Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizing agent with many uses, but its added oxygen makes it unstable. It is usually diluted in water for safety. Different concentrations are used for various purposes, including rocket fuel. The lowest concentration (3%) is used for mouthwash and wound cleansing, while the highest concentration (98%) is used as fuel. The anthraquinone process is used to produce hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) differs from water (H2O) in having a single extra oxygen atom. Because the additional oxygen atom is “electron-loving” or electrophilic, hydrogen peroxide is a very powerful oxidizing agent. The added oxygen also makes hydrogen peroxide quite unstable, unless it is pure enough. Hydrogen peroxide is usually dissolved in water due to the danger of burns and contamination-induced instability associated with the pure form, and is used at a dilution appropriate for the task at hand. There are several concentrations of hydrogen peroxide of commercial importance.
Hydrogen peroxide has an abundance of uses that require a range of concentration levels, including uses as a mouthwash, a foot soak, for cleaning fish tanks, and for treating acne. It is also used in carpet cleaning, metal polishing, and for bleaching paper products. It also finds use in the laboratory, in the sanitization of swimming pools and in wastewater treatment plants. Included among the different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide used are the very high concentrations used for rocket fuel. In this regard, peroxide is used not only in rockets intended for outer space, but also for devices such as “inner space” rocket belts that use a 90% concentration.
Hydrogen peroxide dissolved in water is less of a safety concern. This becomes especially important at high concentrations, at which point the catalytic decomposition of the peroxide can result in the formation of not just oxygen, but a hazardous vapor. A much lower concentration of hydrogen peroxide is needed when used as a mouth gargle, wound cleanser, or hair lightener. Such uses require the lowest of several commercially available concentrations of hydrogen peroxide – 3%. Even when that concentration is purchased, most dentists recommend a 50:50 dilution, bringing the strength of the peroxide down to about 1.5%.
Slightly higher concentrations of peroxide for human use may be available in some locations – 6% is readily available in, for example, the UK. In the laboratory, the most common of several concentrations of hydrogen peroxide is 30%. Another commercially available grade is 35%, the so-called “food grade”. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a United States government agency, has condemned the use of this product and advises consumers not to purchase 35% hydrogen peroxide for human use. Stronger concentrations for use as a fuel can be as high as 98%.
The different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide can all be made in the same way. Previously, peroxide was produced by the electrolysis of sulfuric acid or some other similar sulfate-based material. In 2011, the anthraquinone process, a catalytic oxidation-hydrogenation process, is used.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
