Subject - Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry

Saline peroxides contain ${\text{O}}_2^{2-}$-anions. The most important are the peroxides of the alkali and alkaline earth metals. (Examples: ${\text{Na}}_2{\text{O}}_2$, $\text{Ba}{\text{O}}_2$). These compounds tend to explode by contact with organic materials. With water they decompose generating hydrogen peroxide $\text{H}\text{O}\text{O}\text{H}$.

In peroxo complexes, ${\text{O}}_2^{2-}$ acts as a ligand. These are dioxometal cyclic compounds, i.e. three-membered rings containing two oxygen and one metal atom as well as multicycle complexes bridged by -$\text{O}-\text{O}$-.

Covalently bound peroxides have the general formula $\text{X}-\text{O}-\text{O}-\text{Y}$ and easily decompose into radicals. Aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide are being used as bleaching or oxidizing agent. $\text{Cl}\text{O}\text{O}\text{Cl}$ is a key factor in ozone depletion of stratospheric ice clouds (ozone hole process). Organic peroxides, such as di-tert-butylperoxide ${\left(\text{C}{\text{H}}_3\right)}_3\text{C}-\text{O}-\text{O}-\text{C}{\left(\text{C}{\text{H}}_3\right)}_3$ and dibenzoylperoxide ${\text{C}}_6{\text{H}}_5-\text{C}\text{O}-\text{O}-\text{O}-\text{C}\text{O}-{\text{C}}_6{\text{H}}_5$ are used as initiators in radical polymerizations. Peroxides are unwanted by-poducts during the autoxidation of organic compounds.