ssrnightingale

Yes, I'm using the phthalate buffer to get the ph to 4. The thing is, my research tells me that hydrogen peroxide is more stable in more acidic conditions- hence why I'm so confused. Wouldn't O2 be one of those with an instantaneous dipole? I'm conducting my experiment in a 20C water bath, so I'm trying to control the temperature, and though it is an exothermic reaction, very little heat is actually being released.

Equation: 2 H2O2 -> 2 H2O + O2 I'm using manganese dioxide as my catalyst, and I'm injecting my Hydrogen Peroxide. I think I'll try that tomorrow, but due to time constraints I can't really do much investigation into the matter.

So, as an A level chemistry student, I'm conducting an experiment into the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, using manganese dioxide. I'm currently investigating the pH, and I have some very confusing results which I don't actually have any explanation for as of yet. Hydrogen peroxide is supposedly more stable at lower pHs, yet at pH 4, (with a phthalate buffer) more gas is being produced and at a quicker rate than at pH 6. Can anybody help me and help me explain this?