What Is Potassium Peroxide?
Potassium peroxide is a peroxide of potassium.
It is generally synthesized by blowing oxygen into metallic potassium dissolved in liquid ammonia at -50°C until the solution turns from dark blue to colorless.
It exists in an orange powder state and is characterized by the generation of oxygen upon heating.
Uses of Potassium Peroxide
Potassium peroxide is mainly used as a bleaching agent, oxidizing agent, and in oxygen-producing gas masks.
Among bleaching agents, it is classified as an oxygen bleach.
Other oxygen bleaches include sodium percarbonate and hydrogen peroxide, which do not bleach dyes and can be used on a relatively wide range of items.
Potassium peroxide, however, is an alkali metal peroxide and is known to generate large amounts of oxygen through an exothermic reaction with water, making it prone to explosions and other problems that require caution.