Strontium peroxide is an
inorganic compound
An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bondsthat is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''.
Inorgan ...
with the formula
Sr O2 that exists in both anhydrous and octahydrate form, both of which are white solids. The anhydrous form adopts a structure similar to that of
calcium carbide
Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of . Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.
The pure material is colorless, while pieces of technica ...
.
Uses
It is an
oxidizing agent
An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ''electron donor''). In ot ...
used for
bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
ing. It is used in some
pyrotechnic composition
A pyrotechnic composition is a substance or mixture of substances designed to produce an effect by heat, light, sound, gas/smoke or a combination of these, as a result of non-detonative self-sustaining exothermic reaction, exothermic chemical reac ...
s as an oxidizer and a vivid red
pyrotechnic colorant
A pyrotechnic colorant is a chemical compound which causes a flame to burn with a particular color. These are used to create the colors in pyrotechnic compositions like fireworks and colored fires. The color-producing species are usually creat ...
. It can also be used as an
antiseptic
An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...
and in tracer munitions.
Production
Strontium peroxide is produced by passing oxygen over heated
strontium oxide
Strontium oxide or strontia, SrO, is formed when strontium reacts with oxygen. Burning strontium in air results in a mixture of strontium oxide and strontium nitride. It also forms from the decomposition of strontium carbonate SrCO3. It is a st ...
. Upon heating in the absence of O
2, it degrades to SrO and O
2. It is more thermally labile than BaO
2.
[Bauschlicher, Charles W. Jr.; Partridge, Harry; Sodupe, Mariona; Langhoff, Stephen R. "Theoretical study of the alkaline-earth metal superoxides BeO2 through SrO2" Journal of Physical Chemistry 1992, volume 96, pp. 9259-64. ]
References
See also
*
Barium peroxide
Barium peroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula . This white solid (gray when impure) is one of the most common inorganic peroxides, and it was the first peroxide compound discovered. Being an oxidizer and giving a vivid green colour upo ...
*
Strontium oxide
Strontium oxide or strontia, SrO, is formed when strontium reacts with oxygen. Burning strontium in air results in a mixture of strontium oxide and strontium nitride. It also forms from the decomposition of strontium carbonate SrCO3. It is a st ...
External links
*
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Peroxide
In chemistry, peroxides are a group of Chemical compound, compounds with the structure , where the R's represent a radical (a portion of a complete molecule; not necessarily a free radical) and O's are single oxygen atoms. Oxygen atoms are joined ...
Peroxides
Pyrotechnic oxidizers
Pyrotechnic colorants
Antiseptics
Oxidizing agents