Clear Chemistry Containers

[Logan Becker]

I have a colleague who swears by keeping chemicals in opaque bottles, and says storing chemicals in clear containers will alter/prematurely expire them. Does this claim hold any water? I was reading through the thread on soda bottles keeping developers fresh longer, but does prolonged exposure to light cause any sort of changes?

 

[Anon Ymous]

How about storing them in the dark, like a box or cupboard? Problem solved.

 

[trendland]

How about storing them in the dark, like a box or cupboard? Problem solved.

Exactly .

with regards

PS : I have in use a wooden Box (total full dark inside) from my first darkroom.

 

[tedr1]

There are chemists here who will give an authoritative answer, I'm not one of them, however I don't believe there is anything light sensitive in developer or fixer, strange though it may seem, the light sensitivity is in the film and the paper.
As it happens my chemicals are stored in cupboards also, and there is not much light in my darkroom

PS I always read the instructions with the chemicals, usually Ilford products, and I don't recall ever reading advice to keep chemicals in the dark, and Ilford bottles are translucent white plastic FWIW.

 

[Arklatexian]

I have a colleague who swears by keeping chemicals in opaque bottles, and says storing chemicals in clear containers will alter/prematurely expire them. Does this claim hold any water? I was reading through the thread on soda bottles keeping developers fresh longer, but does prolonged exposure to light cause any sort of changes?

I have heard and read, more than once, that when storing in "clear glass" bottles, some chemicals (developers) reacted with the lead used by the glassmaker to make the glass clear. Any truth in that? To be safe, I have always used brown glass or plastic to store developers in with no problems but always wondered. I have always believed in the saying "if it is not broken, don't fix it".........Regards!

 

[Leigh B]

Light is energy. Some chemicals will change if they absorb energy.

All of the many laboratory chemicals I've ever encountered have been in brown bottles.
The manufacturers would not go to that extra expense without reason.

Perhaps PE can provide a more detailed and authoritative answer.

- Leigh

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have a colleague who swears by keeping chemicals in opaque bottles, and says storing chemicals in clear containers will alter/prematurely expire them. Does this claim hold any water? I was reading through the thread on soda bottles keeping developers fresh longer, but does prolonged exposure to light cause any sort of changes?

Yes, you can't go wrong by storing chemicals in dark brown or opaque bottles or in a closed cabinet away from light.

 

[BMbikerider]

I do believe that clear glass bottles will allow deterioration of certain chemicals by the absorbtion of UV present in normal daylight. That is why I always store my RA4 developer and B&W developer in dark brown bottles. The deterioration is almost eliminated and I have used RA4 some months after dilution of a stock solution to a working solution and stored in brown glass bottles.

Why not experiment with a small quantity of developer in plain glass and a similar quantity in brown bottles left in the open and see what happens.

 

[btaylor]

My experience is similar to BMbikerider. I keep all my chems in clear bottles, in the darkroom which is dark! I don't worry about it and I don't get discolored developers (which make me nervious) either.

 

[Logan Becker]

I do believe that clear glass bottles will allow deterioration of certain chemicals by the absorbtion of UV present in normal daylight. That is why I always store my RA4 developer and B&W developer in dark brown bottles. The deterioration is almost eliminated and I have used RA4 some months after dilution of a stock solution to a working solution and stored in brown glass bottles.

Why not experiment with a small quantity of developer in plain glass and a similar quantity in brown bottles left in the open and see what happens.

That makes sense; I don't have brown bottles, but I will try it with regular soda bottles. There aren't any entryways in my darkroom where sunlight could enter, so I think I'm safe to use the clear stuff. The reason I posed the question was because I want to transfer my chemicals out of their containers to soda bottles, which can be easily voided of air (as per the thread here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists) ), which I wouldn't be able to do with glass. I might poke around in some places about UV's effects vs. fluorescent/produced light and present my findings to my colleague. Thanks!

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Developing agents are not particularly sensitive to light. While I would keep the agents themselves in sealed brown bottles it is not necessary to do so with the solutions. In many cases we see brown bottles used in labs but remember that brown glass is the cheapest variety. Additional processing is needed to make other colors including colorless.

 

[mshchem]

OXYGEN IS THE ENEMY NOT WIMPY DARKROOM LIGHTING. PET SODA BOTTLES ARE FREE AND YOU CAN SQUEEZE THE AIR OUT. I KEPT XTOL IN A 20 OUNCE SODA BOTTLE FOR 11 YEARS AND IT WORKED FINE. DEVELOPED A ROLL OF TMY2

 

[Photo Engineer]

We used clear glass bottles with screw or cork stoppers at EK. No special lighting.

PE

 

[trendland]

Developing agents are not particularly sensitive to light. While I would keep the agents themselves in sealed brown bottles it is not necessary to do so with the solutions. In many cases we see brown bottles used in labs but remember that brown glass is the cheapest variety. Additional processing is needed to make other colors including colorless.

Yes - brown bottles has been used along all the time. As PET wasn't avaible in the
very past. My problem with glass container in general is that you have to handle it with care.
Of cause it is the same with chemicals and PET bottles (handle with care) - and
I have no intention for playing soccer
with it.
But in a worth case PET is very most stable!
I am not as sure If it is allmost correct -
but I remember some formulas with recomandation to Part 2 or Part3 of developer from raw chemistry to store
it in dark brown bottles.
May be it is indeed not clever with all kind of chemicals with a storage in transparent PET in front of windows
(direct sunlight) AND ....Total Darkness
is also absolute no recomandation.
Find out the golden middle to yourself.
One conclusion is quite logical :
Darkness can't destroy chemicals - (so far as I know........)

with regards

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have heard and read, more than once, that when storing in "clear glass" bottles, some chemicals (developers) reacted with the lead used by the glassmaker to make the glass clear. Any truth in that? To be safe, I have always used brown glass or plastic to store developers in with no problems but always wondered. I have always believed in the saying "if it is not broken, don't fix it".........Regards!

as long as you keep your eyes closed in the darkroom, light cannot harm your chemicals