In chemistry, peroxides are a group of compounds with the structure , where R = any element. The group in a peroxide is called the peroxide group or peroxo group. The nomenclature is somewhat variable. The most common peroxide is

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3% ...

(), colloquially known simply as "peroxide". It is marketed as solutions in water at various concentrations. Many organic peroxides are known as well. In addition to hydrogen peroxide, some other major classes of peroxides are: * Peroxy acids, the peroxy derivatives of many familiar acids, examples being peroxymonosulfuric acid and peracetic acid, and their salts, one example of which is

potassium peroxydisulfate Potassium persulfate is the inorganic compound with the formula K2 S2O8. Also known as potassium peroxydisulfate, it is a white solid that is sparingly soluble in cold water, but dissolves better in warm water. This salt is a powerful oxidant, co ...

. *

Main group peroxides Main group peroxides are peroxide derivatives of the main group elements. Many compounds of the main group elements form peroxides, and a few are of commercial significance. Examples With thousands of tons/year being produced annually, the peroxy ...

, compounds with the linkage (E =

main group element In chemistry and atomic physics, the main group is the group of elements (sometimes called the representative elements) whose lightest members are represented by helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine as arrange ...

). *

Metal peroxide Metal peroxides are metal-containing compounds with ionically- or covalently-bonded peroxide () groups. This large family of compounds can be divided into ionic and covalent peroxide. The first class mostly contains the peroxides of the alkali and ...

s, examples being barium peroxide (), sodium peroxide () and

zinc peroxide Zinc peroxide (ZnO2) appears as a bright yellow powder at room temperature. It was historically used as a surgical antiseptic. More recently zinc peroxide has also been used as an oxidant in explosives and pyrotechnic mixtures. Its properties have ...

(). * Organic peroxides, compounds with the linkage or . One example is ''tert''-butylhydroperoxide.

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