I was tearing open individually-wrapped cough drops in the dark, and noticed that when I pulled apart two adhesive-joined pieces of silvery plastic film, small flashes of light were produced. It was not a reflection--it was pitch dark.

What causes this?

The product is Bee M.D. Organic Honey Throat Drops--kind of gooey, old ones (laugh). They contain menthol and eucalyptus oil. I did some more experimenting and think the the flash could actually be separating the plastic from the cough drop itself rather than pulling apart the adhesive. The item is small, the room is dark, my finger has a wound, and all in all it's hard to tell for sure.

I don't know if this is a physics or chemistry question--it depends on the answer.

Tag help is appreciated.

I was tearing open individually-wrapped cough drops in the dark, and noticed that when I pulled apart two adhesive-joined pieces of silvery plastic film, small flashes of light were produced. It was not a reflection--it was pitch dark.

What causes this?

The product is Bee M.D. Organic Honey Throat Drops--kind of gooey, old ones (laugh). They contain menthol and eucalyptus oil. I did some more experimenting and think the the flash could actually be separating the plastic from the cough drop itself rather than pulling apart the adhesive. The item is small, the room is dark, my finger has a wound, and all in all it's hard to tell for sure.

I don't know if this is a physics or chemistry question--it depends on the answer.

I was tearing open individually-wrapped cough drops in the dark, and noticed that when I pulled apart two adhesive-joined pieces of silvery plastic film, small flashes of light were produced. It was not a reflection--it was pitch dark.

What causes this?

I don't know if this is a physics or chemistry question--it depends on the answer.

Tag help is appreciated.

I was tearing open individually-wrapped cough drops in the dark, and noticed that when I pulled apart two adhesive-joined pieces of silvery plastic film, small flashes of light were produced. It was not a reflection--it was pitch dark.

What causes this?

The product is Bee M.D. Organic Honey Throat Drops--kind of gooey, old ones (laugh). They contain menthol and eucalyptus oil. I did some more experimenting and think the the flash could actually be separating the plastic from the cough drop itself rather than pulling apart the adhesive. The item is small, the room is dark, my finger has a wound, and all in all it's hard to tell for sure.

I don't know if this is a physics or chemistry question--it depends on the answer.

Tag help is appreciated.