This is made possible through its reaction with ferrous ion. What is the reaction involved? What is the role of hydrogen peroxide in this reaction?
This is called Haber reaction Fe2+ + H2O2 Fe3+ + OH- + .OH
Iron forms two common oxidation states: ferrous (+2) and ferric (+3). Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizing agent, so it will oxidize ferrous iron to ferric iron. In acidic solution, the reaction is: 2Fe2+ + H2O2 + 2H+ ----- 2Fe3+ + 2H2O I am actually a bit surprised by this use, as most iron ore contains ferric iron (as hematite), so the iron would need to be reduced during the analysis prior to this reaction.
