4798. Hydrogen Peroxide

Nomenclature

CAS number: 7722-84-1
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); hydrogen dioxide; hydroperoxide; Albone; Hioxyl (Quinoderm); Lensan A (CIBA Vision); Mirasept (CIBA Vision); Oxysept (Allergan); Pegasyl (SweVet).
H2O2; mol wt 34.01.
H 5.93%, O 94.09%.

Description and references

First reported by Thenard in 1818; prepd by treating barium peroxide with acid. Manuf of aqueous solns: Faith, Keyes & Clark's Industrial Chemicals, F. A. Lowenheim, M. K. Moran, Eds. (Wiley-Interscience, New York, 4th ed., 1975) pp 487-495; R. Powell, Hydrogen Peroxide Manufacture (Noyes Dev. Corp., Park Ridge, N.J., 1968) 221 pp. Production of anhydr hydrogen peroxide by continuous fractional crystn: Crewson, Ryan, US 2724640 (1955 to Becco). Production and green reactions in liquid CO2, q.v.: D. Hncu et al., Acc. Chem. Res. 35, 757 (2003). Use in green oxidation reactions: R. Noyori et al., Chem. Commun. 2003, 1977. Properties of 90% hydrogen peroxide: E. S. Shanley, F. P. Greenspan, Ind. Eng. Chem. 39, 1536 (1947). Reviews: ACS Monograph Series no. 128, entitled “Hydrogen Peroxide,” W. C. Schumb, Ed. (Reinhold, New York, 1955) 759 pp; Ebsworth et al., in Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry vol. 2, J. C. Bailar, Jr. et al., Eds. (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1973) pp 771-778; J. R. Kirchner in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology vol. 13 (Wiley-Interscience, New York, 3rd ed., 1981) pp 12-38.

Properties

Colorless, rather unstable liquid; bitter taste. Distillable in high vacuum. May dec violently if traces of impurities are present. d0 1.463. mp 0.43°. bp 152°. Misc with water; sol in ether. Insol in petr ether. Decomposed into water and oxygen by many organic solvents. Marketed as a soln in water in concns of 3-90% by wt. Solns of hydrogen peroxide gradually deteriorate and are usually stabilized by the addition of acetanilide or similar organic materials. Agitation or contact with rough surfaces, metals or many other substances accelerates decompn. Rapidly dec by alkalies, finely divided metals; the presence of mineral acid renders it more stable. Oxidizer, corrosive. Keep protected from light and in a cool place.

Derivative

3% Solution.

Nomenclature

Oxydol.

Properties

Contains 2.5-3.5% by wt of H2O2 = 8-12 vols oxygen. Colorless, slightly acid liq. d ≈1.00.

Derivative

30% Solution.

Properties

Contains 30% by wt of H2O2 = 100 vols of oxygen. Clear, colorless liquid. d ≈1.11. Miscible with water. Now replacing the 3% soln for industrial uses; diluted to the required strength immediately before use. It also is used for making the 3% soln.

Caution

Potential symptoms of overexposure are irritation of eyes, nose and throat; corneal ulceration; erythema, vesicles on skin; bleaching of hair. See NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (DHHS/NIOSH 97-140, 1997) p 168.

Use

Environmentally friendly oxidant. Bleaching agent in foods, textiles, and personal care products; oxidant in wastewater treatment. Catalyst. Used in analytical chemistry for trace metal analysis. A 90% soln is used in rocket propulsion.

Therapeutic Category

Antiseptic; disinfectant.

Therapeutic Category (Veterinary)

Topical antiseptic and cleansing agent (as a dilute soln).

Keywords

Antiseptic/Disinfectant; Peroxides/Permanganates