Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer commonly used a disinfectant, antiseptic, oxidizer, and in rocketry as a propellant. It is highly reactive, flammable and corrosive which means that it should be harmful to any living (especially human) tissue. It might be a surprise then that the human body actually produces hydrogen peroxide which however decomposes to water and oxygen gas, and the activation energy for this process is 42 kJ/mol.
1. If the temperature required for this process is 1600°C, what observations would you make considering the fact that the reaction occurs in biological processes?
2. The hydrogen peroxide formed in biological processes is harmful to tissue, but the enzyme catalase catalyzes the decomposition hydrogen peroxide by lowering the activation energy. Assuming the frequency factor is the same for both processes and independent of temperature; calculate activation energy required for the uncatalyzed decomposition to proceed at the same rate as the enzyme-catalyzed decomposition at 98.6°F (normal human body temperature).