How many ppm of O2 does H2O2 add to water?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bland
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Water
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) needed to achieve a specific concentration of dissolved oxygen (O2) in water, specifically aiming for 10 ppm. Participants explore the chemistry involved, including the decomposition of H2O2 and the stoichiometry of the reaction.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant begins with a scenario of starting with distilled water at zero ppm O2 and aims to raise it to 10 ppm using a 6% solution of H2O2.
  • Another participant clarifies that 10 ppm does not equate to 10 molecules and explains that oxygen is produced from the decomposition of H2O2, which is influenced by various factors.
  • A participant calculates the molar masses of H2O2 and O2, discusses the reaction stoichiometry, and estimates the amount of H2O2 required to achieve the desired oxygen concentration, suggesting a dilution for measurement accuracy.
  • There is a confirmation of the calculated amount of H2O2 needed, with a focus on precision in measurement.
  • One participant mentions the need to boil water to remove dissolved air and discusses products that can decompose H2O2, providing insights into practical applications and observations of the reaction.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the stoichiometric calculations involved in determining the amount of H2O2 needed, but there are differing views on the implications of dissolved oxygen in open water and the kinetics of H2O2 decomposition. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to achieve the desired oxygen concentration.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the influence of environmental factors, such as the presence of air in water and the need for catalysts in the decomposition process, which may affect the results of their calculations.

bland
Messages
150
Reaction score
44
TL;DR
Trying to work out how to raise the oxygen ppm of a litre of water by a measure quantity using hydrogen peroxide.
I'm starting with a litre of distilled water with a dissolved oxygen content of zero ppm, and I wish to raise the ppm of the dissolved O2 to 10ppm or 10mg/L using a 6% solution of H2O2. That is 10 extra molecules of oxygen in a litre!

I've had no luck looking for through web based conversion calculators and other technical papers. So I am reaching out here hoping that someone can explain the correct way to calculate this.

thanks in advance.
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
bland said:
That is 10 extra molecules of oxygen in a litre!
No, 10 ppm doesn't mean 10 molecules.

Technically adding hydrogen peroxide you don't add oxygen, oxygen will be produced when the hydrogen peroxide decomposes - which takes time. Kinetics of the process will be a nightmare to describe, as it depends on other dissolved substances catalyzing the reaction.

What you can do is to calculate amount of oxygen that will be produced from the introduced hydrogen peroxide (rather simple stoichiometry), that will help you estimate maximum possible concentration of oxygen after the decomposition (with assumption none of the produced oxygen runs out).
 
I wanted to work this out just for fun as I am not a real chemist. Molar Mass of hydrogen peroxide is 34, and of oxygen 32. The reaction is 2 H2O2 gives O2. So 68g of hydrogen peroxide give 32g of oxygen, a yield of 32/68 x100=47%.
To provide 10ppm in 1 litre of water will require 1000 x 10^-5 = 10^-2 g of oxygen. This will require (10^-2) x 100/47 = 0.02 g of hydrogen peroxide. Using a 6% solution will require 0.02 x 100 / 6 = 0.33g of hydrogen peroxide.
As this is a very small amount to measure, maybe dilute the hydrogen peroxide a further ten times before measuring the dose.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: bland and BillTre
tech99 said:
This will require (10^-2) x 100/47 = 0.02 g of hydrogen peroxide.
OK
tech99 said:
Using a 6% solution will require 0.02 x 100 / 6 = 0.33g of hydrogen peroxide.
Of the hydrogen peroxide solution, to be precise :smile:
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: tech99
tech99 said:
I wanted to work this out just for fun as I am not a real chemist. Molar Mass of hydrogen peroxide is 34, and of oxygen 32. The reaction is 2 H2O2 gives O2. So 68g of hydrogen peroxide give 32g of oxygen, a yield of 32/68 x100=47%.
To provide 10ppm in 1 litre of water will require 1000 x 10^-5 = 10^-2 g of oxygen. This will require (10^-2) x 100/47 = 0.02 g of hydrogen peroxide. Using a 6% solution will require 0.02 x 100 / 6 = 0.33g of hydrogen peroxide.
As this is a very small amount to measure, maybe dilute the hydrogen peroxide a further ten times before measuring the dose.

Okie dokie that is some decent ball park figures to work with, it is indeed a small quantity. thanks.
 
If your water is open to the atmosphere, then a small amount of air (mostly nitrogen, but about 19% oxygen) will dissolve in the water. To remove it, you will need to boil the water. That also makes it sterile (until the air re-dissolves into the liquid). For fun, buy Clean&Clear or Oxysept used for dis-infecting contact lenses. C&C uses a platinum disc (catalyst) to decompose the H2O2 to water. Oxysept uses catalase, an enzyme, with a pink indicator to decompose the H2O2 to water. You can see the Oxygen bubbling out almost immediately. Process to convert all H2O2 to plain water requires 6 hours. I am a chemist and a contact lens wearer.
 
  • Informative
Likes   Reactions: Tom.G

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
14
Views
5K
Replies
9
Views
8K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
5K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K