Mechanism of Hydrogen Peroxide Pyrolysis

Abstract

The pyrolysis of hydrogen peroxide was followed mass spectrometrically, under conditions such that a steady-state concentration of the HO2 radical equal to or exceeding 1/100th of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide would have been detected. The actual steady-state concentration of HO2 in a reacting mixture was found to be below the detection limit, from which it is concluded that the simplest mechanism that provides an entirely adequate quantitative description of the pyrolysis is[Formula: see text]