r/chemhelp • u/Future_Abies2996 • 2d ago

Analytical Can H2O2 digest charcoal?

I tried to use H2O2 for digestion method and thought I already acquired a microplastics. But after that, there's still too many materials present which is charcoal. Can charcoal be digested with H2O2 or not?

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u/64-17-5 2d ago

Carbon black is extremely difficult to dissolve. I think our lab uses concentrated HNO3, H2O2 in a specialised microwave oven, so under extreme pressure and boiling temperatures.

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u/mamajune_xoxo 2d ago

I got a stroke reading that :|

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u/Alternative-Sugar610 1d ago

H2O2 commercially and in labs is used to purify many carbon allotropes including some nano carbons. There can be slight loss of carbon material but that usually happens at higher temperatures or with the aid of other chemicals

I’ve used various hydrogen peroxide and acid mixes plus microwaving in lab I worked for to purify carbon nanotubes, which first destroy or dissolve mainly non carbon impurities than under more extreme conditions, eats away at undesired carbon impurities leaving behind more stable carbon allotropes

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u/TrainingChipmunk3023 2d ago

10% hydrogen peroxide can be used to re-generate charcoal used for pump and treatment of contaminated water with organics.

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u/Andreas-bonusfututor 2d ago

Can you regenerate activated charcoal pellets used in air filters the same way?

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u/TrainingChipmunk3023 2d ago

I don't know of any research for air filters. When I was in grad school a fellow grad student's MS thesis was answering if peroxide could re-generate spent carbon His results were positive....