Chlorophyll, found in plants, is a pigment molecule that comes in two forms (A and B).  When these molecules receive energy in the form of light, one of their electrons is briefly pushed away causing water to split. A special molecule called the primary electron acceptor quickly snaps up the electron before it manages to return to the molecule. This mechanism is used to drive a proton flow that generates energy for plant through a stepwise return of the electron.  In absence of these electron snappers – the electron returns directly to the chlorophyll and the energy released – produces a fluorescent glow.



This light can be produced using a very low-tech collection of material; spinach, alcohol, a mortar and a centrifuge. First, four or five leaves of spinach are dried, either overnight or a couple of hours in the oven at around 40-50°C, until they become dry and brittle.



The leaves are put into a mortar, with a dash of ethanol or  isopropanol (5-10 ml) and grounded well. The small pipettes are filled with the mash of alcohol and leaves.

Two pipettes with the mix where put in a microcentrifuge for 5 minutes at around 10000-13000 rpm. This seperated the mix into a solid and liquid layer, the solid was discarded and the liquid containing the chlorophyll was kept.

Under normal light the chlorophyll in normal light is of course green but with a blacklight bulb (available from most stores) the purified chlorophyll with the alcohol takes on a luminance orange red colour.

The blacklight shows what happens as the chlorophyll reacts with light. Excited electrons are pushed away from its ground state, but chlorophyll which is one of the strongest oxidating agents found in organic material pulls it back. Energy is released - it glows and produces heat. 



By shaking a test tube the chlorophyll-alcohol mix spreads and the glow distributes.

Pouring a few drops onto your hand also produces a startling glow of orange.

The chlorophyll is normally green and gives plants its characteristic colour as a result of colours absorbed and reflected (green). Flowers of a plant often have other colours. Rose petals are for instance red in their common form. By using petals rather than leaves in the same process no glow is produced, hence there is no chlorophyll in this section of the plant.