Does Phenidone go bad?

[newcan1]

I have some phenidone that I bought in the late 1980's. It is still a cream/beige color. I used some to make the XR-1 patent formula developer, and the results were very weak - even the film leader was very underdeveloped. The Metol and Hydroquinone I used date I believe from the 1950's and are fine - I use them a lot.

Could the phenidone have gone bad without significant discoloration?

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Phenidone will definitely oxidize when exposed to air. I have some in the glass bottle that is decades old and still fine whereas some in a plastic jar was reduced to black tar in six months. However from you description it would appear to be good if pink or buff color. Are you confident in your weighing? Did you perhaps omit the borax? Try mixing a second batch. With metol and hydroquinone also present you should get some development. I once mixed a batch of D-76 only to find that I had forgotten the metol. It is easy to make a mistake.

 

[newcan1]

I did mix a second batch. I did measure carefully, and I made sure all the phenidone was dissolved. I did not forget the borax. The development was very weak. It is a mystery. I have ordered some more phenidone, so it will be interesting to see if that makes a difference. If not, I will be stumped.

 

[Murray Kelly]

It is a very, very, long shot but when Ed Buffaloe first wrote that up he understated the amount of the Phenidone solution in alcohol by a factor of 10. It was corrected quickly but should you be using a printout of the original article you should have a look at the amended one.
Just in case ...
At those temperatures it sounds as fiddly as C-41.
I agree that phenidone in glass is a long liver. I have some Ilford Phenidone from the 50's and it still works.

 

[newcan1]

I looked at the patent to confirm the formula I was using. I might try again and try differently sourced borax.