 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2018) |
A peroxide-based bleach or simply peroxide bleach is any bleach product that is based on the peroxide chemical group, namely two oxygen atoms connected by a single bond, (–O–O–). This bond is fairly weak and is often broken in chemical reactions of peroxides, giving rise to very reactive oxygen species, which are the active agents of the bleach.
Peroxide-based bleaches became common household products in the late 20th century, being the base of many laundry detergent formulations. Most of these products are adducts of hydrogen peroxide (H
2O
2 or HOOH), that is, solids that contain H
2O
2 trapped in a crystal structure together with another material like sodium carbonate or urea. An exception is sodium perborate, which has a cyclic structure containing two O-O single bonds.
Peroxide bleaches are considered to be eco-friendly cleaning agents, compared to chlorine-based bleaches that might produce organochlorine compounds.