It has been found that in acetonitrile, in contrast to water, iron(III) is reduced by hydrogen peroxide, according to 2:1 stoichiometry. The reaction when performed by cyclic-voltammetry is an example of electrochemical catalytic processes of reductants. For the [Fe(III)]/[HOOH] ratios greater than 1, 1 mol of dioxygen is produced from I mol of hydrogen peroxide. The non-radical versus radical mechanism of the process has been discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.