Editing Soap bubble (section)

=== Colored bubbles ===
[[File:Macro Photography of a soap bubble.jpg|thumb|left|A single light soap bubble photograph taken under macro photography]]

A bubble is made of transparent water enclosing transparent air. However, the [[soap film]] is as thin as the visible light [[wavelength]], resulting in [[optical interference]]. This creates [[iridescence]] which, together with the bubble's spherical shape and fragility, contributes to its magical effect on children and adults alike. Each colour is the result of varying thicknesses of soap bubble film. [[Tom Noddy]] (who featured in the second episode of [[Marcus du Sautoy]]'s ''[[The Code (2011 TV series)|The Code]]'') gave the analogy of looking at a [[contour line|contour]] map of the bubbles' surface. However, it has become a challenge to produce artificially coloured bubbles.

Byron, Melody & Enoch Swetland invented a patented non-toxic bubble (Tekno Bubbles)<ref>{{cite web |author=Mary Bellis |url=http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500a.htm |title=Interview with Byron and Melody Swetland - The Inventors of Tekno Bubbles |publisher=Inventors.about.com |date=1999-10-05 |access-date=2013-10-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130704191253/http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500a.htm |archive-date=2013-07-04 }}</ref> that glow under UV lighting. These bubbles look like ordinary high quality "clear" bubbles under normal lighting, but glow when exposed to true UV light. The brighter the UV lighting, the brighter they glow. The family sold them worldwide, but has since sold their company.

[[File:Triple layer soap bubble.jpg|thumb|A single soap bubble displaying three layers]]
Adding coloured [[dye]] to bubble mixtures fails to produce coloured bubbles, because the dye attaches to the water molecules as opposed to the surfactant. Therefore, a colourless bubble forms with the dye falling to a point at the base. Dye [[chemist]] [[Ram Sabnis|Dr. Ram Sabnis]] has developed a [[lactone]] dye that sticks to the surfactants, enabling brightly coloured bubbles to be formed. [[Crystal violet lactone]] is an example. Another man named Tim Kehoe invented a coloured bubble which loses its colour when exposed to pressure or oxygen, which he is now marketing online as [[Zubbles]], which are non-toxic and non-staining. In 2010, Japanese astronaut [[Naoko Yamazaki]] demonstrated that it is possible to create coloured bubbles in [[microgravity]]. The reason is that the water molecules are spread evenly around the bubble in the low-gravity environment.