Piezoluminescence is a form of luminescence created by pressure upon certain solids. This phenomenon is characterized by recombination processes involving electrons, holes, and impurity ion centres. [1] Some piezoelectric crystals give off a certain amount of piezoluminescence when under pressure. Irradiated salts, such as NaCl, KCl, KBr, and polycrystalline chips of LiF (TLD-100), have been found to exhibit piezoluminescent properties. [2] It has also been discovered that ferroelectric polymers exhibit piezoluminescence upon the application of stress. [3]
In the folk-literature surrounding psychedelic production, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and LSD have been reported to exhibit piezoluminescence. As specifically noted in the book Acid Dreams , it is stated that Augustus Owsley Stanley III, one of the most prolific producers of LSD in the 1960s, observed piezoluminescence in the compound's purest form, [4] an observation confirmed by Alexander Shulgin: "A totally pure salt, when dry and when shaken in the dark, will emit small flashes of white light." [5]