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Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical that is becoming increasingly fashionable as an oxidant, both in industry and in academia and whose production is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. This growth in interest is largely due to environmental considerations related to the clean nature of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant, its by-product being only water. To date this chemical has largely been employed as a non-selective oxidant in operations like the bleaching of paper, cellulose and textiles, or in the formulation of detergents, and only to a minimal extent in the manufacture of organic chemicals. This book has been organized to cover the different aspects of the chemistry of hydrogen peroxide. The various chapters into which the book is divided have been written critically by the authors with the general aim of stimulating new ideas and emphasizing those aspects that are likely to lead to new developments in organic synthesis in the coming future.

Simple, but beautifully versatile. Perhaps not a description many would choose for hydrogen peroxide, but an accurate one none the less, and this unique book explains the reasons behind the description. Beginning with an historical overview, and guidelines for the safe handling of peroxygens, Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide and Derivatives goes on to cover key activation mechanisms, organic functional group oxidations and the use of hydrogen peroxide with heterogeneous catalysts. The clean-up of environmental pollutants; chemical purification; and extraction of metals from their ores are also discussed in detail, using actual examples from industry. The versatility of this reagent may well prove to be a key to integrated pollution control in the future. This book should therefore be read by academics and industrialists at all levels, to encourage wider applications of the use of hydrogen peroxide in laboratories.