Patent ID: 8182715

Claim:
A chemical combination of constituents, for reacting to generate a biocidal intermediate, for use in disinfecting and sterilizing inert objects, said constituents comprising: a liquid solvent constituent comprising an aqueous solution such as water or water solutions having the capacity to function as a source of steam, said liquid solvent being in a range of between about 0.22 mole and about 33.3 moles; a chemical oxidant constituent having the capacity to liberate a biocidal intermediate, said chemical oxidant being in a range of between about 0.003 mole and about 2.1 moles; a chemical reductant constituent having the capacity to reduce said chemical oxidant, said chemical reductant being in a range of between about 0.003 mole and about 1.0 mole; an electron-transfer effector compound constituent in a range of between about 0.0012 mole and about 0.25 mole inducing electron-transfer reaction chemistry between said chemical oxidant and said chemical reductant in order to cause said chemical oxidant to liberate a biocidal intermediate, said effector being a reducing sugar parent compound, with the proviso that said effector excludes the acid form of the parent compound, such that the effector does not contribute protons for allowing a reaction through acidification; and a metallic reductant and an activator constituents having the capacity to reduce said liquid solvent, said metallic reductant and an activator being in a range of between about 0.058 mole and about 3.3 moles; wherein upon said combination of the constituents, the effector initiates a reduction of the oxidant by a transfer of an electron from the oxidant to the effector for causing a release of heat, a decrease in solution pH, and a release of biocidal intermediate in heated gaseous and aqueous forms, said reaction between the effector and oxidant inducing chemical reaction between the oxidant and reductant for producing heat and increasing solution pH for generating heated biocidal intermediate, with the proviso that said combination excludes an acid for lowering solution pH from near-neutral pH for affecting said objects to expose any contaminating microorganisms to said intermediate and sterilizing said objects; and wherein said electron-transfer reaction is exothermic and generates heat, said heat sufficient for converting said aqueous solution to steam for further sterilizing said objects.