Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Storing and shipping low BP solvents

Flarky - 18-4-2022 at 14:13

I recently purchased some pentane and started to wonder about how this is shipped and stored. The product came from a hot location, currently hotter than its boiling point. I can only imagine that it gets a lot hotter in the back of the truck during shipping. The courier left the package at my door, which if it had been summer, would have cooked in the sun.

What prevents the solvent from building pressure inside the bottle due to heat, and thereby become a hazard?

I have a vague idea that it has to do with vapor pressure. As the pressure builds inside the bottle, the boiling point of the solvent also increases (the opposite of what I experience in vacuum distillation?). The bottle and closure were probably chosen based on their ability to withstand a certain pressure (and hence temperature range). But eventually, with too much heat, the bottle/cap will fail. Am I anywhere remotely close to the explanation?

Sulaiman - 18-4-2022 at 14:27

my understanding exactly.
from page below, pressure= 1 Atmosphere at 36.1C, 2@58C,
and 5@92.4C, which is quite high for a glass bottle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentane_(data_page)

Fantasma4500 - 19-4-2022 at 07:11

and we know for a fact they didnt ship it with a knowledgable courier? by my idea with a running truck you have the air constantly cooling it down, theyre usually white (doesnt absorb much heat from the sun) and oftenly they store the packages at a cold warehouse where its then shipped out in the morning
then all the sorrounding packages will likely act insulating
36*C is quite hot
sounds wild to me that it would even reach 36*C

these are all just my assumptions but that it would stay decently chill isnt unrealistic to me