The Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Solutions by Single Crystals of Silver

Abstract

Measurements of the rate of the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by single crystals of silver showed that the kinetics depended strongly upon the concentration and pH of the hydrogen peroxide solutions ; some mechanisms are proposed to account for the observed kinetics. Even under the conditions causing the least change in the surface during reaction the rate constants were the same for all the orientations examined. During the reaction the surface became covered with a layer, possibly silver oxide, which masked the original orientation of the crystal ; the formation of this layer is the most likely reason for the absence of any orientation dependence.