Sodium Hydroxide: NaOH (caustic soda, lye)
Hydrogen Peroxide: HOOH (water with an extra oxygen inserted.
Chemical decomposition: The chemical process by which an unstable substance breaks down into simpler substances.
Hydrogen Peroxide slowly decomposes into Water and Oxygen. 2 H2O2 ---> 2 H2O + O2
Hemoglobin: The protein complex in blood responsible for carrying O2 to the cells of living organisms.
Ion: Any atom or molecule having a positive or negative charge.
Anion: Any atom or molecule carying a negative charge. (HO^-1, hydroxide is an example.)
Dianion: Any molecule carying 2 negative charges, each on a different atom. (1-^O2CCO2^-1, called Oxalate, is an
example.)
Excited state: An atom or molecule in which one or more electrons are kicked up to a higher orbital or energy level.
Energy level: Any of certain fixed levels which electrons can occupy.
Oxidizer: A substance capable of raising another substance to a higher oxidation state. Oxygen, in the presence of
water, will cause Iron to rust. In this reaction Iron is oxidized from the 0 state to the +3 state, while Oxygen is
reduced from the 0 state to the -2 state. The oxidizer is usually called the oxidant, while the other substance is
called the reductant.