Solar light reactive chemicals

[timnphx]

I am wondering if anyone on this forum knows of or can suggest chemicals that are solar reactive? I mean reactive in the way that they can polarize or become sensitive to magnetic influence?

[swansont]

I am wondering if anyone on this forum knows of or can suggest chemicals that are solar reactive? I mean reactive in the way that they can polarize or become sensitive to magnetic influence?

 

There are a bunch of materials that polarize light, and some are birefringent, like calcite. (list of these at wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birefringence )

[CelticMadSci]

It seems like you have two questions, chemicals interacting with the sun, and with magnetic fields. You're not going to get much influence from the sun's magnetic field here on earth.

 

LCDs like you find in digital watches and calculators have liquid crystals in them that change polarization when subjected to an electric field.

 

As for sunlight, invisible ink can become visible due to converting UV light in the sun to visible light, though that's not polarization, I know. This is how "brighter-than-white" bleaches work too.

 

For something to become opaque in the presence of heat, citric acid ink will do this.

[alan2here]

For something to become opaque in the presence of heat, citric acid ink will do this.

So what is it like the absence of heat?