| abstract |
The chemiluminescent light system of the present invention utilizes esters of sufficiently high purity, e.g. triethyl citrate or dimethyl phthalate as the activator solvent to provide enhancements over the prior art chemiluminescent systems. These enhancements are manifested in terms of the rate of light production, e.g. the "flatness" of the light output profile, and the total light output achieved during a device's useful life. In a preferred embodiment, the unreacted acid content of esterified solutions, useful as activators in chemiluminescent systems, should be no greater than 0.05 weight percent. The activator solutions of the instant invention also provide triethyl citrates of sufficient purity, in terms of the absence of carbon double-bond compounds, to provide enhanced light generation and increased total light output, as compared to prior art chemiluminescent systems. This effect is further enhanced by inclusion of a catalyst system containing an equimolar mixture of sodium perborate and salicylic acid in either a citrate or phthalate based system. In a particular embodiment, the chemical light system of the present invention provides enhanced generation of light in a phthalate-free system. |