Sodium peroxide
Inorganic compound used as oxidizer and oxygen source.
Sodium peroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula Na2O2. It is a strong base that exists as a white solid in its pure form, though commercial samples often appear yellowish due to sodium superoxide impurities. Discovered in 1810 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard, it was first commercially produced by Hamilton Castner in the 1890s.
- formula
- Na2O2
- discovered
- 1810
- discoverers
- Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard
- commercial_producer
- Hamilton Castner (1890s)
- appearance
- White solid (pure); yellowish (commercial due to impurities)
- key_property
- Strong base; decomposes to Na2O and O2 above 657 °C
Lore & Background
Sodium peroxide crystallizes with hexagonal symmetry and undergoes a phase transition at 512 °C. Above its 657 °C boiling point, it decomposes to sodium oxide and oxygen. Commercially, it is produced from the elements in a two-stage process: first sodium is oxidized to sodium oxide, then that oxide is treated with more oxygen. It may also be produced by passing ozone gas over solid sodium iodide inside a platinum or palladium tube, with the metal catalyzing the reaction. The octahydrate can be produced by treating sodium hydroxide with hydrogen peroxide.
Reader's Guide
Sodium peroxide hydrolyzes to give sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide. It was historically used to bleach wood pulp for paper and textiles, and presently is mainly used for specialized laboratory operations such as extracting minerals from ores. It serves as an oxidizing agent in chemistry preparations and as an oxygen source by reacting with carbon dioxide, making it useful in scuba gear and submarines. It was once used on a large scale for producing sodium perborate, though alternative routes have since been developed. Its commercial names include Solozone and Flocool.
Did You Know?
- Sodium peroxide was discovered in 1810 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard.
- It decomposes to sodium oxide and oxygen when heated above 657 °C.
- It can be produced by passing ozone gas over solid sodium iodide inside a platinum or palladium tube.
- It reacts with carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and sodium carbonate, making it useful in scuba gear and submarines.
More in Sodium Compounds 1-24
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