This article was taken from the January 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Science you can do at home is even better when you can eat the results. Here's a simple and fun method of making glowing jelly.
Before you eat it, this eerie stuff can teach you about fluorescence.
Ingredients You'll need some tonic water, a packet of jelly and an ultraviolet (UV) torch or lamp. Quinine gives tonic water its taste but it is also fluorescent. It absorbs UV photons and re-emits them as visible light (UV light is higher-energy than optical light).
Chose your jelly carefully Quinine glows a blue-ish colour so you want to use blue or green to maximise the effect. The jelly acts as a filter to the fluorescence, so using red jelly would result in only a dull glow. Lime-flavoured jelly complements tonic quite well.
Use a 1:1 mix Make the jelly as indicated on the packet, but replace half of the water with tonic. Mix it up well and put it in the fridge. It's a good idea to pour it into glasses or transparent plastic containers to set, as it helps to maximise the glowing effect.
Set up your UV light Place the jelly in a dark room and turn on your UV.
With the UV light on, try looking at other fluorescent things around the house: highlighter pens, paper, most laundry detergent and some toothpastes all glow well.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
