H?O? is a strong oxidizer that is used to degrade a variety of compounds. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy is a measurement technique that correlates the amount of UV light a substance absorbs with its concentration.
The above is background information, and the information below is the abstract of a scientific paper. Identify the hypothesis.
Pharmaceuticals have been detected in wastewaters worldwide and have the potential to harm both aquatic and human life. Traditional water treatment technologies are unable to remove these compounds from water, so various methods have been developed to degrade these compounds, including oxidation. In this paper, H?O? is proposed to oxidatively degrade the anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen when it is dissolved in water. UV-Vis spectroscopy is used to measure the concentration of naproxen in water after samples are treated with hydrogen peroxide (H?O?). Experiments were conducted to test the influence of H?O? concentration, reaction time, and temperature on the degradation of naproxen. The results showed that 98% of naproxen could be degraded by 0.25 M H?O? within 2 hours at 30 oC. Thus, we can conclude that hydrogen peroxide can be used to degrade naproxen in wastewaters.
What is the the hypothesis proposed in the experiment above?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation based on prior knowledge that can be tested. In this case, it is proposed that H₂O₂ can be used to oxidatively degrade naproxen, based on the fact that pharmaceuticals can be degraded by oxidation. Thus, the authors conducted experiments to test whether or not hydrogen peroxide could degrade naproxen. They reached the conclusion that, if appropriate experimental conditions are used, H₂O₂ can degrade naproxen.

H?O? Is a Strong Oxidizer That Is Used to Degrade