[Mikedknhenry]

Hi all I work in pgm refining and we had an incident the other day. Someone pumped Hydrazine into a hydrogen peroxide tank. What was going on chemically?

[discodermolide]

What did they get? A new space shuttle? Whatever it must have been quite spectacular to see!

Try Googling hydrazine and hydrogen peroxide either together or separately and see if you can fathom it out.

[Enthalpy]

Both are known rocket propellants. Both are known to ignite by contact with the proper partner, but not necessarily fast enough (few milliseconds) together.

They aren't used together in any rocket I know - this would cumulate distinct sources of danger.

Rocket designers try hard to eradicate both, because they're so dangerous. Liquid oxygen is more efficient, less dangerous, easier to handle than peroxide. Kerosene is safe and about as good as hydrazine.