[MangoPlant]

Hi all, "Piranha Solution" is a solution of 3:1 solution of sulfuric acid to 30% hydrogen peroxide. It is often used to clean glassware and remove organic contaminants from samples. I know the hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizing agent (which I assume it oxidizes the organic contaminants from glassware), but what does the sulfuric acid do?

[Irlanur]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peroxymonosulfuric_acid

[billnotgatez]

This is another link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha_solution
Piranha solution

[MangoPlant]

So do you think that using Piranha solution would be a good source of oxygen radicals? I have a solid sample that I would like to expose to oxygen radicals and am thinking of ways I could generate oxygen radicals besides using UV/Ozone. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[Borek]

Adding Piranha solution to an organic sample is a disaster waiting to happen.

[curiouscat]

Adding Piranha solution to an organic sample is a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm not sure if there will be any "wait". 

[thelastone]

Hi all, "Piranha Solution" is a solution of 3:1 solution of sulfuric acid to 30% hydrogen peroxide. It is often used to clean glassware and remove organic contaminants from samples. I know the hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizing agent (which I assume it oxidizes the organic contaminants from glassware), but what does the sulfuric acid do?

Sulfuric acid is a booster of hydrogen peroxide, allowing it to dissolve elemental carbon.

To give an example of how it empowers the reaction and a practical use, I used to analyze copper solutions which had a strong blue colorant: the piranha solution destroyed all the colorant allowing me to analyze iodometrically the copper.

Without the peroxide I wouldn't be able to see the colour changes in the process.