After the reestablishment of the Riga Polytechnical institute in 1958 the Department of General chemistry was created. The first head of department docent J. Sauka was actively seeking a direction for the department’s scientific work alongside organising the teaching process. Docent J.Sauka chose to research the compounds of one of the most common and well-known elements - oxygen. The research was expanded in multiple directions - the properties of superoxides and peroxides of alkali and alkali earth metals, the properties of polisulphides as well as properties of peroxoacids and their salts. Widely expanded the research of chemical and physicochemical properties of high purity potassium superoxide. The synthesis of potassium superoxide was carried out by V. Brunere. She managed to achieve an extremely pure (99.8 %) substance. It was also established that potassium superoxide dissolves in melted nitrates of potassium, rubidium and caesium without any visible decomposition and this creates homogeneous yellow solutions. One of the most interesting properties of peroxoacids and their salts is the formation of ozone from their decomposing reactions. We managed to establish that ozone is created by peroxodisulphyric acid reacting to hydrogen peroxide. For the first time in the world the ozone that was obtained this way was condensed in an ampule in pure form at -196 0C as a dark violet liquid. By using the 18O oxygen isotope we proved that the ozone was created by two oxygen atoms from the hydrogen peroxide and one atom from the peroxodisulphate ion. Ozone, where one, two and all three oxygen atoms were marked by the 18O isotope, was obtained. Potassium, rubidium and cesium hidroperoxomonosulphates as well as peroxihydrates of several salts were synthesised and their physicochemical properties and stability was determined. These compounds are used as bleach in many washing agents. In 1973 in association with USSR Sciences academy a scientific conference on inorganic peroxide compounds was organised. More than 200 scientists took part in the conference.