What common reagents should be stored in the refrigerator? For example, would 35% peroxide keep better in the fridge? What about acids like sulfuric
and nitric?Magpie - 22-2-2005 at 18:44
At my last job we stored 93% H2SO4 outside winter and summer with no heating or cooling. 50% H2O2 was stored at room temperature. This was in a
temperate climate zone.runlabrun - 22-2-2005 at 18:57
the difference between SHOULD and ADVISED is what you need to figure out... look at msds information on storage and decomposition, flashpoint temps
and make the judgement.
Obviously if the msds says must be stored below whatever temp then you need to abide by that but if it just says that the chemical decomposes at 60oC
or something then its probably advisable to keep it well below from that temp...
Check the information, make the judgement.
98% H2SO4 we store in a corrosives lockup, its not terribly touchy stuff.... just nasty when the bottle leaks (ive had that before... oh oh).
-rlrmick - 23-2-2005 at 12:17
I have always been confused by advice on storage conditions. If you buy n butyl lithium solution now you are told to store it at below 4oC yet I had
500ml in schlenk type glass flask a cupboard for over 3 years and it was only slightly cloudy (I was the only person that used it though). Fuming
nitric acid is supposed to be kept cold and someone put it in the fridge, but they did not seal it properly so it trashed the fridge. Most chemicals
seem to more sensitive to water, air and sunlight than the difference between 4oC and 20oC and keeping them in the average fridge seems to mean that
they are in a damp atmosphere and if they are opened cold they get more wet. Electrical tape works, some of it is good for -40oC, electrical tape on
top of PTFE tape is good, self-amalgamating polyethylene (or is it polypropylene) tape over PTFE is the best I have used for long term storage of
"sensitive compounds".
mickBrAiNFeVeR - 15-3-2005 at 11:08
Some solvents like DCM can also attack the refrigerator, the rubber of my fridge door dissolved partially, and will never be as it once should have
been.
The upper layer is and stays 'sticky' ...
I wouldn't place agressive volatile products in a fridge, if they eat up the evaporating heat exchanger your fridge is ready for the trash, or
becomes an expensive closet.cyclonite4 - 15-3-2005 at 19:14
I've found that concentrated H2SO4 will solidify in the fridge/freezer (because of it's low melting point). Theres no real need to cool down
H2SO4 anyway.Arthur Dent - 10-2-2011 at 17:46
I believe Ether is best kept at low temperatures to avoid the formation of dangerous peroxides.
I've been keeping my bottle of HCl outside in a plastic pail on my balcony in the cold of winter, because at any temperature, the damn thing evolves
so much gas that it rusts out all the tools in my shed.
Robert mr.crow - 10-2-2011 at 19:18
Ughh another 6 year old thread dug up by someone with one post
Is it a hardware store plastic bottle? I haven't had any problem with HCl indoors in glass.Regolith - 11-2-2011 at 02:48
Quote:
because at any temperature, the damn thing evolves so much gas that it rusts out all the tools in my shed.
Yeah HCl bottle is stored in a paint bucket now lid tightly sealed. I had all the text on boxes etc in my chem cupboard slowly vanish over time and it
happened so slowly I didn't realize till It hit me "no sun is getting in here why are all the labels bleached..."
BTW It should go without saying you should have a separate fridge for chems and food. A small bar fridge is fantastic for it.
On the way out of this thread could someone please aim for the head of the zombie this time, I hear they don't get back up that way.
