Piezoluminescence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Piezoluminescence is a form of luminescence created by pressure upon certain solids. This phenomenon is characterized by recombination processes involving electrons, holes and impurity ion centres.[1] Some piezoelectric crystals give off a certain amount of piezoluminescence when under pressure, as in handheld cigarette lighters when the button is pressed.[citation needed] NaCl, KCl, KBr and polycrystalline chips of LiF (TLD-100) have been found to exhibit piezoluminescent properties.[2] It has also been discovered that ferroelectric polymers exhibit piezoluminescence upon the application of stress.[3]

In the folk-literature surrounding psychedelic production, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and LSD have been reported to exhibit piezoluminescence. As specifically noted in the book Acid Dreams, it is stated that Augustus Owsley Stansley III, one of the most prolific producers of LSD in the 1960s, observed piezoluminescence in the compound’s purest form,[4] which observation is confirmed by Alexander Shulgin: “A totally pure salt, when dry and when shaken in the dark, will emit small flashes of white light.”[5]

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ A. Atari, Piezoluminescence Phenomenon, Physics Letters A Volume 90, Issues 1–2, 21 June 1982, Pages 93–96.
  2. Jump up^On Piezoluminescence in Irradiated Alkali Halides, by A. Al-Hashimi, A.M. Eid, K.V. Ettinger and J.R. Mallard, Radiation Protection Dosimetry (1983) 6 (1–4): 203–205.
  3. Jump up^Reynolds, George (1997). Piezoluminescence from a ferroelectric polymer and quartz. Journal of Luminescence (Princeton) 75 (4): 295–299.
  4. Jump up^Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond by Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain, pg 174
  5. Jump up^ Alexander and Ann Shulgin. http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/tihkal/tihkal26.shtml

 

Langmuir. 2005 Feb 1;21(3):976-81.

Piezoluminescence at the air-water interface through dynamic molecular recognition driven by lateral pressure application.

Ariga K1, Nakanishi T, Terasaka Y, Tsuji H, Sakai D, Kikuchi J.

Author information

Abstract

The steroid cyclophanes with a cyclic core consisting of a 1,6,20,25-tetraaza[6.1.6.1]paracyclophane connected to four steroid moieties (cholic acid or cholanic acid) through a flexible l-lysine spacer were spread on water as Langmuir monolayers. The pi-A isotherm of the cholic-type steroid cyclophane includes a transition to the condensed phase with a limiting area of approximately 2 nm(2). This value is close to the cross-sectional area of the steroid cyclophane with a standing-up conformation of the cholic acid moieties, strongly suggesting that the cavity converts from a two-dimensional cavity to a three-dimensional cavity upon compressing the monolayer. Surface-reflective fluorescence spectroscopy of the monolayer using an aqueous fluorescent probe (6-(p-toluidino)naphthalene-2-sulfonate (TNS)) showed an abrupt increase in the TNS fluorescence intensity at a molecular area of 2 nm(2). Efficient binding of the guest probe would occur upon the completion of the three-dimensional cavity. Repeated compression and expansion induces periodic changes in the fluorescence intensity. This indicates a piezoluminescence effect through the catch and release of the TNS guest upon dynamic cavity formation. Analyses of the binding behavior of TNS to the steroid cyclophane resulted in binding constants in the range of approximately (5-9) x 10(4) M(-1) which are similar to that observed in lipid bilayer media (K = 5.1 x 10(4) M(-1)). The fluorescence intensity within the condensed phase was significantly increased with increasing pressure, suggesting that suppression of the molecular motion of the bound TNS may retard the nonemission process. Similar monolayer experiments were carried out with the monolayer of the cholanic-type steroid cyclophane that cannot form an open conformation on water. Both the phase transition in the pi-A isotherm and the change in the fluorescence intensity were negligible, confirming that the dynamic characteristic of the cavity is indispensable for the efficient pressure-induced binding of the guest and the consequent luminescence.

 

Il Nuovo Cimento (1955-1965)

1 Marzo 1962, Volume 23, Issue 5, pp 910-913

Date: 28 Oct 2007

Piezoluminescence in zinc-sulphide phosphors