EM Quant^R Peroxide Test, 0.5ppm to 25ppm

Note: The following instructions come from Galade Chemical, a distributor of the above product, and the authors of Water Testing Blog present them ‘as is’, with no expressed or implied guarantees of accuracy.

Volatile Ethers

Immerse a test strip for approximately 1 second in the solvent being tested and allow to evaporate.

Breathe on the reaction zone 4 times for 3-5 seconds each time. Alternatively, immerse briefly in distilled water.

Compare the reaction zone with the color scale.

Low Volatility Ethers

A. Immiscible with water.

Mix a sample of the ether to be tested with 3 times its volume of peroxide-free ether or petroleum benzine (boiling range 40-60°C).

Test as described under “Volatile ethers.”

Record the value indicated on the scale and multiply by 4.

B. Miscible with water

Mix a sample of the ether to be tested with 3 times its volume of distilled water.

Immerse a test strip for approximately 1 second.

Wait 2 minutes and compare with the color scale.

Convert the results as under “Conversion.”

Conversion

Allowing for dilution, 3mg/l on the color scale is equivalent to:

90mg/l tetrahydrofuran peroxide or 30mg/l peroxide calculated as H2O2

150mg/l dioxan peroxide or 45mg/l peroxide calculated as H2O2.

Peroxides formed in/over organic solvents can lead to very dangerous, explosive situations and although we will now discuss (briefly) a testing method for peroxides in organic solvents, we suggest that all parties concerned over such matters consult with the manufacturer(s) of their chemicals for better, more detailed testing, storage and safety information.

For hydroperoxide determination in organic solvents, moisten the test pad of the WaterWorks^TM Peroxide Check test strip with the solvent. Allow the solvent to evaporate and dry. Moisten the test pad with a drop of distilled water. The formation of a blue tint or color on the test pad indicates the presence of hydroperoxide.

The above test procedure provides qualitative results, not quantitative results, and serves as a presence/absence testing method only.

In areas where water does not freely fall from the sky at produce growers’ commands, long lines of pipe and hose run deep into the hearts of crop fields so that all the plants may drink… water.

For the most part, all fruits and vegetables sprout up from, and spend most of their life in and around dirt, mud, dust and soil — until they get picked and thrown in bins for ‘processing’. At that point they get washed off with… water mixed with various sanitizers/disinfectants such as ozone, chlorine, chlorine dioxide and quaternary ammonia.

Then, once the produce reaches a packing house, and before the fruits and vegetables get chopped, sliced, diced, cubed, quartered and/or canned, they get thoroughly washed with… water containing sanitizers/disinfectants and then rinsed one more time with pure… water so that they have no traces of the potentially harmful (if ingested) sanitizers/disinfectants left on them.

So there you have it, folks. Water plays an integral part of the produce life cycle. Therefore, do you not think it important to monitor the quality of the water used to clean, rinse and process your produce?

So What Parameters Typically Get Tested?

Total Hardness — Very important for any farming or agricultural activity where water gets distributed via some sort of irrigation/watering system. High hardness levels can lead to deposits forming in the nozzles and over time the nozzles may become completely clogged. Find total hardness test strips

pH — Some folks question the importance of monitoring pH but ask people who grow grapes used for the production of wine and you’ll discover that variances in pH affect the taste of a grape dramatically… and that changes the taste and drinkability of the wine. Find pH test strips

Sanitizers/Disinfectants — At the washing stage produce handlers test their water to make sure it contains enough sanitizers/disinfectants. Then, at the rinsing stage, they test their water again to make certain the produce does not have any sanitizer/disinfectant residual on it. The presence of leftover chemical cleaning agents on the produce would lead to premature spoiling. Find chlorine test strips, ozone test strips, chlorine dioxide test strips and peroxide test strips.

• sanitizer/disinfectant in a potable water systems, medical facilities, food processing facilities

• Cleansing agent in silicon wafer manufacturing facilities

• Part of a cyanide in water destruction system

• Sanitizer in a swimming pool or hot tub

Peroxide Test Strips 0.5ppm to 100ppm

In each of these applications the concentration of peroxide matters. Therefore anyone using peroxide as a disinfectant/sanitizer typically needs to measure its concentration.

Testing for Peroxide in Water?

Depending on one’s application, one of the following products ought to work quite well: Peroxide Check, Peroxide Check Low Range or Peroxide Check High Range.

Combined, all three products allow users to accurately detect peroxide concentrations as low as 0.05 ppm and as high as 30,000 ppm (3% solution).

Testing for Peroxide in Organic Solvents?

Due to the potentially volatile nature of some organic solvents, laboratory personnel must check certain organic solvents such as ethers, cyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol, styrene, and others for the presenece of peroxides.

These compounds can form dangerously high levels of peroxides when exposed to various naturally occurring elements such as light, heat, or the introduction of a contaminant. High levels of organic peroxides create a dangerous situation because even the slightest change in heat, vibration and/or friction can trigger an explosion. (See this Peroxide Formation Information Page for more information on the hazards associated with the formation of peroxides in organic solvents.)

Typical chemical indicators/compounds that work in aqueous environments (water) often come from organic solvents, thus making them water insoluble and useful for testing in water. If those same indicators find themselves in placed back into organic solvents, they will, as a general rule, go back into solution.

Procedures for peroxide testing in organic solvents do exist, but for legal & safety reasons we cannot list them.