Hydrogen peroxide - Simple English Wikipedia

# Hydrogen peroxide

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Stuctural formula of hydrogen peroxide. H is hydrogen and O is oxygen. The lines repsent the chemical bonds between the atoms.
A picture to show simply how the atoms may fill space. The white is hydrogen and the red is oxygen.

Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound. Its molecular formula is H2O2. It is used as a cleaner. In a concentration of 3% (meaning that there are 3 of hydrogen peroxide for 97 of water), it can be used to treat wounds. In aqueous solution, hydrogen peroxide can oxidize or reduce a variety of inorganic ions. When it acts as a reducing agent, oxygen gas is also produced. In acid solution Fe2+ is oxidized to Fe3+,

2 Fe2+(aq) + H2O2 + 2 H+(aq) → 2 Fe3+(aq) + 2H2O(l) and sulfite (SO32−) is oxidized to sulfate (SO42−). However, potassium permanganate is reduced to Mn2+ by acidic H2O2. Under alkaline conditions, however, some of these reactions reverse; Mn2+ is oxidized to Mn4+ (as MnO2), yet Fe3+ is reduced to Fe2+.

2 Fe3+ + H2O2 + 2 OH− → 2 Fe2+ + 2 H2O + O2 Hydrogen peroxide is frequently used as an oxidising agent in organic chemistry. One application is for the oxidation of thioethers to sulfoxides.[citation needed] For example, methyl phenyl sulfide was oxidised to methyl phenyl sulfoxide in 99% yield in methanol in 18 hours (or 20 minutes using a TiCl3 catalyst):

Ph-S-CH3 + H2O2 → Ph-S(O)-CH3 + H2O Alkaline hydrogen peroxide is used for epoxidation of electron-deficient alkenes such as acrylic acids, and also for oxidation of alkylboranes to alcohols, the second step of hydroboration-oxidation.

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