HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES GLOW IN THE DARK NAIL POLISH GIVES OFF Casey Abernethy Cary Academy

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1 HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES GLOW IN THE DARK NAIL POLISH GIVES OFF Casey Abernethy Cary Academy ABSTRACT The purpose of this experiment is to learn why some types of glow in the dark nail polish glow more than others. The important items of discovery are how glow in the dark works, how nail polish is made, what nails are made out of, and some experiments done before. The first experiment was meant to figure out which type of nail polish gave off the most amount of light. The results for the experiment showed that sparkly green nail polish glowed the most and sparkly blue nail polish glowed the least amount. The results were found because strontium aluminate, a pale yellow powder that can reflect light, is included when nail polish is being made. INTRODUCTION The glow from glow in the dark items comes from phosphors, this is a type of chemical that absorbs energy and goes out as a visible light. Zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate are two of the most commonly used phosphors for photo luminescent ink, which over a period of time emit energy. These phosphors can be mixed with plastics or ink to create glow in the dark items. Once the light shines on the glow in the dark object, the incoming photons (packets of light) excite the phosphors molecules. The molecules then release the energy which they have stored slowly by giving out photons, creating a dim glow. These different phosphors release energy at different times - the slower they release energy, the longer periods of time the object will glow. Glow in the dark pigments can be put into different colors. The human eye is most sensitive to green light, which means that green glow in the dark stars appears much brighter, and is generally one of the favorites for manufacturers. Visible light is just one type of electromagnetic wave. Other types are invisible to the human eye. Ultraviolet rays are contained in sunlight; they have a higher frequency than visible light and are more powerful. The human eye can t see ultraviolet rays but certain chemicals can absorb them and then release the energy at lower frequencies as visible light.

2 Figure 1. Contents of nail polish that make it glow Figure 2. Picture of studying amount of light in nail polish The hard surface of nails helps protect fingers and toes. Nails themselves are made of keratin. This is the same substance body s uses to create hair on the top of people s heads and the top layer of skin. It may look like fingernails and toenails start growing at the u-shaped cuticle, but there is more under the surface, the nail starts at what is called nail root, which is hidden

3 underneath cuticles. When cells get old, a new root on the nails grows and pushes out the old nail cells. These old cells flatten then harden. This is from keratin, this is a protein made by the cells in nails. The new nail then slides along the nail bed, this is a flat surface under nails. Nail beds sit on top of a blood vessel that feed it and give nails the pink color. Nails grow slowly - they grow 2.5 mm a month. This means that it may take 3 to 6 months to replace one nail. Cuticles are the item which helps protect new nails from it growing out of nail roots. Lunula (comes from the Latin word "moon") is a pale half circle just a little bit above cuticles. Lunula is one of the easiest things to see on thumbnails. Figure 3. What a fingernail is Nail polish contains cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose), butyl acetate, benzene, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, alkyl esters, ethyl acetate, dyes, glycol derivatives, gums, hydrocarbons, ketones, lakes, and phosphoric acid. The primary ingredient in nail polish is nitrocellulose cotton (cellulose nitrate {highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid. It is originally known as guncotton}). Nitrocellulose is mainly used for the making of dynamite. Nitrocellulose cotton is liquid mixed with tiny microscopic cotton fibers. When being manufactured, cotton fibers are ground even smaller and do not need to be removed. Nitrocellulose acts as a film forming agent. For nail polish to work properly a hard film must form on the exposed surface of the nail but it cannot form so quickly that it prevents the material underneath from drying. The nitrocellulose film is brittle and adheres poorly to nails. Manufacturers add synthetic resins and plasticizers (and occasionally similar, natural products) to their mixes to improve flexibility, resistance to soap and water, and other qualities: older recipes sometimes even used nylon for this purpose. Because of the number of desired qualities

4 involved, however, there is no single resin or combination of resins that meet every specification. Among the resins and plasticizers in use today include castor oil, amyl and butyl stearate, and mixes of glycerol, fatty acids, and acetic acids. Coloring in nail polish and other components must be contained within one or more solvents that hold the colorings and other materials until the polish is applied. After the application, the solvent must be able to evaporate. Nail polish is made by combining nitrocellulose and plasticizers with color pigments. This mixing is done in a "two-roll" differential speed mill, which grinds the pigment between a pair of rollers that are able to work with increasing speed as the pigment is ground down. The goal is to produce fine dispersion of the color plasticizer. Skin rashes of the eyelids and neck are common in those who are allergic to nail polish. Among recent complaints to the FDA about nail polishes were irritation of the nail area, discolored nails, nails permanently stained black, splitting of nails, nausea. The goal is to produce fine dispersion of color plasticizer: butyl stearate and acetate compounds are the most common. Then the nail polish must have color. Early polishes used soluble dyes, but today s products contain pigments of one type or another. Choice of pigment and its ability to mix well with solvent and other ingredients is essential to producing a good quality product. Shaking a bottle of nail polish before use, this helps to restore settled particles to the suspension. In addition to usual coloring pigments, other color tones can be added depending upon the color and tone. Micas (tiny reflective minerals), are a common additive, as is "pearl or "fish scale" essence. Pear," or "guanine," is literally made from small fish scales and skin, suitably cleaned and mixed with solvents such as castor oil and butyl acetate. The guanine can be mixed with gold, silver, and bronze tones. Pigment choices are restricted by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which maintains lists of pigments considered acceptable and others that are dangerous and cannot be used. Once this pigment mass is prepared, it is mixed with solvent in a stainless steel kettle. The kettle has water in it to facilitate cooling of the mixture. The mixture is then pumped into smaller, 55 gallon drums, and then transported to a production line. The finished product is pumped into explosion proof pumps, and then into smaller bottles suitable for the retail market. Maria Stevens and Madi P. did experiments that related to the topic of makeup and liquids. Maria Stevens did the experiment of determining how fast water came running down a face when water affects it. Madi P. did an experiment seeing what household substances are

5 waterproof. MATERIALS AND METHOD In this experiment a light probe, 4 kinds of glow in the dark nail polish, black light, black pieces of paper, nail polish remover, a beaker, and a lamp were used. In the first experiment, four different kinds of nail polish were painted on to different pieces of black paper, approximately ten coats. The nail polish was then brought over to a light and was left to dry for a minute. After this all lights were turned off, a black light was turned on, and the nail polish was put under the black light. A light probe was used to see how much light was produced. The second experiment was tested with one kind of nail polish, sparkly green. First five pieces of black paper were put down on the table. Each one had a different amount of coats of nail polish on it, 5, 1, 15,, and 25 coats. Then the colors of nail polish were put under a lamp for one minute. The nail polish was then put under the black light and tested to see how much light each of the amounts of nail polish gave off. In the third experiment, the nail polish was left in its bottle and was tested to see how much light came through. First the nail polish was put under a light for a minute. The nail polish was then put under the black light. The light probe was put up to the glass to see how much light came through. The fourth experiment was tested with one kind of nail polish. Four different pieces of paper were put down on the table and on each one ten coats of nail polish was put on. Next each one was rubbed different amounts of times, 5, 1, and 15. Then the light probe tested to see how much light shined through. In the fifth experiment different kinds of nail polish remover were tested on sparkly green nail polish. First 1 coats of nail polish were put on five different pieces of black paper; 5 ml of each nail polish remove was put on with a cotton ball and rubbed five times each. After they were rubbed, the sheets of paper were put under a black light and a light probe was used to see how much light was given off after the amount of nail polish was removed.

6 Amount of light given off (lux) In the sixth experiment different amounts of nail polish remover were tested on one color of nail polish. The nail polish was put on different black sheets of paper with 1 coats each. The nail polish remover was put into a beaker with 5, 1, 15, and ml for each different piece of paper. The different amount of nail polish remover was put on the different pieces of paper and was rubbed 5 times. The pieces of paper were then put under a black light and a light probe collected how much lux it gave off. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Yellow Purple Sparkly Blue Sparkly Green Black Color Figure 4. Determining which color nail polish gives off the most amount of light For the first experiment the results were sparkly green shined brightest under a black light. The reasons were the ingredients of zinc sulphied and strontium aluminate (two of the most commonly used phosphors for photo luminescent ink, which over a period of time emit energy). Strontium aluminate is a pale yellow powder that can reflect light, but the light given off is most effective with green which is probably why the sparkly green gave off most light.

7 Amount of Light (lux) Amount of light (lux) Coats of Nail Polish Figure 5. Determining how much nail polish gives off the most amount of light For the second experiment the results were that coats gave off the most light. For the glow in the dark nail polish coats of nail polish was the maximum the paper could hold. This means when more was put on it just was put on top of the other amounts of nail polish. This means that it wasn t putting more on the paper just the top of the other amounts of nail polish Purple Sparkly Blue Yellow Sparkly Green Color Figure 6. Determining which nail polish gives off the most amount of light inside the bottle

8 Amount of Light (lux) When the nail polish was left in the bottle, sparkly green shined the most. Again, the reason is zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate two of the most commonly used phosphors for photo luminescent ink, which over a period of time emit energy. Strontium aluminate is a pale yellow powder that can reflect light, but the light given off is most effective with green which is probably why the sparkly green gave off most light Amount of Rubs Figure 7. Determining how many rubs removes only a little bit of nail polish For this experiment rubs was the best because when trying to rub off nail polish on a fingernail then the nail polish would still be there on nails. was the better amount of rubbing because nothing has tried to rub any nail polish off yet so the nails are still nice and shiny.

9 Amount of light (lux) Amount of Light (lux) Advanced Regular Acetone Non - Acetone Strengthning Type of Nail Polish Remover Figure 8. Determining which nail polish remover is the most effective Non acetone was the best nail polish remover because it removed the most amount of light or nail polish. Non acetone s key ingredient is usually ethyl acetate, this is made from ethanol and acetic acid. Non acetone is better because when needing to remove nail polish it is the most effective Amount of nail polish remover (ml) Figure 9. Determining how much nail polish remover removes the most nail polish

10 For this experiment ml of non acetone was the best choice for trying to remove 1 coats of sparkly green glow in the dark nail polish. ml of nail polish remover was the best because it was the most amount of nail polish remover which meant when trying to remove nail polish it had the most effect. The reason it wouldn t be right to go with the most amount of nail polish left is that trying to remove nail polish in real life it would be more logical to go with the most amount of nail polish removed. CONCLUSION Out of six experiments the most important one was the first, this experiment was the one that told which glow in the dark nail polish glowed most, this helped with other experiments. The hypothesis for this experiment was wrong, at first it was thought that the yellow glow in the dark nail polish would shine brightest but instead the sparkly green glow in the dark nail polish shined the most. These results are very important because when people need to use glow in the dark nail polish it will help to know which one shines the most. Some experiments that could be done could be seeing what different types of brands of glow in the dark nail polish glow best. CITATIONS Berlow, Lawrence H. "How Products Are Made." How Nail Polish Is Made. N.p., n.d. Web. Jan. 14. Graham, Ian, Mike Goldsmith, and Dan Wright. Science Rocks! New York: DK, 11. Print. "How Does Photoluminescent (glow in the Dark) Ink Work Explore Physics.org." How Does Photoluminescent (glow in the Dark) Ink Work Explore Physics.org. Institute of Physics, n.d. Web. 21 Jan N.d. Discovery Education. Web. "KidsHealth." Your Nails. Ed. Steven Dowshen, MD. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 14.

11 Maria Stevens, The Study Of How Fast Makeup Runs Down Paper When Affected, Cary Academy, 13 Madi Prentice, Testing The Water Proof Ability Of Household Substances, Cary Academy, 13 Winter, Ruth. A Consumer s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. New York Crown Publishers, Print.