H2O or H2O2

[JulesH]

Somethings I have been mulling over for a while.

Why does hydrogen and oxygen prefer to be bonded as H2O rather than H2O2?

If I understand Carbonate hardness/alkalinity correctly, it is a measure of the water's ability to resist changes in pH caused by the addition of acid, is that correct?

 

[coralboi56]

Somethings I have been mulling over for a while.

Why does hydrogen and oxygen prefer to be bonded as H2O rather than H2O2?

If I understand Carbonate hardness/alkalinity correctly, it is a measure of the water's ability to resist changes in pH caused by the addition of acid, is that correct?

This is true chemistry question
Oxygen has 6 valence electrons. Hydrogen has 1 valence electron. Oxygen has 2 orbitals (“rings” on which electrons can fit in) and the second orbital can have a maximum of 8 electrons.

An atoms/molecules goal is to be as stable as possible, and this is achieved when all orbitals are filled. It’s why the noble gasses (Helium, Neon, etc. are harder to react with because those elements are already stable). So since Oxygen only needs 2 valence electrons to be stable, it would much rather bond to two Hydrogen atoms to become stable. Atoms will naturally take the path of least resistance to become stable

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Somethings I have been mulling over for a while.

Why does hydrogen and oxygen prefer to be bonded as H2O rather than H2O2?

If I understand Carbonate hardness/alkalinity correctly, it is a measure of the water's ability to resist changes in pH caused by the addition of acid, is that correct?

That's a very complicated question, and I'm not sure what level you want an answer on. Really understanding it requires a lot of background chemistry that would take too much time to explain. Prefer to is also a vague term, and the fact that hydrogen peroxide falls apart on its own is not really a measure of what it prefers to do. O2 and wood prefer to be present as water and carbon dioxide, but that does not mean it happens spontaneously because there is a high activation energy for it to happen. There is less activation energy for hydrogen peroxide to break apart.

As to alkalinity, no, it is not really a measure of resistance to acid, except in a very specific way of measuring it. One can have much higher or much lower resistance to small acid additions while having the same alkalinity.

I explain what alk is here:

Chemistry and the Aquarium: What is Alkalinity?

Randy provides an overview of alkalinity as to why it's important, how it's measured, and how can it be tested.

reefs.com

and here:

Optimal Parameters for a Coral Reef Aquarium: By Randy Holmes-Farley

[note: edited on 5/29/2022 to update the nitrate and phosphate sections with higher recommended levels.] One of the main roles of an aquarist with a coral reef aquarium is to ensure that the conditions are right for their tank inhabitants. There are many different attributes of the aquarium...

www.reef2reef.com

from it:

Alkalinity

Like calcium, many corals also use "alkalinity" to form their skeletons, which are composed primarily of calcium carbonate. It is generally believed that corals take up bicarbonate, convert it into carbonate, and then use that carbonate to form calcium carbonate skeletons. That conversion process is shown as:

HCO3- → CO3-- + H+

Bicarbonate → Carbonate + proton (which is released from the coral)

To ensure that corals have an adequate supply of bicarbonate for calcification, aquarists could just measure bicarbonate directly. Designing a test kit for bicarbonate, however, is somewhat more complicated than for alkalinity. Consequently, the use of alkalinity as a surrogate measure for bicarbonate is deeply entrenched in the reef aquarium hobby.

So, what is alkalinity? Alkalinity in a marine aquarium is simply a measure of the amount of acid (H+) required to reduce the pH to about 4.5, where all bicarbonate is converted into carbonic acid as follows:

HCO3- + H+ → H2CO3

The amount of acid needed is equal to the amount of bicarbonate present, so when performing an alkalinity titration with a test kit, you are “counting†the number of bicarbonate ions present. It is not, however, quite that simple since some other ions also take up acid during the titration. Both borate and carbonate also contribute to the measurement of alkalinity, but the bicarbonate dominates these other ions since they are generally lower in concentration than bicarbonate. So knowing the total alkalinity is akin to, but not exactly the same as, knowing how much bicarbonate is available to corals. In any case, total alkalinity is the standard that aquarists use for this purpose.

Unlike the calcium concentration, it is widely believed that certain organisms calcify more quickly at alkalinity levels higher than those in normal seawater. This result has also been demonstrated in the scientific literature, which has shown that adding bicarbonate to seawater increases the rate of calcification in some corals. Uptake of bicarbonate can consequently become rate limiting in many corals. This may be partly due to the fact that the external bicarbonate concentration is not large to begin with (relative to, for example, the calcium concentration, which is effectively about 5 times higher).

For these reasons, alkalinity maintenance is a critical aspect of coral reef aquarium husbandry. In the absence of supplementation, alkalinity will rapidly drop as corals use up much of what is present in seawater. Water changes are not usually sufficient to maintain alkalinity unless there is very little calcification taking place. Most reef aquarists try to maintain alkalinity at levels at or slightly above those of normal seawater, although exactly what levels different aquarists target depends a bit on the goals of their aquaria.

Interestingly, because some corals may calcify faster at higher alkalinity levels, and because the abiotic (nonbiological) precipitation of calcium carbonate on heaters and pumps also rises as alkalinity rises, the demand for alkalinity (and calcium) rises as the alkalinity rises. So an aquarist generally must dose more calcium and alkalinity EVERY DAY to maintain a higher alkalinity (say, 11 dKH) than to maintain 7 dKH. It is not just a one-time boost that is needed to make up that difference. In fact, calcification gets so slow as the alkalinity drops below 6 dKH that reef aquaria rarely get much below that point, even with no dosing: natural calcification has nearly stopped at that level.

In general, I suggest that aquarists maintain alkalinity between about 7-11 dKH (2.5 and 4 meq/L; 125-200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents). Many aquarists growing SPS corals and using Ultra Low Nutrient Systems (ULNS) have found that the corals suffer from “burnt tips†if the alkalinity is too high or changes too much. It is not at all clear why this is the case, but such aquaria are better served by alkalinity in the 7-8 dKH range.
As mentioned above, alkalinity levels above those in natural seawater increase the abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate on warm objects such as heaters and pump impellers, or sometimes even in sand beds. This precipitation not only wastes calcium and alkalinity that aquarists are carefully adding, but it also increases equipment maintenance requirements and can “damage†a sand bed, hardening it into a chunk of limestone. When elevated alkalinity is driving this precipitation, it can also depress the calcium level. An excessively high alkalinity level can therefore create undesirable consequences.

I suggest that aquarists use a balanced calcium and alkalinity additive system of some sort for routine maintenance. The most popular of these balanced methods include limewater (kalkwasser), calcium carbonate/carbon dioxide reactors, and the two-part/three part additive systems.

For rapid alkalinity corrections, aquarists can simply use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or washing soda (sodium carbonate; baked baking soda) to good effect. The latter raises pH as well as alkalinity while the former has a very small pH lowering effect. Mixtures can also be used, and are what many hobby chemical supply companies sell as “buffersâ€. Most often, sodium carbonate is preferred, however, since most tanks can be helped by a pH boost.

 

[Dan_P]

Somethings I have been mulling over for a while.

Why does hydrogen and oxygen prefer to be bonded as H2O rather than H2O2?

If I understand Carbonate hardness/alkalinity correctly, it is a measure of the water's ability to resist changes in pH caused by the addition of acid, is that correct?

Is your question about hydrogen and oxygen along the lines of why don’t we ever find ponds of hydrogen peroxide on earth?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Is your question about hydrogen and oxygen along the lines of why don’t we ever find ponds of hydrogen peroxide on earth?

Maybe because no one ever looked for one? lol