A new gold-palladium alloy catalyst has been shown by researchers in the US and UK to lead to successful direct production of hydrogen peroxide, it was revealed yesterday (19th February).

The chemical, which is used as a disinfectant and bleach, is currently manufactured through an indirect industrial process which involves sequential hydrogenation and oxidation of anthaquinones.

Catalysts used previously to attempt a more direct synthesis have tended to subsequently decompose the hydrogen peroxide, but scientists at Cardiff University and Lehigh University believe they have the solution.

Graham Hutchings, co-author of the research team based at Cardiff University's Catalyst Institute, told rsc.org: "We can get very high selectivities [greater than 95 per cent], which are now comparable to the indirect process, and that makes a direct process a lot more feasible and viable."

The process works by applying an acid pre-treatment to the carbon support before the gold-palladium alloy nanoparticles are placed on it, thus making smaller metal particles which can block the decomposition reaction.

Mr Hutchings added that most of the mainstream uses of hydrogen peroxide require concentration levels of three to eight per cent, something which could be achieved in small quantities with the new approach.

Sir John Meurig Thomas, Honorary Professor at the Department of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, praised the researchers, describing the discovery as a "big step forward".

And although it is unclear whether the reaction can be scaled up to play a valuable industrial role - it has only been tested for short periods in small-scale experiments - Sir John is optimistic about its prospects.

"It's quite adventitious as to whether a particular breakthrough of this kind will make it to the marketplace, but potentially, I think it should," he told the news provider.

Sources:

Selective catalyst cracks direct peroxide production (19/02/09)
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/February/19020902.asp

Switching Off Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogenation in the Direct Synthesis Process (20/02/09)
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/323/5917/1037