Hydrogen and oxygen isotope values in hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is a widely used oxidizer with many commercial applications; unfortunately, it also has terrorist-related uses. We analyzed 97 hydrogen peroxide solutions representing four grades purchased across the United States and in Mexico. As expected, the range of hydrogen (δ(2)H, 230‰) and oxygen (δ(18)O, 24‰) isotope values of the H(2)O(2) solutions was large, reflecting the broad isotopic range of dilution waters. This resulted in predictable linear relationships of δ(2)H and δ(18)O values of H(2)O(2) solutions that were near parallel to the Meteoric Water Line (MWL), offset by the concentration of H(2)O(2) in the solution. By grade, dilute (3 to 35%) H(2)O(2) solutions were not statistically different in slope. Although the δ(2)H values of manufactured H(2)O(2) could be different from those of water, rapid H(2)O(2)-H(2)O exchange of H atoms eliminated any distinct isotope signal. We developed a method to measure the δ(18)O value of H(2)O(2) independent of dilution water by directly measuring O(2) gas generated from a catalase-induced disproportionation reaction. We predicted that the δ(18)O values of H(2)O(2) would be similar to that of atmospheric oxygen (+23.5‰), the predominant source of oxygen in the most common H(2)O(2) manufacturing process (median disproportionated δ(18)O=23.8‰). The predictable H-O relationships in H(2)O(2) solutions make it possible to distinguish commercial dilutions from clandestine concentration practices. Future applications of this work include synthesis studies that investigate the chemical link between H(2)O(2) reagents and peroxide-based explosive products, which may assist law enforcement in criminal investigations.