The oxalate ester and hydrogen peroxide react, sometimes with the help of a catalyst, to form a peroxyacid ester and phenol. - The peroxyacid ester decomposes to form more phenol and carbon ...

Gray's enthusiasm shines in Reactions.Take the humble glow stick, which mixes two precursors to generate a peroxyacid ester that jolts a dye into emitting light.

In 1899, German chemists Adolf von Baeyer and Victor Villiger discovered a reaction of a ketone and peroxyacid to form an ester. The reaction is widely used in research and industrially—to ...