👩🏽‍🔬 🕷️ 📈 H2O2 - what is this substance? 👶🏻 🏫 🏥

The well-known formula for the foundation of life is water. Its molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, which is written as H2O. If there is twice as much oxygen, then we get a completely different substance - H2O2. What is it and how will the resulting substance differ from its “cousin" in water?

H2O2 - what is this substance?

Let us dwell on it in more detail. H2O2 is the formula of hydrogen peroxide, Yes, the one that processes the scratches is white. Hydrogen peroxide H2O2 - the name of the substance is scientific.

For disinfection, a three percent solution of peroxide is used. In a pure or concentrated form, it causes chemical burns to the skin. A thirty percent peroxide solution is also called perhydrol; before it was used in hairdressing salons to bleach hair. The skin he burns also turns white.

Chemical properties of H2O2

Hydrogen peroxide is a liquid without color and with a “metallic” taste. It is a good solvent and it is easily soluble in water, ether, alcohols.

Three- and six-percent peroxide solutions are usually prepared by diluting a thirty-percent solution. During storage of concentrated 22, the substance decomposes with oxygen evolution; therefore, it should not be stored in tightly sealed containers in order to avoid explosion. With a decrease in the concentration of peroxide, its stability increases. Also, to slow down the decomposition of 22, various substances, for example, phosphoric or salicylic acid, can be added to it. To store solutions of a strong concentration (more than 90 percent), sodium pyrophosphate is added to the peroxide, which stabilizes the state of the substance, and aluminum vessels are also used.

H2O2 in chemical reactions can be either an oxidizing agent or a reducing agent. However, more often peroxide exhibits oxidizing properties. Peroxide is considered to be acid, but very weak; salts of hydrogen peroxide are called peroxides.

The decomposition reaction as a method of producing oxygen

The decomposition of 22 occurs when a substance is exposed to high temperature (more than 150 degrees Celsius). As a result, water and oxygen are formed.

Reaction formula - 2 22 + t -> 2 2 + 2

You can calculate the electronic balance of H2O2 in the equation:

The oxidation state of in ₂ ₂ and ₂ = +1.
The oxidation state of O: in H ₂ O ₂ = -1, in H ₂ O = -2, in O ₂ = 0
2 ^-1 - 2 -> 2 ⁰

O ^-1 + e -> O ^-2
2 H2O2 = 2 H2O + O2

The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide can also occur at room temperature, if you use a catalyst (chemical substance that accelerates the reaction).

In laboratories, one of the methods for producing oxygen, along with the decomposition of bertholite or potassium permanganate, is the decomposition of peroxide. In this case, manganese (IV) oxide is used as a catalyst. Other substances that accelerate the decomposition of H2O2 are copper, platinum, sodium hydroxide.

The history of the discovery of peroxide

The first steps to the discovery of peroxide were made in 1790 by the German Alexander Humboldt, when he discovered the conversion of barium oxide to peroxide when heated. That process was accompanied by the absorption of oxygen from the air. Twelve years later, scientists by Tenard and Gay-Lussac conducted an experiment on burning alkali metals with an excess of oxygen, as a result of which sodium peroxide was obtained. But hydrogen peroxide was obtained later, only in 1818, when Louis Tenard studied the effect of acids on metals; their stable interaction required a low amount of oxygen. Carrying out a confirmatory experiment with barium peroxide and sulfuric acid, the scientist added water, hydrogen chloride and ice to them. After a short time, Tenar found small frozen drops on the walls of a barium peroxide container. It became clear that this is H2O2. Then the resulting H2O2 was given the name “oxidized water”. It was hydrogen peroxide - a colorless, odorless, hardly volatile liquid that dissolves other substances well. The result of the interaction of H2O2 and H2O2 is a dissociation reaction, peroxide is soluble in water.

An interesting fact is that the properties of the new substance were quickly discovered, allowing it to be used in restoration work. Tenar himself with the help of peroxide restored the painting of Raphael, darkened with time.

Hydrogen Peroxide in the 20th Century

After a thorough study of the resulting substance, it began to be produced on an industrial scale. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the electrochemical technology of peroxide production was introduced, based on the electrolysis process. But the shelf life of the substance obtained by this method was small, about a couple of weeks. Pure peroxide is unstable, and for the most part it was released in a thirty percent concentration for bleaching tissue and in three or six percent for domestic use.

Scientists in Nazi Germany used peroxide to create a liquid fuel rocket engine that was used for defense purposes in World War II. As a result of the interaction of 22 and methanol / hydrazine, a powerful fuel was obtained, on which the aircraft reached speeds of more than 950 km / h.

Where is H2O2 applied now?

in medicine - for the treatment of wounds;
in the pulp and paper industry, the bleaching properties of the substance are used;
in the textile industry, peroxide bleaches natural and synthetic fabrics, furs, wool;
as rocket fuel or its oxidizing agent;
in chemistry - to produce oxygen, as a foaming agent for the production of porous materials, as a catalyst or hydrogenating agent;
for the production of disinfectants or cleaners, bleaches;
for bleaching hair (this is an outdated method, since hair is severely damaged by peroxide);

some use peroxide to whiten teeth, but their enamel is destroyed;
in aquariums and fisheries, they use a three percent solution of H2O2 to revitalize choked fish, to destroy algae and parasites in the aquarium, as well as to combat some fish diseases;
in all industries, peroxide can be used as a means of disinfecting surfaces, equipment, packaging;
for cleaning pools;
for the extraction of metals and oil in the mining and oil industries;
for the processing of metals and alloys in metalworking.

The use of H2O2 in everyday life

Hydrogen peroxide can be successfully used to solve various domestic problems. But you can use for this purpose only three percent hydrogen peroxide. Here are some ways:

To clean the surfaces, you need to pour peroxide into the vessel with a spray gun and spray on contaminated places.
To disinfect objects, they must be wiped with undiluted 22 solution. This will help cleanse them of harmful microorganisms. Sponges for washing can be soaked in water with peroxide (1: 1 ratio).
To whiten fabrics when washing white things add a glass of peroxide. You can also rinse the white tissue in water mixed with a glass of H2O2. This method returns whiteness, protects the fabric from yellowing and helps to remove stubborn stains.
To combat mold and mildew, peroxide and water should be mixed in a container with a spray bottle in a ratio of 1: 2. Spray the resulting mixture onto infected surfaces and after 10 minutes clean them with a brush or sponge.
You can refresh the darkened grout in the tile by spraying peroxide on the desired areas. After 30 minutes, you need to carefully rub them with a stiff brush.
To wash the dishes, add half a glass of 22 to a full basin with water (or a sink with a closed drain). The cups and plates washed in such a solution will shine with purity.
To clean the toothbrush, you need to lower it into an undiluted three percent solution of peroxide. Then rinse under a strong stream of water. This method disinfects a subject of hygiene well.
To disinfect purchased fruits and vegetables, you should spray a solution of 1 part of peroxide and 1 part of water on them, then rinse them thoroughly with water (you can cold).
In the summer cottage with the help of 22 it is possible to fight plant diseases. You need to spray them with a solution of peroxide or soak the seeds shortly before planting in 4.5 liters of water mixed with 30 ml of forty-percent hydrogen peroxide.
To revitalize aquarium fish, if they were poisoned by ammonia, suffocated when the aeration was turned off or for another reason, you can try to put them in water with hydrogen peroxide. It is necessary to mix three percent peroxide with water at the rate of 30 ml per 100 liters and place in the resulting mixture of lifeless fish for 15-20 minutes. If they do not come to life during this time, then the remedy did not help.

Hydrogen peroxide in nature

Do not consider hydrogen peroxide an artificial compound obtained only in laboratories. H2O2 is contained in rain and snow, in mountain air. In the mountains you can find sources and rivers with white water from tiny oxygen bubbles, which is rightly considered useful. Few people know that color and bubbles are due to the presence of H2O2 in water, which is formed due to its good aeration. Meanwhile, you should not be afraid to drink such water unboiled, if, of course, there are no plants and factories nearby. Hydrogen peroxide, naturally formed in water, serves as a disinfectant against microorganisms and parasites.

Even as a result of the active shaking of the water bottle, a certain amount of peroxide is formed in it, since the water is saturated with oxygen during this action.

H2O2 is also found in fresh fruits and vegetables until they are cooked. During heating, cooking, frying and other processes with the attendant high temperature, a large amount of oxygen is destroyed. That is why the culinary products are considered not so useful, although a certain amount of vitamins in them remains. Freshly squeezed juices or oxygen cocktails served in sanatoriums are useful for the same reason - because of the saturation with oxygen, which gives the body new strength and cleanses it.

Danger of peroxide when ingested

After the above, it may seem that peroxide can be specially ingested, and the body will benefit from this. But this is not at all true. In water or juices, the compound is contained in minimal quantities and is closely related to other substances. Reception of “unnatural” hydrogen peroxide inside (and all peroxide bought in a store or produced as a result of chemical experiments on one’s own, can in no way be considered natural, besides it has too high a concentration compared to natural) can lead to life and health risks the consequences. To understand why, you need to turn to chemistry again.

As already mentioned, under certain conditions, hydrogen peroxide is destroyed and releases oxygen, which is an active oxidizing agent. For example, a decomposition reaction can occur when H2O2 collides with peroxidase, an intracellular enzyme. The use of peroxide for disinfection is based on its oxidizing properties. So, when the wound is treated with H2O2, the released oxygen destroys living pathogenic microorganisms that have got into it. It has the same effect on other living cells. If you treat the intact skin with peroxide, and then wipe the place with alcohol, you will feel a burning sensation, which confirms the presence of microscopic damage after peroxide. But with the external use of peroxide of low concentration, there will not be any noticeable harm to the body.

Another thing, if you try to take it inside. That substance that can damage even relatively thick skin from the outside, enters the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. That is, chemical mini-burns occur. Of course, the released oxidizing agent - oxygen - can at the same time kill harmful microbes. But the same process will happen with the cells of the digestive tract. If burns as a result of the action of the oxidizing agent are repeated, then atrophy of the mucous membranes is possible, and this is the first step on the path to cancer. The death of intestinal cells leads to the inability of the body to absorb nutrients, this explains, for example, weight loss and the disappearance of constipation in some people who practice “treatment” with peroxide.

Separately, it must be said about such a method of using peroxide as intravenous injection. Even if for some reason they were prescribed by a doctor (it can be justified only if there is blood poisoning, when other suitable medicines are not available), then there are still risks under medical supervision and with strict calculation of dosages. But in such an extreme situation, this will be a chance for recovery. It is impossible to prescribe injections of hydrogen peroxide yourself in any case. H2O2 poses a great danger to blood cells - red blood cells and platelets, as it destroys them when it enters the bloodstream. In addition, a deadly blockage of blood vessels by released oxygen can occur - gas embolism.

Safety precautions for handling H2O2

Keep out of reach of children and disabled persons. The absence of smell and pronounced taste makes peroxide especially dangerous for them, since large doses can be taken. If ingested, the consequences of consumption can be unpredictable. Seek immediate medical attention.
Peroxide solutions with a concentration of more than three percent cause burns on skin contact. The burn area should be washed with plenty of water.

Do not allow peroxide solution to get into the eyes, as they cause swelling, redness, irritation, and sometimes pain. First aid before going to the doctor - plenty of eye wash with water.
Store the substance in such a way that it is clear that it is H2O2, that is, in a container with a sticker in order to avoid accidental use for other purposes.
Storage conditions that extend its shelf life - a dark, dry, cool place.
Do not mix hydrogen peroxide with any liquid other than pure water, including chlorinated tap water.
All of the above applies not only to H2O2, but also to all preparations containing it.

H2O2 - what is this substance?