Barium peroxide

Barium peroxide is an inorganic compound with formula BaO₂. It acts as an oxidizer and was historically used to produce hydrogen peroxide and oxygen.

Peroxide: A peroxide is a compound containing an oxygen–oxygen single bond, commonly in the peroxide ion O₂²⁻. BaO₂ contains the peroxide ion, whose O–O bond distinguishes it from ordinary metal oxides.
Alexander von Humboldt: Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian naturalist and explorer who studied chemistry, geology, and the natural world. Humboldt and Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac discovered hydrogen peroxide through experiments involving barium peroxide.
Oxygen candle: An oxygen candle is a chemical oxygen generator that releases oxygen through a controlled decomposition reaction. Barium peroxide has served as an oxygen-releasing material in chemical oxygen-generation systems.
Barium: Barium is a soft, reactive alkaline-earth metal with atomic number 56. Barium supplies the metal cation in barium peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is a compound with formula H₂O₂ and a reactive oxygen–oxygen bond. Acid treatment of barium peroxide produces this historically important peroxide.
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac: Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac was a French chemist known for research on gases and chemical combination. His work with Humboldt established an early route from barium peroxide to hydrogen peroxide.
Chemical oxygen generator: A chemical oxygen generator produces oxygen through reactions among stored chemical substances. The compound's ability to release oxygen connects it to this broader class of devices.
Peroxide ion: The peroxide ion is the dianion O₂²⁻, consisting of two oxygen atoms joined by a single bond. This dianion combines with Ba²⁺ to give the compound's formula BaO₂.
Barium hydroxide: Barium hydroxide is an alkaline compound with formula Ba(OH)₂. Water converts barium peroxide into barium hydroxide while releasing oxygen.
Louis Jacques Thénard: Louis Jacques Thénard was a French chemist whose work included the discovery of hydrogen peroxide. Thénard developed the acid-treatment method that made hydrogen peroxide from barium peroxide.

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Sodium peroxideRelated: It shares peroxide chemistry while replacing sodium with a heavier alkaline-earth metal.