ago I noticed something that baffles me since.
I was lazily opening a regular local (thin, white paper, with self-sticky edge) mail envelope which was surely closed about 4-5 months ago. I did not
used a knife or a sophisticated "envelope opener" but tried to open it by de-attaching the self-adhesive "ear" of the envelope. While I was doing this
I was in a half-shaded room which was only faintly lit and was talking to people so was not really concentrating on what I was doing with the
envelope.
Now comes the fun part: I noticed from the corner of my eye that the separating self-adhesive layers EMITTED a very noticeable blue light!!! I was
mesmerized and before I could stop my fingers I opened the envelope all the way up while I was watching the separation zone GLOWING in blue!
I cursed myself afterwards because I should had recorded the light with my cam to share with you, but the whole thing happened so quickly and out of
blue that I was not prepared mentally. :-)
Of course I tried imediately re-attaching the self-adhesive layers and repeated the opening process but this time there was no light phenomenon at
all. :-(
Anyway, I never encountered anything like this before, although I'm not a kid.
My questions are obvious: what was this? Sort of triboluminescence? How could I repeat it? Has anyone of the readers of this report seen something
similar?
EDIT: Please, mods, move this post from the equipment acquisition thread to Beginnings! Sorry!
[Edited on 27-1-2017 by Pumukli]
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Tdep
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Why yes, what a nice discovery to make, you are not going crazy, it is triboluminescence. https://youtu.be/54R6q2_-4Yo
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Marvin
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This is known and I believe that by pulling apart the sides you are separating charges. The glow may be from ionised air.
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Sulaiman
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not just light, x-rays too ! https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn15016-humble-sticky-t...
EDIT : Original reference : http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7216/full/nature0...
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=scotch+tape+x+r...
[Edited on 27-1-2017 by Sulaiman]
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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Morgan
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"The triboelectric effect (the prefix tribo- comes from the Greek τρίβω for “rubbing” or “friction”) results in the creation of a charge
difference between two surfaces: one becomes positive and the other negative. The difference in charge is neutralised when a spark jumps between the
two surfaces."
"Opening “self-stick” envelopes quite often results in a noticeable triboelectric effect, as I discovered when opening this week’s copy of The
Economist."
http://wordpress.mrreid.org/2011/06/09/triboelectric-envelop...
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Morgan
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It helps to go full screen to see it better.
Blue Lightning Envelope Effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2beDZY9XGGE
Maybe of interest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JywjBAxxJHE
[Edited on 29-1-2017 by Morgan]
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Chlorine
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It's basically just a static discharge, same thing happens when duck tape is pulled apart or pop rocks are crushed.
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j_sum1
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Quote: Originally posted by Chlorine  | | It's basically just a static discharge, same thing happens when duck tape is pulled apart or pop rocks are crushed. |
No. I don't think so. Triboluminescence is a real phenomenon.
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question505.htm
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