Detailed Product Description:

 

Colorless liquid.  Odorless.  Soluble in water and alcohol.

 

Commonly used in bleaching and deodorizing of textiles, and as a constituent

 

in cleaning agents in the semiconductor industry.  Sometimes used as a substitute

 

for chlorine in water and sewage treatment.

 

 

Grade/Purity:

 

This is 30% concentration, Semiconductor Grade, low-particulate, with

 

a minimum purity of 99.9%.

 

 

Background:

 

Hydrogen peroxide is a very pale blue liquid, slightly more viscous than

 

water, that appears colorless in dilute solution.  It is a weak acid, has strong

 

oxidizing properties, and is a powerful bleaching agent.  It is used as a

 

disinfectant, antiseptic, oxidizer, and in rocketry as a propellant.  The

 

oxidizing capacity of hydrogen peroxide is so strong that it is considered

 

a highly reactive oxygen species.

 

 

Aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions have specific properties that are

 

different from those of the pure chemical due to hydrogen bonding

 

between water and hydrogen peroxide molecules.  Specifically, hydrogen

 

peroxide and water form a eutectic mixture, exhibiting freezing-point

 

depression.  While pure water melts and freezes at approximately 273K,

 

and pure hydrogen peroxide just 0.4K below that, a 50% (by volume)

 

solution melts and freezes at 221 K.

 

 

H2O2 is one of the most powerful oxidizers known—stronger than

 

chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and potassium permanganate.  Also, through

 

catalysis, H2O2 can be converted into hydroxyl radicals (OH) with

 

reactivity second only to fluorine.

 

 

Application Notes:

 

Diluted H2O2 (between 3% and 12%) is used to bleach human hair when

 

mixed with ammonia.  It is absorbed by skin upon contact and creates a

 

local skin capillary embolism which appears as a temporary whitening of

 

the skin.  The strength of a solution may be described as a percentage or

 

volume, where 1% hydrogen peroxide releases 3.3 volumes of oxygen

 

during decomposition.  Thus, a 3% solution is equivalent to 10 volume

 

and a 6% solution to 20 volume, etc.

 

 

3% H2O2 is used medically for cleaning wounds, removing dead tissue,

 

and as an oral debriding agent. Peroxide stops slow (small vessel) wound

 

bleeding/oozing, as well.  Most over-the-counter peroxide solutions are

 

not suitable for ingestion.

 

 

3% H2O2 is effective at treating fresh (red) blood-stains in clothing and

 

on other items.  It must be applied to clothing before blood stains can be

 

accidentally "set" with heated water. Cold water and soap are then used to

 

remove the peroxide treated blood.

 

 

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified

 

hydrogen peroxide as a Low Regulatory Priority (LRP) drug for use in

 

controlling fungus on fish and fish eggs.

 

 

Some horticulturalists and users of hydroponics advocate the use of

 

weak hydrogen peroxide solution ("Spanish water") in watering solutions.  

 

Its spontaneous decomposition releases oxygen that enhances a plant's root

 

development and helps to treat root rot (cellular root death due to lack of

 

oxygen) and a variety of other pests.

 

 

Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizer effective in controlling sulfide

 

and organic related odors in wastewater collection and treatment systems.  

 

It is typically applied to a wastewater system where there is a retention

 

time of 30 minutes to 5 hours before hydrogen sulfide is released.  

 

Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the hydrogen sulfide and promotes bio-

 

oxidation of organic odors.  Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to oxygen

 

and water, adding dissolved oxygen to the system thereby negating some

 

Biochemical Oxygen Demand.

 

 

Hydrogen peroxide is used with phenyl oxalate ester and an appropriate

 

dye in glow sticks as an oxidizing agent.  It reacts with the ester to form

 

an unstable CO2 dimer which excites the dye to emit a photon of light

 

when it spontaneously relaxes back to the ground state.

 

 

Precautions:

 

Strong oxidizing agent at this concentration.  Dangerous fire and

 

explosion risk when in contact with organics.  Toxic and strongly

 

irritating to skin and tissue. 

 

 

                Click here to download MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

 

 

Packaging:

 

Comes packed in 250ml HDPE Nalgene bottle.  Also available in 500ml size.