INTRODUCTION

History

Hydrogen Peroxide was first identified and isolated by the scientist Louis Jacques Thenard in 1818. He
achieved this when he was burning barium salts to make barium peroxide. He noticed that when he put
the barium peroxide in water to dissolve, hydrogen peroxide was produced. He improved on this
method over the years and his was the most common way of producing hydrogen peroxide until the
mid-twentieth century.

"It was believed for many years that hydrogen peroxide was an unstable molecule as all attempts to
separate it from water failed." It wasn't until 1894 that 100% hydrogen peroxide was extracted from
water by the scientist Richard Wolffenstein, using a process called vacuum distillation.

*vacuum distillation - distillation of a liquid under reduced pressure, enabling it to boil at a lower temperature than normal

The correct formula of HOOH (H2O2) was first proved by Petre Melinkishvili.

Hydrogen peroxide is also present in rainwater. It has long been the earth's way of sterilising itself.

Pure hydrogen peroxide was developed as a rocket fuel, and is still used as such today despite a number
of accidents.

*The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide liberates oxygen and heat; this can be dangerous, as spilling high-concentration
hydrogen peroxide on a flammable substance can cause an immediate fire.

Theoretical Background

Hydrogen peroxide, (H2O2), a colourless liquid usually produced as aqueous solutions of various
strengths, used principally for bleaching cotton and other textiles and wood pulp, in the manufacture of
other chemicals, as a rocket propellant, and for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. Solutions containing
more than about 8 percent hydrogen peroxide are corrosive to the skin.

Hydrogen Peroxide is also known as: Hydroperoxide, Oxydol, Perhydrol, and Superoxol.
Structure:

Decomposition:

2H2O2 2H2O + O2(g)

INDUSTRY APPLICABLE TO

The bleaching properties of hydrogen peroxide are used in many industries. Perhaps its most familiar
day-to-day use is in proprietary products used in washing clothes.

While its use in detergents accounts for large quantities of hydrogen peroxide, most is used in solution
to bleach paper (increasing its brightness), wood pulp and fabrics.

 Laundry Industry

Hydrogen Peroxide is used principally as bleach.

The primary use of hydrogen peroxide for laundry is to brighten clothes and remove stains from your
laundry.

You can use this product as a substitute for chlorine bleach to whiten your clothes. It is itself an oxygen
bleach.

The color safe bleach is comprised mainly of hydrogen peroxide, along with some additional additives
such as brighteners.

 Medical Industry

Hydrogen peroxide is a mild antiseptic used on the skin to prevent infection of minor cuts, scrapes, and
burns. It may also be used as a mouth rinse to help remove mucus or to relieve minor mouth irritation
(e.g., due to canker/cold sores, gingivitis). This product works by releasing oxygen when it is applied to
the affected area. The release of oxygen causes foaming, which helps to remove dead skin and clean the
area.

It kills disease organisms by oxidation! For this reason, Hydrogen peroxide is considered the world’s
safest all natural effective sanitizer.

 Pharmaceutical Industry

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in pharmaceutical applications for its disinfectant properties.
Healthcare applications include the disinfection of dental and surgical instruments as well as contact
lenses. Personal care products include hair bleaching and hair colorants, teeth bleaching lotions, pastes
and mouthwash.

For these applications, hydrogen peroxide is used in diluted solutions : 3% to 12% of hydrogen peroxide.
It is also used to sterilize petri dishes and other apparatus and materials used in the pharmaceutical
industry.

 Aeronautical Industry

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) has been used as rocket propellant, but can also be used to run automobiles.

It is "burned" in jets and other devices by catalytic decomposition.

For example, the popular color safe oxygen bleach, Oxiclean, has two active ingredients. The first is
sodium percarbonate, which when it comes into contact with water releases hydrogen peroxide, and
the second is sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda.