Chemiluminescent Fun with Washing Powder

A simple and durable luminescent powder can be conveniently prepared by mixing washing powder, luminol, and potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) to carry out impressive chemiluminescence experiments. The students particularly enjoyed using the mixture in a light-colored painting activity. In addition, various washing powders, brought from home by the students, can be tested indirectly for the presence of oxygen-based bleaching agents via their “luminosity”. The luminescent powder offers many starting points for lessons on the topics of reaction energy, light, and oxygen, combined with a playful fun factor, and is suitable as a motivating introduction or as a school experiment.