To All:

apologize: Just only to inform about that fact that the same question has been posted by Rebecka Ringman second time at:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_I_store_wood_samples_in_the_freezer_if_I_want_to_look_at_hydrogen_peroxide_content

ANSWERS/REPLIES (recommended) please only to post there

best, Wolfgang

Rebeca,

maybe - 80 oC is a satisfactory temperature to keep your samples containing H2O2 stabile. The problem might be the trace content of organic and inorganic moieties of Fe, Mn, Cr, V... in various oxidation degrees. These metals and their salts and oxides cause catalytic decoposition of H2O2.

Another problem is preparation of the sample itself /I am sorry, I dont know history of your samples...and thus the following text is probably not necessary/. If your sample is prepared at ambient temperature, part of trace amounts of H2O2 in wood may decompose due to increase in the local temperature in the contact area between the applied tool and wood. From this reason the preparation of the samples should be done at deep sub-zero temperatures, too. The preferential method could be splitting fof the thin slides from wood peces cooled on -80 oC.

When having the wood slides prepared, you can perform the following experiments:

1. Store small amount of your sample at ambient temperature, maybe for several days.

2. Keep another identic sample at -80 oC for the same time.

3. Determine H2O2 in both samples.

If there is a significant difference in H2O2 contents between the samples, the temperature of -80 oC prevents decomposition of peroxide.

To be sure that -80 oC is really sufficient to protect peroxide in long term storing, make several H2O2 determinations, e.g. after 2, 6, 10 and 14... days. If there is not any change or only a slight one, your idea is OK.

Good luck,

R.S.

Thank you Rastislav!