How did it happen?
When the Glow Powder is put in bright light, it absorbs or soaks up some of the light energy that shines on it. It then slowly radiates or sends out some of that light. It can be used over and over again and will not wear out. Simply bring it into the bright light again to recharge it.When something absorbs light, then slowly emits or gives off the light that it is called phosphorescence. The Glow Powder contains a chemical compound called zinc sulfide. The chemical formula or symbol for it is ZnS. The zinc sulfide comes from a mineral called sphalerite. Actually, there is a trace or very small amount of a material called a phosphor in the zinc sulfide that is necessary for it to glow in the dark and helps make it glow longer and brighter. Color television screens also contain phosphors that glow when beams of electrons in the picture tube strike them to produce the colors that we can see on the TV.
The building blocks of all matter are the chemical elements. There are about one hundred different elements that combine to make all the different things in our universe. The Glow Powder is made of the elements zinc and sulfur. In that vial there are billions and billions of very small atoms of zinc and sulfur. And each atom is made of smaller basic building blocks called protons, neutrons and electrons. The electrons are in orbits around the center or nucleus, which contain protons and neutrons.
The Quantum Leap
It is the electrons in the atoms of the glow powder that absorb light energy that cause the glow. The theory is that electrons jump to higher levels when they absorb energy. The electrons then give off or emit photons of light energy as they return to their normal state in the atom. The amount of energy is called a quantum and the electrons must make a quantum leap to be able to glow.