Sciencemadness Discussion Board

from sodium oxide to sodium peroxide ?

KonkreteRocketry - 25-3-2013 at 10:05

sodium carbonate can be heated to 851°C, producing carbon dioxide and sodium oxide.

Ok i got like few gram of sodium oxide, how can i make it into a peroxide now ? I know the reaction is simple, 2 Na2O + O2 → 2 Na2O2

but how shall that happen ? isnt there already oxygen in the air, so if i powder it and keep it in open air will it become peroxide eventually ? or shall i heat it ?

kristofvagyok - 25-3-2013 at 11:15

Quote: Originally posted by KonkreteRocketry  
isnt there already oxygen in the air, so if i powder it and keep it in open air will it become peroxide eventually ? or shall i heat it ?

Air also contins water and CO2 what both react with sodium-oxide, forming sodium-hydroxide and sodium-carbonate.

So no, it won't work if you put it out on the table and wait.

With dry, pure oxygen and a little heat (100-250Celsius) it could turn into sodium-peroxide what is a yellowish powder.

turd - 25-3-2013 at 13:39

Quote: Originally posted by KonkreteRocketry  
sodium carbonate can be heated to 851°C, producing carbon dioxide and sodium oxide.

Not really: http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=21167
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/j150524a011

It's probably CaCO3 which you're thinking about - the latter decomposes to CaO at ~850°C.