Re: Hydrogen peroxide bath
Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 2:46 pm
I see a lot of people have made some great insights, and the poster has already gotten some good results... But I had a few ideas if anyone is interested.
I'm no chemistry expert, but in my organic chemistry classes, we learned most radical reactions (which is what peroxides do) only use light as an initiator. After a few radicals form, the reaction is self-perpetuating. Sometimes these reactions can continue further than you want, and that might be the cause of the damage some posters have warned about.
Also, atomic orbitals have a property where they don't excite unless they receive a photon with enough energy. You can bombard them all day with weaker photons and they won't absorb them. Higher frequencies of light have higher energy photons. Perhaps the glass in windows is reflecting some of the higher frequencies the peroxide needs. I'd bet if you're having a hard time with getting it started, moving them outdoors on a clear day when the sun is at its peak might help. You might get away with just 15-20 minutes, after that it should be able to keep reacting with its own energy.
I'm no chemistry expert, but in my organic chemistry classes, we learned most radical reactions (which is what peroxides do) only use light as an initiator. After a few radicals form, the reaction is self-perpetuating. Sometimes these reactions can continue further than you want, and that might be the cause of the damage some posters have warned about.
Also, atomic orbitals have a property where they don't excite unless they receive a photon with enough energy. You can bombard them all day with weaker photons and they won't absorb them. Higher frequencies of light have higher energy photons. Perhaps the glass in windows is reflecting some of the higher frequencies the peroxide needs. I'd bet if you're having a hard time with getting it started, moving them outdoors on a clear day when the sun is at its peak might help. You might get away with just 15-20 minutes, after that it should be able to keep reacting with its own energy.