Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Storage for Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)

Storage for Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)

ahdai82 - 12-7-2006 at 22:15

Anyone know how to store 96% sulfuric acid? other that glass... If I store it in HDPE, will it turn yellow?

Darkblade48 - 13-7-2006 at 04:09

I've been keeping my 96% sulfuric acid in a HDPE container for the last 9 months with no ill effects so far...it's not that I don't have the appropriate glass bottle to store it in, it's more to do with the fact I'm won't bother transferring it over

bio2 - 13-7-2006 at 04:43

100 Kg concentrated sulfuric acid is shipped and stored in blue HDPE in these parts.

Pigmented PE is less susceptible to stress cracking than
the translucent natural polymer. Maybe it has something to do with plasticisers as well.

This is why bleach and hydrogen peroxide for example
are packed in colored bottles.

Darkblade48 - 13-7-2006 at 07:10

Quote:

Originally posted by bio2
This is why bleach and hydrogen peroxide for example
are packed in colored bottles.

That's interesting, I work in a Chemistry Lab, and all the hydrogen peroxide we purchase come in white HDPE bottles.

Edit: I realized that "white" HDPE bottles may be in fact coloured (as opposed to the translucent kind).

[Edited on 7-13-2006 by Darkblade48]

12AX7 - 13-7-2006 at 13:27

No, H2O2 is stored in brown bottles to block photolysis.

TIm

ahdai82 - 13-7-2006 at 21:55

Quote:

Originally posted by Darkblade48
I've been keeping my 96% sulfuric acid in a HDPE container for the last 9 months with no ill effects so far...it's not that I don't have the appropriate glass bottle to store it in, it's more to do with the fact I'm won't bother transferring it over

Is your HDPE colored or natural color?

Darkblade48 - 13-7-2006 at 23:00

Quote:

Originally posted by ahdai82
Is your HDPE colored or natural color?

I am using the translucent type HDPE bottles.

Quote:

Originally posted by 12AX7
No, H2O2 is stored in brown bottles to block photolysis.

TIm

The bottle of H2O2 that I have is indeed inside a brown bottle, but the ones in the chemistry lab at my university come in white HDPE bottles. *shrug*

chemoleo - 14-7-2006 at 01:05

Do NOT use HDPE with H2SO4. It will invariably go brown/black. I've tried many containers, even just left the H2SO4 in the original HDPE shipping containers, but invariably it goes dark.

The only success I can report is glass. As simple as it gets. It stores beautifully in there. Just don't drop it.

Btw, Sigma never delivers H2SO4 in plastic bottles. While 67% HNO3 is. And even there, the plastic goes yellow after several years.

Darkblade48 - 14-7-2006 at 05:56

Quote:

Originally posted by chemoleo
Btw, Sigma never delivers H2SO4 in plastic bottles. While 67% HNO3 is. And even there, the plastic goes yellow after several years.

I agree with you, all the H2SO4 that we order comes in nice 2.5 L glass bottles. The same goes for the HNO3 as well.

mrjeffy321 - 14-7-2006 at 07:42

I recently bought some H2SO4 (in the form of car battery acid) expecting to open up the box and it be in some type of plastic bottle like what my HCl comes in....but no, it was in a big plastic bag.

YT2095 - 21-7-2006 at 01:17

I`ve been keep car battery acid in a clear plastic soda bottle now for about 2 years, the sort used in the Pepsi and Mentos fountains, there`s no degradation of this bottle, but it doesn`t look all that good and nor does it have a childproof cap, the 1.5 litre white HDPE clorox bottle both looks better (easy to pour handle on it) And a safety cap.

after reading some of the posts here, I`m wondering whether it would be a wise idea to change them over afterall?

the acid concs only about 35% and as I mentioned, it`s been in a soda bottle for 2 years without event.

to change or Not to change???

woelen - 21-7-2006 at 03:38

No need to change that one. Concentrated sulphuric acid (more than 60% or so) must be stored in glass. I also store dilute H2SO4 in plastic bottles for years already, no problems at all. My concentrated pure 96% H2SO4, however, is stored in glass bottles. I also have some drain cleaner 97% H2SO4, which is in a plastic white bottle, but on the inside this bottle has become brown in a year time, but the acid itself still is reasonably colorless (pale brown).

I have the feeling that the problem is with oxidizing properties of the acids. I noticed degradation of plastic containers, even for 30% HNO3, while 32% H2SO4 and 37% HCl are not a problem at all. On the other hand, concentrated H2SO4 also degrades plastic containers.

Zyklon-A - 12-3-2014 at 09:10

950mL liter 98% sulfuric acid just arrived. From the review's on the site, it would appear that the bottle is chemically degraded by it's contents. Luckily, it's still clear now, but I want to move it before the acid is contaminated. I don't have any lab glass containers big enough to contain almost a liter, but would large glass jars from the kitchen work? Or would it corrode the lid?

greenlight - 5-11-2014 at 00:00

I keep my 98% Sulphuric acid in a 1000ml glass reagent bottle with a glass slip-in stopper from a science supply shop. The glass stopper is also wrapped once in plumbers PTFE thread tape which creates an even better seal and holds up fine.
I store my 60% sulphuric acid in a black HDPE container and it stays nearly colourless which may be due to the acid being a lower concentration.
The only real way is glass when its high concentration.

[Edited on 5-11-2014 by greenlight]

Practicaler - 15-6-2017 at 02:40

Has someone tried storing sulphuric acid in sof drinks bottle made of PET like coca cola bottle??

gdflp - 15-6-2017 at 05:56

That's not a good idea. PET is a polyester which will be readily hydrolyzed and/or dissolved by sulfuric acid of substantial concentration. I wouldn't be surprised if the bottle lasted several hours or days before a catastrophic mechanical failure occurred.

Sulaiman - 15-6-2017 at 06:16

One of my sulphuric acid orders came in a white (not clear) hdpe bottle,
I have stored it for over two years in its shipping bottle.
Mostly I use 93-96% drain unblocker which has never been colourless,
on reading this thread I checked my acid colour;

Right = original white hdpe bottle and cap
Left = acid and label transfered to a glass (was for vinegar) bottle
There IS a very faint yellow tinge to the acid,
the inside of the white hdpe bottle is white
the liner of the hdpe cap is very pink.
(after taking this photo I washed the cap, just a slight darkening of the liner remains, the pink washed off )

EDIT: for colour reference,
Left = drain unblocker H₂SO₄ boiled (not distilled)
Right = >2 years in hdpe 'lab' grade H₂SO₄.

##################################################
Regarding H₂O₂ storage;
until a few days ago I had 35% H₂O₂ stored in the clear hdpe bottle that it arrived in.
(my earlier 33.8% analysis was wrong, based on temperature corrected density,
I think that the earlier measurement was inaccurate due to tiny oxygen bubbles forming on the hydrometer)
http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=64759&...
so it seems that there has been no significant loss of concentration and no discernable change in colour after c18 months in clear hdpe.
I do however keep my stock bottles in a large plastic tub, with no direct sunlight.

[Edited on 15-6-2017 by Sulaiman]

feacetech - 21-6-2017 at 15:53

98.5% can be stored in mild steel, just rember the more if the conc gets to low it will eat the steel and it will eat you alot fatser too.

if you dont mind a bit of iron contaimination and you keep the seal tight so it doesnt dilute and the meniscus or just invert it frequently

ceramic will work as well

VeritasC&E - 3-9-2020 at 10:24

Does anyone know the species that gives the brown/yellow hue when thus stored?