From the periodic table to photochemistry with fluorescent jellies: A food science celebration of the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements

Abstract

It began in 1869, and today we have 118 elements listed in the Periodic table, thanks to Mendeleev's work. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are elements presented in many organic compounds. Some of them can exhibit photophysical and photochemical properties. Herein, we proposed an easy to make an experiment in chemistry classes to connect both subjects, periodic table and photochemistry, through periodic tables made of fluorescent jellies. A sheet of PET-G was heated and put over the periodic table mold made in a 3D-printing to produce the form used in this work. Quinine and vitamin B2, from tonic water and vitamin supplement, respectively, were the fluorescent compounds selected to be in the gelification process to give the jelly fluorescence. The light source was a black light lamp. This work allowed for the discussion of photophysics and photochemistry concepts, 3D-printing process, gelification, and the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements—IYPT2019—with undergraduate students without the use of expensive reagents or equipment.