Hydrogen peroxide where is it found

Reviewed: November 15, Many consumers today are not familiar with the wide range of possible uses of peroxide, although most homes have a bottle of three percent solution among their home medical supplies. Widely used as a disinfectant, peroxide medical uses extend beyond the occasional scrape or cut.

Few products are as versatile, cheap, and effective as hydrogen peroxide. Although it can be toxic or even fatal when taken internally as a stronger solution, the common, everyday uses of peroxide are worth investigating while selecting home medical supplies and cleaning products.

What is hydrogen peroxide? Known as chemical compound H, hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer that is stronger than chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and potassium permanganate. Breaking down naturally in the environment, peroxide lacks gaseous or chemical residues and is therefore safer than other oxidizers.

Extremely versatile, it can dissolve some substances but not others, depending on how it is used. By adjusting variables like dose, reaction time, and catalyst added, peroxide can be adjusted for selective uses. The product is so dependable and safe that many people now use a weaker variation for hydrogen peroxide home uses. Regarding the uses of peroxide below, only use three percent peroxide for household and medical applications. The thirty-five percent peroxide should be handled carefully for outdoor purposes only, as it will burn skin on contact, and only by those who are familiar with it.

Hydrogen peroxide , a chemical that appears as a colorless liquid, is used in a wide range of cleaning and personal care products, including hair dyes and bleaches, toothpaste and mouthwashes, bathroom cleaners and laundry stain removers. Hydrogen peroxide can also be found in over-the-counter OTC first aid antiseptics, and it is used as a bleaching agent in some food products. It has other consumer and industrial uses as well, including water treatment.

Hydrogen peroxide is used as an antimicrobial agent and an oxidizing agent. It is also used as an OTC antiseptic to clean wounds. Hydrogen Peroxide is used throughout the healthcare industry and by consumers to clean and disinfect. Food and Drug Administration FDA approved use of a technology developed by scientific research nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute to use concentrated vapor phase hydrogen peroxide in specialized equipment to sterilize used N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment worn by healthcare professionals treating coronavirus patients.

Hydrogen peroxide is used for different applications, because it is very selective. By changing the reaction conditions temperature, pH , dose, reaction time and the addition of a catalyser , hydrogen peroxide will attack different pollutions.

The corrosiveness of process water due to hydrogen peroxide depends on the amount of dissolved oxygen that is produced. Oxygen corrodes iron-containing metals. The amount of iron and the pH are a greater influence on corrosiveness than the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is.

Hydrogen peroxide can disintegrate during transport. Oxygen and heat are released. Hydrogen peroxide itself is inflammable, but the oxygen can enhance the inflammation of other substances. In diluted solutions, the heat is absorbed by water.

In concentrated solutions, the temperature of the solution is increased, accelerating hydrogen peroxide destruction. The alkalinity and presence of pollutions also accelerate the destruction of hydrogen peroxide. For the production of hydrogen peroxide, special catalysers are used to make sure that hydrogen peroxide is not destroyed by pollutants in the water.

How is hydrogen peroxide produced? Since , hydrogen peroxide is a commercial product. It was first produced in the United Kingdom by burning barium salt Ba , which produced barium peroxide BaO 2. Subsequently the barium peroxide was dissolved in water and hydrogen peroxide was produced.

Since the 19th century the production of hydrogen peroxide has largely increased. Nowadays about half a billion kilograms are produced annually. How is hydrogen peroxide transported and stored? Hydrogen peroxide must be transported in polyethylene, stainless steel or aluminium containers. When hydrogen peroxide comes in contact with flammable substances, such as wood, paper, oil or cotton cellulose , spontaneous ignition may occur.

When hydrogen peroxide is mixed with organic matter, such as alcohols, acetone and other ketones, aldehydes and glycerol, heavy explosions may occur. When hydrogen peroxide comes in contact with substances, such as iron , copper , chromium, lead , silver , manganese , sodium , potassium , magnesium , nickel , gold , platinum , metalloids, metal oxides or metal salts, this may result in powerful explosions. This is why hydrogen peroxide is usually transported in diluted form.

What are the applications of hydrogen peroxide? The eldest known application of hydrogen peroxide was bleaching straw hats, which were fashionable in the beginning of the twentieth century.

From to , hydrogen peroxide was produced through electrolysis. This method produced pure hydrogen peroxide. Nowadays, self-oxidation processes are used to produce hydrogen peroxide. During these processes, hydrogen is the raw material. Versatility of hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is versatile, it can be used for many applications. It can be used in all media; air, water, waste water and soils.

It is sometimes used combined with other agents, to enhance and accelerate processes. Hydrogen peroxide is most commonly used to remove pollutants from waste water and from air. It contests bacterial growth for example bio fouling in water systems and it can enhance bacterial growth for example bio remediation of polluted soils and ground water through oxygen addition.

It can also be used to treat pollutions that can be easily oxidized for example iron and sulphides and pollutions that are difficult to oxidise for example dissolved solids, gasoline and pesticides.

Finally, it can be used to bleach paper, textile, teeth and hair or to produce food, minerals, petrochemical substances or washing powder. In pure form, hydrogen peroxide is used as an oxygen provider to drive Russian submarines.

Can hydrogen peroxide be used as an oxidiser? Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidiser. Search MIT. Search websites, locations, and people. Enter keywords to search for news articles: Submit. Browse By. New process could make hydrogen peroxide available in remote places.

David L. Publication Date :. Press Inquiries. Email: kjeanbap MIT. Phone: Caption :. Credits :.