Australia's Science Forum

Hi All,
I have some plastic bottles ordered by accident (I switched numbers in the product code and it was easier to keep them than send them back). I can't find what type of plastic they are printed on the bottle anywhere. They are 5L jerry can style from Serrata. Does anyone have any of these? I just want to know if I can use one to store some 4M Nitric Acid as we don't have any of the large brown bottles left and I need to make some up today for a class. It is a 2 for recycling if that means anything to anyone...
Rosalie

Hi Rosalie,
I can sympathasise with your dilemma.
Our bible, the book The Laboratory, has pages devoted to plastics for storage, pages 27-29. If you don't have a copy, I can fax them to you.
A quick look does not show the 2 for recylcing, however if you look on the bottom of the container, they usually have an abbreviated code for the type of plastic that it is. Good Luck,
~Robyn

A brown glass winchester is the only storage container I would store 4M Nitric in. The plastic will break down and go brittle within days. We keep a max of 1 litre of 1M HN0₃ in plastic and it is distorting the bottle already and will need to be replaced soon.

Hi,
I don't know about storing acid in this bottle, but I can tell you that a 2 for recycling is HDPE High density polyethylene.
I hope this is of some use.

Lorrae

Thanks everyone. I have the book, Robyn, and it says HDPE is ok for strong acids so I'll give it a go. Thanks Lorrae for knowing what 2 is! I might actually put our 2M in the plastic bottle and put the 4M in the winchester just in case... Richard, what sort of plastic is your bottle?

Ours are the standard 1 litre Q store class 2 ACI HDPE reagent storage bottles. Give me glass any day.

I agree go glass all the way, plastic can go brittle at any time.

Safety reason's stick to GLASS.

Is that just for Nitric Sue? Our 32% HCl come in a plastic bottle. For that reason, I have often put HCl of various strengths into the empty "shipping" bottles.

Ian

Yes folks all acids. My husband works for Fire Brigade, it is in Plastic for transport reasons. And should be put into amber glass on arrival. I was not sure myself, "Should the truck have an accident, it is less glass to clean up for the poor over worked Fire person's, can not say Fire man any more. Plastic would cause less accidents, and may even bounce around. So glass is a NO NO for transport reasons. But long time storage should be GLASS.

Yep, that's what we were told with the Rural Fire Service also! I use plastic for weak acids that are being used that day in a prac. - everything else is in brown Winchesters.

Actually it is not only acids that react. Strong NaOH will also send the plastic brittle. No doubt exposure to light doesn't help. Over the years, I've had a few bottles crack up, but you can usually see a tell-tale crack before the whole thing goes. I still use them 'cause they're lighter to cart around. I think it is safe to assume that a chemical sold in plastic must be safe to store in plastic. I can't imagine that you have to decant it into glass. Come to think of it, exposure to strong light may be more detrimental than the contents. Just a thought.

Some times on the MSDS, it has transport details. Packaged in plastic, storage glass. I do not have a fume cupboard (as Yet) I have two on their way, which year they'll arrive I do not know. And I have some bottles arrived in plastic, awaiting the fume cupboard so I can decant them into glass.

Of course this should be done in a FUME cupboard