The use of hydrogen peroxide has sky-rocketed ever since the introduction of food-grade and 3% hydrogen peroxide concentrations. Already used for a variety of purposes around the house, it is one of the most used chemicals around the world.
The uses of hydrogen peroxide range from industrial to domestic, and everything in between. Some of the most common uses of hydrogen peroxide are as a bleaching agent, and oxidizing agent, just to name a few.
With the large-scale production of lower concentrations, it is now also incorporated in food storage. But for every experiment, the first thing you should know is if the chemical is acidic or basic, and that’s what we’re here to find out.
Is Hydrogen Peroxide an Acid?
Hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid. If you’re wondering what a weak acid and what is the differences in strength of acids are, we got your back. The strength of an acid is determined by the polarity between the hydrogen atom and the rest of the molecule.
If there is less polarity between both atoms, the acid will be termed a weak acid due to its inability to release the hydrogen ions when placed in a solution. In contrast, strong acids are acids that can dissociate completely. Dissociation means the splitting of both atoms in a solution.
Another way to understand if acid is weak or strong is through its Ka (Acid Dissociation Constant) or pH, but we’ll touch on that shortly.
Now, what does it mean if hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid? Well, first off, it has a higher pH meaning it is not as corrosive as a strong acid such as hydrochloric acid, which can corrode through almost anything.
Secondly, reactions done with hydrogen peroxide may produce different results as compared to stronger acids. Lastly, weak acids taste sour, can burn the nostrils if smelled, and you may feel a sticky texture on the touch.
How Can You Check It Yourself?
Now that you know about the strength of hydrogen peroxide, let’s talk about how you can test it out yourself. We realize individuals may require pH tests for a number of reasons, especially when diluting concentrations in the lab or anywhere else. These methods should hopefully bridge that gap and provide easy testing.
The pH Scale
There are two types of tests that we’ll mention for you today. The first is the pH scale which is much more specific in nature and can give you a rough quantitative assessment of the pH of a solution.
The basis behind this test is that you put a few drops of indicator into your solution, and depending on the color change, you can gauge the pH of your solution. Matching the color of the solution after the indicator is added to a color chart should give you a reasonable estimate of the pH.
Indicators are chemical substances that give visible signs, usually by color change, to detect the presence of a certain chemical species. Some common types of indicators are phenolphthalein, methyl orange, methyl blue, and litmus which we’ll be talking about next.
Performing the Litmus Test
We mentioned two types of tests, and the second one is done by using litmus paper as an indicator. This is an extremely simple procedure but is simply qualitative as is it only tells you if a solution is acidic or basic without any gauge of the exact pH.
In this method, you simply dip a litmus paper in your solution. Litmus comes from certain species of lichens, so, on exposure to an acidic medium, it turns red, while in an alkaline medium, the paper will turn blue.
Is Hydrogen Peroxide More Acidic Than Water?
Even though it is a weak acid, hydrogen peroxide is definitely more acidic than water. This is because water has a neutral pH of around seven while hydrogen peroxide sits at 4.5.
This makes hydrogen peroxide more acidic than water naturally, meaning it should not be ingested or substituted for water under any conditions.
How Does Its Chemical Nature Assist With Its Utility?
We talked about the usefulness of hydrogen peroxide at the beginning of the article. Want to know how that works? How do these properties make hydrogen peroxide an amazing bleaching agent? We’ll tell you!
Due to its low pH, hydrogen peroxide creates a medium too acidic for most bacteria to survive. By removing bacteria, hydrogen peroxide stops the growth and spread of bacterial infections.
The property of being a bleaching agent also stems from its low pH. Acids are known to be corrosive, meaning they can strip layer after layer of any material.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Neutralization Reactions – The Benefits
Every acid can be used as a neutralizing agent to neutralize reactions containing a base. Being a powerful oxidizing agent, you can use hydrogen peroxide to neutralize various reducing agents. This takes place naturally in the body and can be done in a controlled environment as well.
The Bottom Line
Hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid but still an acid at that. Having various properties attributed to its low pH, such as bleaching and being antimicrobial, it can be said with confidence that it falls into the category of acids.
You can test the pH of your hydrogen peroxide solution any time at home using a litmus test or pH scale, depending on your requirements. So, order your set of hydrogen peroxide bottles today!
