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Hi All. I am having trouble storeing Bromine. could anyone help me? I know its to be stored in a fridge but I did that in my fridge and it discoloured the fridge. Can it be stored in a corrosive cabnet and in chemical store it is quite cold in my store. Thenk you for any help [/img]

I store bromine in the fridge and I have no problem. It comes in 1ml vials.
Bromine water should be stored out of sunlight, but I have notice that it will go lighter over period of time. L

Hi Timtam.

I used to store it in fridge.. then one day the fridge destructed. We had to buy a new one.

I only buy in 1 ml sealed vials.

Once its made up, store in glass container with a glass lid.... and put some parafilm in between the seal as an extra precaution. Then store the bottle next to the exhaust vent. As soon as the topic is finished .. get rid of it ( eg, lid off, fume cabinet until all colour is gone)until you open a fresh vial next time.
R-S

Yes I store it in a dessicator with paraffin on the seal in the fume hood or well ventilated cool place for short term storage ie then dispose of it immediately topic finished.
Carol

My chemical store room is also very cold. The Bromine Water has kept quite well stored in the Toxic section.Can also be stored in the Corrosive section.Talk about confusing!!! However I always keep it in the cardboard box which it was delivered in.
Hopes this helps you.
Cheers

I no longer buy Bromine until a week or so before it is to be used - unless I can beg/borrow some from a nearby school. We had a Bromine spill here last year when one of our teachers broke open a vial and burned his arm. After the FireBrigade and Hazmat people left (nearly 2 hours later) I told the Science Staff I would never order Bromine again, especially in vials. The Bromine water should be stored in a dark bottle, inside a box, in a very cool place if possible. However, apparently its shelf life is only about 12 months maximum, so the suppliers told me last year.

Ditto, Coxy. I just order a new bottle of Br water each year (if I remember!). I reckon the whole vial-under-the-water is just too dicey in a school situation. If teacers don't like it..........tuff.
There is a recipe for a Bromine water substitute to use in the alkane/alkene prac; I'll see if I can dig it out.
Regards all,
Elizabeth.

Hi All
I no longer use the vials of Bromine to make Bromine water. This is the alternative recipe that I use and it works well.
Make Chlorine water by adding 40ml of sodium hypochlorite to 40 ml of 2M sulfuric acid. Beware of the effervescence and make up to 250ml with water.
Then use the Chlorine water and add 1 teaspoon of sodium or potassium bromide solid to the solution and Hey Presto. Much safer and it has a long shelf life too.

Although there are some mixed emotions as to whether Elemental Bromine is better than Bromine Water, but personally I prefer Elemental Bromine. This way I can control the amount of Bromine I can dissolve in water. I do this by opening a fresh vial of Bromine and aspirating it through a syringe.

I then slowly add Bromine through the syringe to get the most out of absorption by the water, (Time being the essence in this case). Bromine is soluble in water to only 4.17g per 100g. This way I can get close to 4g of Bromine in water. Diagnostic tests including Organic Sequencing can be more accurately performed if high Br[sub]2[/sub] concentrations are needed.

As far as safety is concerned, if you treat the hazardous chemical with the respect it deserves and there are adequate Safety Equipment including PPE, Engineering Controls and Risk Assessments available, then there should be no problem with handling and or use of the product. Considering it is conducted by well trained staff in it’s use.

Robb.....

I had lousey shelf life with bromine water until I decided to store it in fridge,since then no problems

I find that using the bromine vials make handling the substance easier .

When I need Br water... I just add iced water to a large beaker. Make sure its all done in the fume cbd.. switched on.

Grasp the tip of the glass vial between the jaws of 'pointy' pliers, hold under the water, and crush vial. Cover the beaker with parafilm until all the bromine has mixed through. Pour the bromine water into a prelabelled glass bottle, leaving the 'dregs' which contain the glass in the bottom of the large beaker. I leave the beaker until all the bromine has sublimed, then use a paper towel and gloves to collect the glass fragments, and pop them into the 'glass' bucket.
I keep a pair of pliers especially for the bromine job.

The whole process is done in the fume cbd.
R-S

A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED, the 1 ml vials may be the go, although I have alternatives. Thank you again.

Thanks Labtrash. Your method of making Bromine Water is so easy. I was wondering what strength sodium hypochlorite you use. I tried Bleach(4% chlorine) and did not dilute. This makes a very strong solution. Ciao.

There is a simple alternative recipe for bromine water in appendix F of CSIS Appendix D using H2O2,H2SO4 Conc. & NaBr or KBr. Gives good results.

A big thank you to you, Marie, for this simple alternative.

I appreciate this website just so much!! It is great!!

Thank you again Adam, and Robb for keeping us on the straight and narrow!

Robyn

G'day all,
my chemistry teacher would like me to make up bromine water by dissolving a 1mL vial of elemental bromine into some hexane. This will totally dissolve the bromine and can be added to water as needed.
Has anyone else tried this method?
Also in the 1mL vial of elemental bromine, what is the layer between the bromine gas and the darker bromine?
~Robyn

We purchase bromine water rather than preparing our own. Serious safety measures are required if using bromine. If all you want is bromine water, better to just buy it.

Hi All,

What an interesting subject, gathering all of the ideas one can come to a conclusion that, it comes down to self preference as to who would use Br[sub]2[/sub] or Br[sub]2[/sub] Water. At the end of the day it will be whatever you are comfortable working with.

Cheers,

Robb...

Hi
Just on the problem of storing our bromine, my concern is trying to reseal the bottle now that the original cap has disintergrated. What do you suggest is the best way to prevent the fumes escaping.
Thanks
Tania

Dear Tania,
I'm assuming your bromine water is a solution of elemental bromine in water; that you have finished needing it for this year; and you don't have a replacement cap for that bottle so you can store it in the fridge until wanted again. (Actually, I would store it in a sealed bottle within another sealed bottle). Bromine is always rough on rubber, bottle caps, etc.
It's best to dispose of it, I reckon -
Wear latex (rubber) gloves, safety glasses and lab coat.
Work with the fume cupboard on high and allow most of the fumes to disperse into the atmosphere (don't worry, it's only a little amount). With the remaining solution, the Chemical safety in Schools Appendix E (disposal of waste chemicals) recommends adding a mild reducing agent such as sodium thiosulfate, sodium metabisulfite or a ferrous (iron11) salt.
Then wash down the fume cupboard sink with plenty of water.
Hope this helps,
~Robyn