A peroxide-based bleach or simply peroxide bleach is any

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 ...

product that is based on the

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 ...

chemical

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

, namely two

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

atoms connected by a

single bond In chemistry, a single bond is a chemical bond between two atoms involving two valence electrons. That is, the atoms share one pair of electrons where the bond forms. Therefore, a single bond is a type of covalent bond. When shared, each of th ...

, (–O–O–). This bond is fairly weak and is often broken in chemical reactions of peroxides, giving rise to very reactive oxygen species, which are the active agents of the bleach. Peroxide-based bleaches became common household products in the late 20th century, being the base of many

laundry detergent Laundry detergent is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) used for cleaning dirty laundry (clothes). Laundry detergent is manufactured in powder (washing powder) and liquid form. While powdered and liquid detergents hold roughly equal share of ...

formulations. Most of these products are adducts of

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 viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...

( or ), that is, solids that contain trapped in a crystal structure together with another material like

sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...

urea Urea, also called carbamide (because it is a diamide of carbonic acid), is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two Amine, amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest am ...

. An exception is

sodium perborate Sodium perborate are chemical compounds with chemical formula (H2O)x. Commonly encountered salts are the anhydrous form (x = 0) and as a hydrate, hexahydrate (x = 6). These two species are sometimes called, respectively, "monohydrate" or PBS-1 a ...

, which has a cyclic structure containing two O-O single bonds. Peroxide bleaches are considered to be

eco-friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that c ...

cleaning agents, compared to chlorine-based bleaches that might produce

organochlorine compound Organochlorine chemistry is concerned with the properties of organochlorine compounds, or organochlorides, organic compounds that contain one or more carbon–chlorine bonds. The chloroalkane class (alkanes with one or more hydrogens substituted ...

Chemistry

All peroxide-based bleaches release hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water. Peroxide bleaches are often used along with bleach activators, such as tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED) or sodium nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS).

Products

The main products in this class are *

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 viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...

itself (). It is used, for example, to bleach wood pulp and hair or to prepare other bleaching agents like the perborates, percarbonates, peracids, etc. *

Sodium percarbonate Sodium percarbonate or sodium carbonate peroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is an adduct of sodium carbonate ("soda ash" or "washing soda") and hydrogen peroxide (that is, a perhydrate). It is a colorless, crystalline, hygros ...

(), an adduct of hydrogen peroxide and

("soda ash" or "washing soda", ). Dissolved in water, it yields a solution of the two products, that combines the degreasing action of the carbonate with the bleaching action of the peroxide. *

Sodium perborate Sodium perborate are chemical compounds with chemical formula (H2O)x. Commonly encountered salts are the anhydrous form (x = 0) and as a hydrate, hexahydrate (x = 6). These two species are sometimes called, respectively, "monohydrate" or PBS-1 a ...

(). Dissolved in water it forms some hydrogen peroxide, but also the perborate anion ()which is activated for nucleophilic oxidation.

References

{{reflist Bleaches Peroxides Household chemicals Laundry substances

Chemistry

Products

See also

References