Shown here are four representations chemists use for hydrogen peroxide. In the colored models, hydrogen is white and oxygen is red.
Click on image for full size
Windows to the Universe original artwork by Randy Russell.
Hydrogen Peroxide - H2O2
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a chemical compound consisting
of two oxygen atoms
and two hydrogen atoms. It is a clear liquid at normal temperatures and pressures.
Hydrogen peroxide is a very reactive chemical.
Dilute solutions of hydrogen peroxide are used to disinfect wounds. It can
also be used to bleach human hair, hence the term "peroxide blonde".
About half the world's production of this chemical is used to bleach pulp and
paper products. Hydrogen peroxide has an advantage over some other bleaching
agents in that its decomposition products, oxygen and water, are not pollutants.
Hydrogen peroxide is sometimes employed as an oxidizer in rocket motors.
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural end product of chemistry that goes on in Earth's
atmosphere. It is normally present in very small quantities.
But sometimes, when a lot of hydrocarbons
are emitted in warm moist climates, hydrogen peroxide abundance can increase
dramatically. Hydrogen peroxide can survive for several days if it is
not removed from the air by precipitation. During its travels, it will
undergo chemical reactions. One example is the oxidation of sulfur
trioxide (SO3) into sulfuric
acid (H2SO4), making acid
rain.
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