Introduction: UV Project.

List of Things That Glow Under a Black Light

tonic water (quinine) – glows blue

some vitamins and drugs – B12 glows bright yellow

chlorophyll – glows redscorpions – glow blue or green

Scorpions Glow Under Ultraviolet Light

glow in the dark paint

peoples teeth – usually glow white under black light

antifreeze

fluorescent minerals – glow various colors

about 1/4 of diamonds – glow various colors under black light

some body fluids

fluorescent dyes

bank notes – green strips in US currency

laundry detergent

Irish Spring soap – green

Mr. Clean liquid cleaner

banana spotsBanana Spots Glow Under Black Light (endolith)

some toys

most types of fishing line

some plastics

white paper – white or blue-whitepassports

some cosmetics

some animals, plants, and fungi (especially marine life) – usually green or blue

petroleum jelly (e.g.,Vaseline) – glows blue

uranium glass or vaseline glass

rock salt

fungus that causes Athlete’s Foot – glows orange

turmeric (a spice)

olive oil

canola oil

some flowers

certain postage stamps

highlighter pens – variety of colors

honey

ketchup

cotton balls

pipe cleaners – usually glow blue-white, although fluorescent ones can glow other colors

Click View All Steps to see how to create UV Blacklight initials.

Step 1: Other Things That Glow Under UV Blacklight

Here are some things that glow under UV Black Light.

Not all substances can fluoresce. Fluorescent substances usually have highly rigid molecular structures with electrons that are delocalized over the entire framework of the molecule. Examples of common materials that contain fluorescent molecules are:
White paper is treated with fluorescent compounds to make it appear brighter. Historical documents that have been forged can sometimes be detected by placing them under a black light to see if they fluoresce; fluorescers have only been used in paper made after about 1950 [1].

Club soda or tonic water contains quinine, a bitter-tasting fluorescent compound that glows blue-white under a black light.

Vitamins (specifically vitamin A, thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin) fluoresce strongly. A small piece of a vitamin B-12 tablet crushed and dissolved in vinegar glows a bright yellow under UV light.

Chlorophyll fluoresces with a blood red color. Grind spinach or swiss chard with ethanol and filter the resulting chlorophyll extract. Bright white light can be used to drive the fluorescence. Place the extract in a petri dish on top of an overhead projector lamp in a darkened room to get the full effect.

Many biological fluids contain fluorescent molecules. Forensic scientists use UV lights on crime scenes to detect fluorescence from blood, urine, or semen. Some marine organisms (notably jellyfish) produce proteins that are very intensely fluorescent.

Antifreeze fluid contains additives that fluoresce. Investigators sometimes use black lights to look for antifreeze splashes on pavement and vehicles to reconstruct automobile accident scenes [2].

Laundry detergents contain fluorescers to make the whites "whiter than white". Detergent residues on white clothing causes it to glow blue-white under a black light. These fluorescers sometimes make white clothing appear blue in color photographs.

Dental enamel and whiteners also contain fluorescent compounds that fill in the blue part of the spectrum to prevent the enamel from appearing too yellow [3].

Postage stamps are printed with inks that contain fluorescent dyes.Some common minerals and gemstones fluoresce, including gypsum, talc, opal, agate, quartz, and amber. For a complete list see Amethyst Galleries' Fluorescent, Phosphorescent, Thermoluminescent and Triboluminescent Minerals page.

Step 2: UV Blacklight Invisible Ink Initials.

Need:

UV light

Highlighter, preferably green, yellow or orange

Scotch tape, works the best

Clean wall

My email is iandrewalvis@gmail.com so if you finish this project send me a picture and I will post it on instructables. Leave a comment below if you like the idea or if you have any suggestions. I could use some suggestions or ideas.

Step 3: Getting Started

You need scotch tape preferably not the clear kind. Your going to need to put tape on the wall in the shape of your initials. It can be simple lines that spell out your 3 initials or something fancy.Your initials shouldn't be more than 1 or 2 inches thick. Be creative. It should look like what I did above. The above picture is what it should look like after it was colored.

Step 4: Coloring in the Tape

Get a green, yellow or orange highlighter. Color lightly only on the tape that you put on the wall; try not to get any on the wall or it will ruin the project. Stop highlighting the tape when it is completely filled in with highlighter.

Step 5: Wipe the Wall With Your Hand

Once all the other steps are finished take your hand and wipe it along the tape spreading the highlighter onto the wall. Rub it until you can't see anymore highlighter on the tape or the wall. Get all of it off by using a single finger and rub along the tape while applying pressure. Try to spread it out across the wall farther for cooler effect. Make sure to spread it evenly over a small radius.

Step 6: Let It Dry

Once the tape is colored in all the way let it sit for about 2-3 minutes. This is the most crucial part do not let it sit for more than 6 minutes or it will be ruined.

Step 7: Peel the Tape Off Carefully

Once you've rubbed all the highlighter off, slowly peel the tape off. If you don't do it slowly you might damage the wall and ruin the project.

Step 8: Fun Time

When you can no longer see the highlighter stop. Turn out the lights and turn on the UV light toward the project and enjoy. The good thing is it is completely invisible even to bright light. If you finish this project, send me a picture of it to iandrewalvis@gmail.com and I will post it on this instructable.