Historically, the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been used as a classroom demonstration known as elephant toothpaste to show the effects of catalysts, the heat produced in exothermic reactions, and the general visualization of chemical reactions. However, this demonstration has largely only been done as a qualitative demonstration. The quantitative analysis of this reaction without the use of a complicated apparatus has been left widely unexplored. Past experimentation indicated that the commonly used potassium iodide catalyst actively participates in the decomposition of H2O2, preventing the determination of the rate law for the reaction. Copper and iron have been shown to be effective catalysts for the decomposition of H2O2 in the past and may serve as an effective means to determining the rate law for the decomposition. Over the years, metal nanoparticles have been synthesized with increased ease and with safe, easy to obtain chemicals. Copper and iron nanoparticles were both effectively synthesized through separate one-pot methods; however, only the copper nanoparticles were effective at catalyzing the reaction leading to significant gaseous bubble production. By measuring the volume of oxygenated bubbles over time it should be possible to determine the rate law for the decomposition. Coupling the synthesis of nanoparticles with a simple classroom demonstration will allow students to study modern materials and kinetics in a method that will allow for a deeper understanding of chemistry concepts

Quantitative analysis of the decomposition of H2O2 using metal nanoparticles

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.