View source for Ammonium persulfate

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{{Chem infobox
|align=right
|image=
|width=350px
|molname=Ammonium Persulfate
|synonyms= Ammonium Peroxydisulfate; Peroxydisulfuric Acid, Diammonium Salt; Diammonium peroxydisulfate 
|molformula= (NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub> 
|molmass= 228.2
|uses=polymerization initiator, decontamination
|properties=radical initiator, oxidizer
|hazards= strong oxidizer, burns
|iupac= see chemistry section
|casnumber= 7727-54-0
}}

'''Ammonium persulfate''' is a very strong oxidizer used for industrial cleaning and decontamination, as well as a strong [[radical initiator]] often used to promote polymerization reactions. Its oxidation potential, at 2.1 V, is only slightly weaker than [[ozone]] (O<sub>3</sub><sup>2</sup><sup>-</sup>, 2.2) but stronger than both [[hydrogen peroxide]] (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, 1.8 V) and [[permanganate]] (MnO<sub>4</sub>, 1.7V). It is also widely used in [[polyacrylamide]] gel [[electrophoresis]] (PAGE) within biochemistry labs. The persulfate radical is particularly stable relative to many other radicals, and it is often stabilized even more by the addition of [[tetramethylethylenediamine]] (TEMED).