Mercury gas in fluorescent lights

[jerich1000]

I'm a mechanical (mecha-nickel) engineer and not an electrical engineer, so please don't kill me for asking:

In a fluorescent light the high voltage potential between each end of the light strips the electrons from the mercury gas which ultimamately generates UV light, etc., etc.

My question is this: Why don't the remaining positively charged mercury ions rush to the negative pole at the one end of the flourescent light?

Perhaps they do--or try to--but because it's alternating current the poor mercury ions can't decide which way to go. Please don't tell me that that's the answer because that's such a lame explanation.

Thanks!

 

[Borek]

Are you sure mercury is being ionized, and not just excited?

 

[jerich1000]

You're right, the mercury atoms are only excited. See:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/fluorescent-lamp1.htm

I retract my question; thanks for straightening me out.