Laboratory Method for Obtaining Anhydrous Hydrogen Peroxide and Safety Rules for Handling It

Hydrogen peroxide is a valuable reagent that is produced on an industrial scale. However, the concentration of commercially available H2O2 does not exceed 70 wt % and usually contains stabilizers that prevent the decomposition of aqueous solutions of H2O2 during storage and transportation. At the same time, there are processes and reactions that require small quantities of pure, anhydrous hydrogen peroxide. This paper describes a two-stage method for producing anhydrous hydrogen peroxide in the laboratory. Distillation of an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide in the first stage allows to obtain pure diluted H2O2. Subsequent distillation of water under vacuum allows to obtain highly concentrated or anhydrous H2O2 in quantities sufficient for laboratory use. This approach is safe only if certain rules are strictly followed when working with concentrated hydrogen peroxide.