Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) ranks among the most important of all peroxides. It can be prepared in the laboratory by treating a metal peroxide with a dilute acid:

On the industrial scale, however, hydrogen peroxide today is manufactured almost exclusively by the autoxidation of 2-alkylanthraquinol (typically 2-ethylanthraquinol). In this process, the anthraquinol form is oxidised by atmospheric/added oxygen, releasing H₂O₂ into an aqueous layer while regenerating 2-ethylanthraquinone (the oxidised form) in the organic layer; the anthraquinone is then re-reduced with hydrogen back to the anthraquinol, closing the cycle so the organic carrier can be used again and again. The aq …