Why is H²O harmless, but H²O²(hydrogen peroxide) very lethal? How does the addition of a single oxygen atom bring such a huge change?

Question

Why is H²O harmless, but H²O²(hydrogen peroxide) very lethal? How does the addition of a single oxygen atom bring such a huge change?

In: 7667

Answer 1

A single atom can, on its own, be very reactive. This is very true for oxygen atoms. Add that to an otherwise inert molecule, and you have a sort of carrier for the reactive atom.