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effect the oxidation of many substances directly, such as formic 
aldehvde and sulfurous acid, without the intervention of an oxvgen 
carrier. It is also a matter of common observation that its decom- 
position into water and molecular oxygen is greatly accelerated by 
various catalysts, such as spongy platinum, lead peroxide, manganese 
dioxide, etc., and also that its oxidizing powers are greatly increased 
by these same substances. It has also been established through 
the researches of Schoenbein ( 383 ) and through some observations 
of Loevenhart and Kastle ( 275 ) that, with but few exceptions, those 
substances which can bring about the decomposition of hydrogen 
peroxide catalytically can also greatly increase its oxidizing power; 
and in proportion as a substance is able to decompose the peroxide, 
so also can it accelerate oxidations by this substance to a correspond- 
ing degree. A good catalyst has been found to be a good oxygen 
carrier and, vice versa, a poor catalyst is a poor carrier. Finely 
divided platinum decomposes hydrogen peroxide very rapidly; it 
has been found also to be a powerful oxygen carrier. On the other 
hand; sugar charcoal decomposes hydrogen peroxide very slowly; 
it is a very poor oxygen carrier. It is evident, therefore, that oxida- 
tion by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a carrier and its catalytic 
decomposition go often, if not always, hand in hand, so that the 
latter process, as has been pointed out by Spitzer ( 407 ), is often a 
measure of the former. It would seem, therefore, that all of these 
phenomena, widely differing as they appear at first sight, are in 
reality closely correlated and referable to a common cause, namely, 
the tendency on the part of the hydrogen peroxide to unite directly 
with oxidizable substances, forming thereby either a peroxide or 
some other complex unstable holoxide derivative which tends to 
part with its oxygen more easily than the hydrogen peroxide itself. 
This derivative, therefore, readily oxidizes some other substance to 
which one of its compounds stands in the relation of an oxygen car- 
rier, or it gives up molecular oxygen, or both. 
It is important for this assumption, of course, that such higher 
oxides and unstable addition-products of lrcdrogen peroxide with 
other substances should actually exist. In reality, we have abundant 
proof of their existence. In fact, as may be seen from the following, 
many such compounds are known. Thus in 1878, Schone ( 38S , 389 ) 
isolated a number of compounds of hydrogen peroxide with the alka- 
lis and alkaline earths, such as the following: 
Ba0 9 .H 9 0 2 , or H 2 Ba0 4 ; 
K 2 0 2 .2H 9 0 9 , or TI 4 K 2 0 6 ; 
Na 2 0 9 .2H 2 0 2 , or H 4 Na 9 0 6 . 
All of these compounds were found by this observer to be very 
unstable and are obtainable in a state of purity only at very low 
