LUCI AND VISUAL SMELL

The luciferin of fireflies is a thermostable phenol that oxidizes in the presence of adenosine triphosphate, luciferase and oxygen to form an unstable compound, oxyluciferin, which is reduced spontaneously. The adenosine triphosphate breaks down and the release of the oxygen molecule produces a photon. The cycle begins all over again with the production of more adenosine triphosphate and the woodland night is filled with periodic emissions of light. In this way a phenol, a substance that is often smelly, becomes light.

Luci, made of copper, silicon, gallium arsenide, aluminium, selenium and various plastic polymers, when heated, dissipates energy and produces electric aromas. The regular process of generating pulses of light is a synthetic metaphor of the natural light transduction of the organic nuptial aromas of the fireflies.

José Manuel Berenguer
February 2008