Description

Brief Overview

Hydrogen peroxide was prepared first by Thenard in 1818. It is a colourless liquid at room temperature with a bitter taste. Small amounts of gaseous hydrogen peroxide occur naturally in the air. Hydrogen peroxide is unstable, decomposing readily to oxygen and water with release of heat. Although non-flammable, it is a powerful oxidizing agent that can cause spontaneous combustion when it comes in contact with organic material.

Manufacturing Process

There are two main methods to produce H 2 O 2 . They are:

Method 1: Auto-oxidation of ethyl anthraquinol in a solvent such as toluene or ethylbenzene. The product ethyl anthraquinone is reduced by hydrogen over supported nickel or platinum catalyst to regenerate back the starting material, ethyl anthraquinol for a continuous production of H2O2.