BrewCityPolska - 25-6-2013 at 10:23
I recently obtained some old reagents and was wondering if they are still okay to use? Any recommendations or info would be greatly appreciated!
Here is what I have.....
DuPont - 2.5L Ammonium Hydroxide ACS 30% (full)
Mallinckrodt - 2.5L Ammonium Hydroxide ACS 58% (3/4 full)
DuPont - 2.5L con Sulfuric Acid ACS (full)
Baker Adamson (B&A) - 2.5L con Sulfuric Acid ACS (full)
*All these bottles are from the 1960's and have been properly stored for their entire life to the best of my knowledge.
*I also am properly storing these bottles in two separate cabinets in a cool, dark, dry place.
DraconicAcid - 25-6-2013 at 10:45
They should be fine. Some of the ammonia may have evaporated, leaving a less concentrated solution, but I don't think it would have "gone bad".
woelen - 25-6-2013 at 10:56
Yes, they will be fine, even after tens of years of storage, provided the bottles are well sealed and the caps are in good condition.
The ammonia 58% probably will be 28%. The maximum concentration of ammonia is just over 30% at room temperature, higher concentrations are not
possible without extreme pressure buildup.
Endimion17 - 25-6-2013 at 23:42
If the bottles are made of glass and there's PTFE lining under the caps, they're pretty much fine. Their contents don't match the specified label
anymore, but they're not contaminated. There might be some glass dissolved in it, though. After all, it's more than 50 years of storage.