Zinc peroxide
Zinc peroxide is a chemical compound of zinc that appears as a bright yellow powder at room temperature. It was historically used as a surgical antiseptic. More recently zinc peroxide has also been used as an oxidant in explosives and pyrotechnic mixtures. Its properties have been described as a transition between ionic and covalent peroxides.
Preparation and structure
Zinc peroxide can be synthesized through the reaction of zinc chloride and hydrogen peroxide.According to X-ray crystallography, the compound consists of octahedral Zn centers bonded to six distinct peroxide ligands. The overall motif is very similar to that for iron pyrite. The structure, with intact O-O bonds, makes clear that this material is a peroxide, not a dioxide.
Medical Use
The treatment of burrowing ulcers in the abdominal wall with zinc peroxide was first recorded in 1933 and throughout the 1940s ZnO2 was used as a disinfectant in surgical.Zinc peroxide was, however, deemed ineffective against certain bacterial strains, such as Streptococcus viridans, staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, B. proteus, and B. pyocyoneus.