There are popular rumors on the internet about ways you can make Mountain Dew (a carbonated soft drink or soft drink produced by the Pepsi company) look radiant. Unfortunately, most of these rumors are just fake news (hoax). Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mixed with Mountain Dew will not glow, and the addition of Starbursts (trademark of a type of gelatin candy/chewy candy with various fruit flavors in many colors) will also not produce the desired effect. However, there are two ways to make the soda glow green. Start with Step 1 to learn how to make glowing Mountain Dew as a home science project or spooky Halloween potion.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using Mountain Dew and Liquid Glow Stick
Step 1. Remove most of the Mountain Dew from the bottle
Drink the soda or pour it into a glass, leaving about 6-12mm high in the bottle.
- Warmer temperatures tend to produce a stronger reaction, so for best results, leave Mountain Dew outside at room temperature (20-25 degrees Celsius) for about 30 minutes before you start acting. Do not use cold bottles taken straight from the refrigerator.
- There is nothing in Mountain Dew that causes a reaction to occur. It's just that people love the bright yellow color of the soda, but actually any liquid will react. So, try doing this experiment with other light colored drinks or just plain water.
Step 2. Open a glow stick
Glow sticks are plastic tubes containing liquid chemicals which when reacted will cause a light source (lit). Use scissors or a sharp utility knife to pry open a standard size glow stick. Make sure both compartments are open.
- Be careful with the knife so you don't get hurt.
- Since you're cutting the glow stick to open it, make sure the liquid inside doesn't spill over your skin or other surfaces. As a precaution, you may need to open it over the sink, bowl, or plastic placemat. You also need to wear gloves.
- Glow sticks usually have two separate compartments. The first compartment contains a solution of unmixed hydrogen peroxide and fluorescent dye (a dye that glows when exposed to light because it has absorbed light). The second compartment contains a chemical known as diphenyl oxalate (diphenyl oxalate), which triggers a reaction with hydrogen peroxide and fluorescent dye. Both must be present with Mountain Dew to produce light, just as the two ingredients are present in a glow stick and make the tube glow.
- For the sake of color considerations, try to use a green glow stick instead of one of the other colors.
Step 3. Add the glow stick's contents to the Mountain Dew
Carefully pour the ingredients from the two glow stick compartments into the Mountain Dew, using up the entire contents of the glow stick.
However, just as Mountain Dew and glow stick liquid will produce a small glow, actually glow stick liquid that has been dissolved in Mountain Dew will cause the glow stick's brightness to go out. In an effort to produce a brighter light, you will need to add a little more to the mixture
Step 4. Spray a little liquid dish soap
Spray standard dishwashing liquid into a Mountain Dew bottle.
- Use dish soap without any coloring agents in it, as the dye will change the color of the light.
- Dishwashing liquid enhances the shine of the luminous liquid by reflecting light. The liquid soap won't take part in the chemical reaction, but it can beautify the look.
Step 5. Add 1 to 3 bottle caps full of hydrogen peroxide
You will need to drip hydrogen peroxide into the Mountain Dew to help produce a stronger glow. More hydrogen peroxide will make the light shine more brightly, while less will make the light smoother.
- Even though the glow stick liquid already contains hydrogen peroxide, adding more diphenyl oxalate to the glow stick liquid will make the reaction more intense. As a result, the luminous liquid will be less dilute and produce a brighter effect.
- If you use too much hydrogen peroxide (more than 3 bottle caps) the chemical reaction that produces light will be overpowered by hydrogen peroxide saturation.
Step 6. Mix in some baking soda
The last ingredient you'll need to make your Mountain Dew glow sticks is teaspoon (1 gram) of baking soda. Add the ingredients to the bottle.
Baking soda adds energy to the reaction, although it doesn't actually give a strong glow effect
Step 7. Seal the bottle, then shake it
You may see a slight glow from the glow stick liquid before shaking the contents of the tube evenly, but after shaking it, the light will be brighter and more evenly distributed.
- You don't need to shake the bottle for a long time. In fact, shaking for 30 to 60 seconds should suffice, and you'll know as soon as all the ingredients are mixed if you shake it in a dark room.
- Bottles must be sealed/closed to keep chemicals in contact with each other. If the liquid is poured out of the bottle, the light will only shine for about two minutes.
Step 8. Pay attention to the light that flashes
The reaction is temporary and unlikely to last for an hour or two, but during that time, you'll have a much better lit bottle of Mountain Dew.
When the light starts to fade, you can make it shine a little longer by bringing a pot of water to a boil and quickly dipping the bottle in boiling water for 30 seconds. For standard size glow sticks, this method will give the liquid a 30 minute longer glow. However, for diluted Mountain Dew glow sticks, this may only give you an additional 10 minutes or so
Method 2 of 2: Using Mountain Dew and Highlighters
Step 1. Choose a highlighter. A highlighter or highlighter is a text marker that contains a transparent ink made of fluorescent/fluorescent material that can glow. For this experiment with Mountain Dew, a neon green or yellow highlighter will work best. You can use one of the traditional highlighters or one of the liquid ink-filled highlighters.
Be aware that you can also use the same technique with water. Using water instead of Mountain Dew will give you more color options. For example, with water, you can use a pink or orange highlighter as well as a green or yellow highlighter. However, colors such as blue and purple, tend not to produce very strong light
Step 2. Pull out the ink-saturated sponge
Open the seal on the bottom of the highlighter using your hands, a utility knife (cutter), or thin pliers. As soon as you lift it from the bottom and can see the ink-saturated sponge inside, carefully remove the sponge from the highlighter pen with tongs.
- If you use your fingers to pick up a sponge that is saturated with highlighter ink, you may get the fluorescent ink on your hands. That is why it is preferable to use tongs or pliers with a pointed tip.
- If you choose to use a liquid-inked highlighter, you'll still need to get rid of the base, but you don't have to do anything with the liquid ink.
Step 3. Take some Mountain Dew out of the bottle
Drink a small amount of Mountain Dew or pour it about 2-3 cm (measured from the top of the bottle) before you insert the ink-saturated sponge or liquid highlighter in the bottle.
- You only need to remove a small amount of the soda to make room for the sponge or liquid highlighter ink.
- Additional highlighter components will replace the soda liquid. If you don't pour some of the soda first, it will overflow from the mouth of the bottle.
Step 4. Put the ink into the soda
Use pliers to lower the ink-saturated sponge into the Mountain Dew bottle, submerging it completely under the surface of the soda. Do it carefully!
If you are using a highlighter with a liquid compartment, simply pour the highlighter ink directly into the soda. Use the funnel only when necessary
Step 5. Seal the bottle and shake it
At this point, the highlighter ink will glow, but in order to make Mountain Dew glow, you'll need to spread the ink all over the soda. Shaking it thoroughly will perfect it.
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To see the liquid more clearly, you can remove the label on the outside of the bottle.
Make Mountain Dew Glow Step 13 - If using liquid ink, you may only need to shake the bottle for 30 seconds or so. If using a sponge that is saturated with ink, you may need to shake it for a minute or so.
Step 6. Hold the Mountain Dew bottle under ultraviolet (UV) light, also known as a UV (black light) lamp
You will be able to see a bright light. The glow can also last for a few days to a few weeks, depending on how intensely the highlighter ink glows.
- To be able to see the light, the bottle needs to be placed under ultraviolet/UV light.
- It is not recommended for you to hold it for a long time or to display it, although the glow can last up to a week. Because the bottles and liquids are not sterile, and because you are storing an absorbent surface (ink-coated sponge), organic compounds including bacteria and mold can start to develop in the bottle if left too long.
- If you want to use it for long-term decoration, it is better to use distilled/distilled water instead of Mountain Dew. The distillation process removes most of the bacteria.
Step 7. Soak clear water beads into the glowing Mountain Dew for more fun
Water beads (also known as hydrogels) are granular growing media made of polymers that absorb water and expand. Soak the hydrogel in Mountain Dew for 2 to 3 hours. The granules will absorb the luminous liquid and will make it glow under ultraviolet/UV light.
Hydrogel is relatively safe for children to play with if the highlighter is not toxic
Warning
- Avoid getting the glow stick liquid out of your eyes, hands and mouth. Although non-toxic and non-flammable, glow sticks can cause mild irritation and cause allergic reactions.
- Glow stick liquid can also stain your clothes. If even a small amount of glow stick liquid gets on your clothes, wash the area with warm soapy water until the stain is gone. Wash before the stain dries, as the dried chemicals are more likely to stain.
