| abstract |
The present invention relates to a photochemical process for the manufacture of hydrogen peroxide wherein a 9,10-phenanthraquinone compound is exposed, in the presence of an effective amount of a hydrogen donor alcohol, to electromagnetic radiation to photoreduce the 9,10-phenanthraquinone compound to the correpsonding dihydro-compound, wherein the dihydro-compound obtained is oxidized to produce hydrogen peroxide and to regenerate the 9,10-phenanthraquinone compound, and characterized in that said 9,10-phenanthraquinone compound is selected from the group of compounds consisting of unsubstituted 9,10-phenanthraquinone and 9,10-phenanthraquinone substituted by one or more members of the class consisting of alkyl groups of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, -CF3, F and -SO3M, M being H or an alkali metal. |