Talk:Fluorescence

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Commonly found objects that are fluorescent.

This is not an exhaustive list, but if you are looking to demonstrate fluorescence here are a few things that you can try.

- White paper. Commercial white paper has a whitener in it that fluoresces bright blue.

- Clothes. Most detergents have whiteners that fluoresce bright blue, so most clothes will, too.

- White plastics. Again, these contain fluoro whiteners.

- Brightly coloured dyes. Some of these are also fluorescent. Some brightly coloured plastics will fluoresce, generally the same colour that they reflect. Bright yellow plastics are the most commonly fluorescent, generally yellow or yellow-green. Same for brightly coloured felt tipped pens and similar liquid writing implements.

- Transparent plastics. If you take a piece of plastic out in the sunlight and it appears faintly blue or puprle at the edges, chances are that it will fluoresce the same colour.

- Some gemstones. The fluoro colour might not be the same as the white light colour. Even colourless gemstones like diamonds may fluoresce. Whether it does or not does not seem to influence the value of the gemstone.

- Some fungi and bacteria. I dont know whether dead ones do.

- "Fluorescent" paints. Note that some brightly coloured paints are sold as this, but are not. This is very variable. Also note that the fluoro colour may not be the same as the white light colour.

- Phosphorescent items. Many of these will fluoresce the same colour as they phosphoresce.

- Fluorescent light tubes. It may or may not be obvious, but the coating on the inside of these will fluoresce if illuminated by an outside UV lamp. Even if the tube is "dead". The colour when illuminated by UV from the outside may not be the same colour that it emits when in "normal" operation.

- "Security" items. Things such as credit cards, other ID cards, paper/polymer currency, passports, bank cheques, etc, will often incorporate a fluorescent security feature that is invisible or very hard to see in ordinary light. Obviously, to make them more difficult to counterfeit. For example, The word "VISA" in the eponymous card has a large 'V' through the "IS" in its name.

- Bone, teeth, and nails are moderately fluorescent, feathers less so. "Viewer discretion is advised" LOL.

- Bodily fluids. Again, "Viewer discretion is advised" LOL. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:8003:E40F:9601:A4A9:37D1:4441:69F5 (talk) 11:27, 11 February 2024 (UTC)

2001:8003:E490:7D01:D02E:1079:897E:B7EE (talk) 09:56, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for the list. Many of these things are already described in the article, but some are not. (That's why I added the photo of beer fluorescence.) I don't think we need an exhaustive list, but the section on this could probably use a little expanding. Typically better to give a brief summary, though, than an entire list. For example, just about anything organic (carbon based) will fluoresce at some wavelength or another, depending on the excitation wavelength. If you look directly at a blacklight, your corneas will fluoresce, and you can actually see them light up from the inside. Nearly all gemstones will too, but especially ionic compounds with metallic impurities. However, not all of them fluoresce in the visible spectrum, but often in the infrared or even the ultraviolet. Not all of them will fluoresce under UV light either. For example, beer requires blue light to fluoresce. Some gemstones require IR. I think this article focuses too much around stuff that lights up under a blacklight, but ignores that fluorescence happens under other wavelengths. For example, construction signs fluoresce by absorbing green light and reemitting it as orange, as does most fluorescent clothing. Lots of things will fluoresce under sunlight or indoor lighting without the need for a blacklight. Blacklight fluorescence is just more noticeable, that's all. Zaereth (talk) 17:57, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

Wow, thanx for that fantastic comment. I was more aiming my list at things that people might want to use to demonstrate fluorescence. 2001:8003:E40F:9601:BD09:63A8:B024:5CB8 (talk) 12:20, 8 January 2024 (UTC)

Please define more

@Sver0314 2404:3100:1408:7698:1:0:5715:DA3C (talk) 07:23, 24 October 2023 (UTC)

A little off topic, but ok. "More - adjective/noun/pronoun - A greater or additional amount of something. Adverb - In addition to" In example, If you want more, the more I think about it, more can be added, but you have to tell us more specifically what you want. Zaereth (talk) 19:33, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

🤣Polyamorph (talk) 20:27, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

History section is original research?

The History section has only primary references. @ReyHahn Johnjbarton (talk) 15:33, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

A secondary ref:

• "A Brief History of Fluorescence and Phosphorescence before the Emergence of Quantum Theory" Bernard Valeur and Mário N. Berberan-Santos 2011 88 (6), 731-738 DOI: 10.1021/ed100182h

Johnjbarton (talk) 16:03, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

I brought the History up to the quantum era except for Becquerel's time-resolved photoluminescence which is notable in being the key to distinguish fluorescence from phosphorescence.

The quantum era is also needed as otherwise the phenomena is not understood. Johnjbarton (talk) 19:02, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

The reason i made a change in History section today was to gain some investigative activity around the allegation that Clarke and Haüy observed fluorescence in some fluorides. While it happens with this mineral under UV light, it is douptful that the dual coloring they saw in daylight is related to fluorescence at all. For example some fluorides are know to exhibit alexandrite effect.

But it's certain that Brewster and Herschel observed fluorescence with clorophyll and quinine, regardless if their conclusions about it were incorrect.

Right now, it can be read from the History section that Clarke, Haüy, Brewster and Herschel all observed the similar effect. But did they? That's what i'm pointing out--Mustvalge (talk) 20:39, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

The Valeur and Berberan-Santos paper cites

• Bill, H., J. Sierro, and R. Lacroix. "Origin of coloration in some fluorites." American Mineralogist: Journal of Earth and Planetary Materials 52.7-8 (1967): 1003-1008.

This article on the alexandrite effect mentions some fluorites with no comment on the history.

• Gübelin, E., and K. Schmetzer. "Gemstones with alexandrite effect." Gems & Gemology 18.4 (1982): 197-203.

Johnjbarton (talk) 22:41, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

The best i could find at the moment is Comparative Study on Gemological and Mineralogical Characteristics and Coloration Mechanism of Four Color Types of Fluorite.--Mustvalge (talk) 04:24, 14 April 2024 (UTC)