Sodium perborate

Sodium perborate (PBS), also called perboric acid or metaborate peroxyhydrate, is a white, odorless, water-soluble chemical compoundwith chemical formulaNa{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then=_{{{1}}}}}BO{{{else{{{test|}}}|{{{test{{{test|}}}|{{{then|}}}}}}}}}}|then=_{{{1}}}|}}₃. It crystallizes as monohydrateor tetrahydrate. Sodium perborate is manufactured by reaction of sodium tetraborate, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium hydroxide. It is a skin irritant.

Image:Perborate dimer.png Unlike percarbonate and perphosphate, perborate is not just an addition compoundof peroxide, but contains true peroxygen bonds. This makes the material more stable, safer for handling and storage. The monohydrate form dissolves better than the tetrahydrate and has higher heat stability; it is prepared by heating the tetrahydrate.

Sodium perborate undergoes hydrolysisin contact with water, producing hydrogen peroxideand borate. It serves as a source of active oxygenin many detergents, laundry detergents, cleaning products, and laundry bleaches. It is also present in some tooth bleachingformulas. It has antisepticproperties and can act as a disinfectant.

Sodium perborate is a less aggressive bleach than sodium hypochlorite, causing less degradation to dyesand textiles. Borates also have some non-oxidative bleaching properties.

Sodium perborate releases oxygen rapidly at temperatures over 60 °C. To make it active at lower temperatures (40-60 °C), it has to be mixed with a suitable activator, typically tetraacetylethylenediamine(TAED).

Due to the environmental impact of waste borates, sodium perborate is increasingly being replaced in some applications with sodium percarbonate.

See also

• Sodium percarbonate
• Sodium perphosphate
• Persil

External links

• Borax Detergent Book: Bleaching
• National Pollutant Inventory - Boron and compounds
• Sodium perborate history, image

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium+perborate Wikipedia article Sodium perborate.