Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Storing low bp chemicals?

tekkado - 10-11-2015 at 20:32

So its starting to heat up here with days easily reaching 30 degrees. So dcm boils it 39 degrees which on some days wouldnt be surprised to see. My question is how to safety store them without a fridge? I was thinking of getting a heavy walled esky to keep and insulate them in?

JJay - 10-11-2015 at 20:37

I've actually been wondering the same thing for diethyl ether. Right now I have my DCM in a glass jar and it's been there for days with no problems, but usually I keep it in a metal solvent can.

Sulaiman - 11-11-2015 at 13:36

I have a few types of solvent from one supplier in similar bottles,
diethyl ether, b.p. 34.6 ... not a drop lost,
carbon disulfide, b.p. 46.3 ... slow but un-stoppable loss,
I guess some bottle/top combinations are better than other 'identical' sets.

(I put marks on my solvent bottles to monitor any losses,
I re-tightened the CS2 top only a few week ago,
if still escaping then I shall try a new bottle)

karlos³ - 11-11-2015 at 14:12

If you store low boiling chemicals in the fridge, make sure its a special one for chemical storage!
Otherwise it will be more harmful than just storing them at room temperature, especially with flammable ones... (so, not DCM). They could catch fire at the light in you fridge, from sparks etc... Also they can build up a very saturated atmosphere of solvent enriched air in the fridge, making an unwanted ingnition much easier.
I recognise a loss of MeI and SOCl2 over time, ethers of course depending on b.p., DCM not much, hexane and pentane, oh yes.
I store my chemicals, as it should be, dark and cold.
Never had any problems this way, except when I had not thightened the bottles.

Dr.Bob - 11-11-2015 at 19:11

I have stored DCM, ether, hexanes and others for years at various places, some of which were quite warm. Just use a glass bottle, or a metal can, and they should be OK. For really hot places, you could put the containers in a sealed secondary plastic or metal container, or even a glass desiccator. I have used that trick to store very volatile compounds, and they build up a vapor pressure inside but that prevents much evaporation.

tekkado - 12-11-2015 at 00:52

Cheers guys good to know :)

JJay - 12-11-2015 at 01:14

Does anyone know if phosphorus oxychloride requires any special storage? I don't have any plans for it, but I thought it was too rare to pass up....

ave369 - 12-11-2015 at 01:44

I've yet to produce diethyl ether, but when I make it, I plan to use a hole in the ground under a bath-house in my garden as a summer storage area for it.

tekkado - 12-11-2015 at 02:33

Quote: Originally posted by ave369  
I've yet to produce diethyl ether, but when I make it, I plan to use a hole in the ground under a bath-house in my garden as a summer storage area for it.

Have you seen the coolers that go in the ground? I think theyre called earth kegs or something. You turn a handle and up comes a rack to hold bottles and keep them cool with the ground.
Haha

Praxichys - 12-11-2015 at 06:01

Quote: Originally posted by ave369  
I've yet to produce diethyl ether, but when I make it, I plan to use a hole in the ground under a bath-house in my garden as a summer storage area for it.

Be careful. Escaping ether vapors could form an explosive atmosphere under there. If the bath-house has a pump under it, you might blow the place up.

Tsjerk - 12-11-2015 at 12:00

If your bottle can hold a bit of pressure, this will directly influence the boiling temperature of the liquid it is holding, which should not be underestimated.

Dr.Bob - 13-11-2015 at 07:53

Quote: Originally posted by JJay  
Does anyone know if phosphorus oxychloride requires any special storage? I don't have any plans for it, but I thought it was too rare to pass up....


If it gets water in it (even traces of vapor), it can build up pressure and become quite pressurized, even popping the lid off if not strong. I just recently had such a problem, so make sure that if you have any that you wish to store for a while, you keep the lid on tight, store that bottle in a secondary container, preferably with some drying agent, and open it carefully when you do open. I have used it for years, without problems, but I just had an issue with it. Likely got left open or contaminated.

Little_Ghost_again - 13-11-2015 at 08:57

dig a hole and bury in a ice box cooler, a meter or so down keeps things cool.

JJay - 13-11-2015 at 10:03

Quote: Originally posted by Dr.Bob  
Quote: Originally posted by JJay  
Does anyone know if phosphorus oxychloride requires any special storage? I don't have any plans for it, but I thought it was too rare to pass up....


If it gets water in it (even traces of vapor), it can build up pressure and become quite pressurized, even popping the lid off if not strong. I just recently had such a problem, so make sure that if you have any that you wish to store for a while, you keep the lid on tight, store that bottle in a secondary container, preferably with some drying agent, and open it carefully when you do open. I have used it for years, without problems, but I just had an issue with it. Likely got left open or contaminated.


I have been keeping it in its original container sealed with electrical tape in a plastic bag. Adding some desiccant is not a bad idea.