How do you convert hydrogen peroxide to potable water and oxygen using
only commonly found household chemicals?

This may be of some assistance:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide#Decomposition

Boil.

I think the article implies that you can mix Borax with peroxide to
make water, but what do I know?

It also decomposes to oxygen and water in light but that is slow.
Also, catalase is an enzyme (catalyst) which breaks down hydrogen
peroxide into tehse chemicals; it is present in potatoes. The smaller
the pieces of potato, the larger surface area so teh faster the
rate/the reactants converted to products.

OK Let's speak in English...

So you say that you can slice some potatoes, place them in a vat of
peroxide under some sunlight, I will have some water to drink?

yes, the potatoe thing should work; but there is an easier way, simply
boil the hydrogen peroxide on a hotplate and distill... BAM you got
yourself some water

There are several options:
1) Heat
2) Add a reduced form of a metalic cation (Fe2+)
3) Add an enzime (catalasa), found in fresh liver, fresh tomato...


I sugest you an experiment: take 3 tomatoes, one fresh, one opened 3
days ago (keept in the fridge, of course) and an italian dried tomato.
Put each one in a flask containg hidrogen peroxide (3 flasks).

While I have done the potato experiment in my biology class, I suggest
you rethink your actions for the following reasons:
1) H2O2 that you get in your pharmacy is actually 3% H2O2 and 97% H2O
2) It is so in the above reason because a consumption or the topical
use of more pure H2O2 would be considered a health hazard. While H2O2
is used for mouthwashing it is suggested you spit it out after done,
because the abovementioned reaction is not reccomended to take place
in your stomach.
3) Why would you want to convert H2O2 to water? If you want some cool
biology or kitchen chemistry experiments, then say so!
4) I would recommend against testing the products in a chemical
reaction with your tongue. While the reaction of a slice of potato
with 3% H2O2 should not considerably change the potato chemically and
should not introduce side effect chemicals into what should become
pure H2O, this assumption is mostly not true for chemical reactions.

5) Now, that I have scared you, you should definatively be interested
in kitchen science, biological and chemical experiments. If you are so
interested, I could provide a few books and ideas.

A hydrogen peroxide solution will decompose in the presence of metal,
such as a nail or penny. The rate will depend on the concentration,
very concentrated peroxide can be explosive, household (6%) might be
very slow. Try adding some table salt to start a bit of corrosion on
the metal, see if the bubbling increases.

If you can obtain manganese dioxide, combine small ammounts of
manganese dioxide with hydrogen peroxide. Don't heat or freeze the
mixture because the catalyst functions best at around room
temperature. This is a common high school lab.

Now, a problem arises when you have to extract the manganese dioxide.
I think that you might be able to boil the mixture and collect the
water vapor. Once you collect the vapor, cool it. This should make
water. I'm not sure thou. Maybe you can leave the mixture to settle
and wait for the manganese dioxide to sink to the bottom. However, the
manganese dioxide still might find its way into the water after you
remove it.

Overall, making it is easy, extracting it isnt.

eestudent-ga   i'd like the names of those books