Bus Stop: Landesmuseum
The Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy deals with burning stones and glowing powders: What happens if you direct an oxyhydrogen flame at Frau Hitt? She will glow brightly! This phenomenon of a burning stone is called limelight or Drummond light and was formerly used for stage illumination in theatres or in lighthouses.
Today, the faculty is still researching fluorescent solids. These investigated green and red powders are necessary for an LED lamp to be able to emit the desired white or yellow light. If you want to know what these powders look like and how they react when exposed to UV light, you might want to visit the IVB stop “Landesmuseum”.
Drummond Light
What brings Frau Hitt to a white heat? If limestone is irradiated with an oxyhydrogen flame, the stone begins to glow intensively without melting. Since the light is shining brightly and the limestone is only burning slowly and therefore easy to replace, this lighting method was formerly used in lighthouses or in theatres. Today however, due to the danger of explosion, it is used only with caution in the laboratory, as you can see in the video above.
Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy
Photos, Video: © Paul Treichl 2019