Make a tomato glow in the dark

Gather all Mad Scientists. Science doesn't have to be all about hitting the books and memorizing formulas. Sometimes it's closer to Frankenstein or Dr.Jekyll than you can imagine. It's time to turn tomatoes into glow in the dark orbs.

Video producers ShootingEggs did not include much about the science behind this mysterious glow, so we did our own research.

Today's HowTo experiment is a bioluminescent reaction of chemiluminescence. This is similar to the phenomenon of phosphorescence, which occurs when the sea is alight with thousands of glowing plankton. The solution of bleach, phosphorous and hydrogen peroxide catalyze a reaction that gives off photons. The photons then emit light. Unfortunately, the tomato will only glow for the duration of the reaction (1-3 minutes).

Oh, and one more bummer: if you eat this it will make you sick, not a human glowstick.