Most commercially available H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] is available as a “solution” (something like 5%, IIRC).
Anyway:
Why isn’t “pure” H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] sold? My WAG is cost and practicality, that most consumer applications work fine with just a solution, and that by putting it in a solution, it goes a lot longer (for the manufacturer).
I’ve always assumed that drinking H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] would not be good for me. Would I get sick, either with the solution or the pure stuff?
I actually learned quite a bit reading through the wiki… I just figured it was pretty caustic in higher concentrations, but I had no idea straight hydrogen peroxide was a rocket propellent.
From the MSDS
Hydrogen peroxide is a very strong oxidizing agent, and is not very stable. It spontaneously decomposes into water and oxygen, releasing heat in the process. At very high concentrations (>70%) , the heat released during decomposition can actually vaporize the remaining liquid. Because it spontaneously decomposes, concentrated hydrogen peroxide has to be stored in special vented containers.
As the concentration increases, it gets progressively more dangerous. High concentrations of hydrogen peroxide spilled on clothing or other combustible materials can cause the material to spontaneously combust. High concentrations spilled on skin causes severe chemical burns.
If you drank pure hydrogen peroxide, it would kill you, and it wouldn’t be pleasant.
From this and the above posts, I’m imagining a death somewhat along the lines of the one sufferred by the hapless “lucky shot” gunnery officer on Captain Kruge’s bird of prey. Owie.
First Astronaut: My God! Why is there a corpse of a naked blonde in orbit?
Second Astronaut, looking closer: She’s not a natural blonde.
I’ve worked with 30% hydrogen peroxide. It has to be kept refrigerated at all times. It comes in a special vapor venting bottle. It’s not pure liquid evil, but close to it. I got some residue from the outside of the bottle on my hand when putting it back in the fridge. The skin on the surface of my hand died off where it touched.
With many things in life, concentration matters. There are a lot of chemicals that are beneficial in small amounts that will kill you in large amounts.
Concentrated H2O2 was used to power torpedoes…
Hairdressers’ hydrogen peroxide is sold in “volume” levels of 10, 20, and 30 (and possibly 40). The 10 volume approximately corresponds to the 3% you mention, with the 40 volume working out to about 15%. There’s a good explanation on the H2O2 wiki.
If all this is true (and I know it is) then what in the hell is this food grade hydrogen peroxide stuff?
Frankly I’m sort of surprised they make this available to consumers, but then one can aquire all sorts of lovely things off the internet these days, no?
One can get up to 50% from Aldrich, but I don’t believe they’ll ship that off to just anyone.
The disclaimer on that site amuses:
I see no mention of handling precautions, oh, wait, it’s on another page:
Right. . .
Also submarines (the WWII German Walther turbine), but never made it into production mainly because of the storage and handling difficulties and dangers.
Post-war, the US Navy experimented the same way based on the Walther design, but abandoned the project for similar reasons. As someone at the time concluded “hydrogen peroxide and submarines just don’t mix”.
The reason that both countries were experimenting with this means of propulsion was that it would give subs (which at the time were all diesel-electric) hugely extended submerged times as well as very high underwater speed.
The second coolest classroom demonstration in “Chemistry of Hazardous Materials” was pouring hydrogen peroxide on assorted substances and watching them ignite. For a while after, I eyed the bubbling peroxide on various scratches and scrapes with suspicion.
Not to mention using it loosen ear wax. OTOH, the bottle of 3% medicinal hydrogen peroxide tells you to gargle with the stuff. That’s where I draw the line.
Done that. Actually, in my experience, the bottle tells you to dilute the amount you’re going to gargle with an equal amount of water, which leaves you with a 1.5% solution if my elementary math skills are correct.
Anyway, it didn’t taste bad at all; didn’t taste like anything, really. Foamed like a mofo, though, and required a couple of spits to relieve the pressure to continue swishing. Sure does make your mouth feel squeaky clean afterwards.
Before or after gargling?
If after, Catalase will protect you, and provide your mouth with a burst of oxygeny goodness.
To add to the joys of hydrogen peroxide, you have to realize that when it decomposes into water and oxygen, you’re getting *individual * oxygen atoms. Oxygen doesn’t like going around like that. It wants to be happily settled down as part of a molecule. It will form molecules by itself (as about 19% of the atmosphere attests) but, while it’s temporarily in atomic form, it isn’t too fussy about what it can get. Think of it as a 2am barfly with serious beer goggles - any hookup at all counts as a score.
You may have seen that thing you do with magnesium ribbon where you light it and let it burn brightly in air, and then put it in a jar full of pure oxygen where it blazes much, much brighter. That’s the different between 19% oxygen and 100% oxygen. Well, atomic oxygen ramps it up a step further. Be moderately afraid.
And rocket planes. Rocket planes that had a disturbing tendency to spontaneously explode on take-off, landing, or for no explicable reason while sitting on a flight line.
And torpedo propellant. The explode at the wrong time kind .
For more on HTP-fueled torpedoes and the 2000 sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, there’s this thread.
That French conspiracy-theory film cited in the Wiki article sounds like complete BS, BTW.