Refrigeration of liquid chemicals

gone · Jun 12, 2022

I know this has been asked, and I read the threads but I'm still a little confused on this. I seem to remember that if some chemicals were put into the home fridge, they might form crystals which may or may not dissolve back into liquid later. Of course, I seem to remember a lot of things, so there is that.

I have a half bottle of F76 Plus, most of a bottle of Rodinal and a bottle of Clayton Rapid Fixer that is 3/4 full. They're in plastic containers, not glass. Would these be safe to put into the fridge for a spell? I'm still sorta stuck in Tucson, and the ambient temps are getting so hot it's difficult to get my place cooled down much below 84F sometimes.

albada · Jun 14, 2022

I have stored all my chemicals in a refrigerator for years, and it's worked out fine for both developers and fixers. But I've never used F76+ or Clayton, so I can't say for sure about them. I suggest putting a small amount of each in small bottles and cooling them as a test.

Mark Overton

koraks · Jun 14, 2022

momus said:
most of a bottle of Rodinal

That one will crystallize out for sure in the fridge. You may get some of the crud to redissolve by heating it back up and lots of stirring. Might not be an issue as rodinal is designed to have an excess of sulfite to begin with.

In your place I'd get a variety of glass bottles so you can decant your chemistry into a new, appropriately sized bottle upon use. Perhaps a can of butane or some other heavier than air gas to bridge the gaps between bottles.

It's more effective to minimize contact with air than to keep the stuff cool. Developer will oxidize readily even in the fridge (albeit slower than outside of it, I'll grant you that); take away the oxygen that it needs to do so is the logically effective measure.

Alan9940 · Jun 14, 2022

I've kept all my chemicals--dry and liquid--in a small fridge that runs at about 50 - 55F for years without issue. I've stored F76+ in there, but in brown glass bottles with no problems. I've stored other liquid fixers, but not Clayton.

MattKing · Jun 14, 2022

Alan9940 said:
I've kept all my chemicals--dry and liquid--in a small fridge that runs at about 50 - 55F for years without issue. I've stored F76+ in there, but in brown glass bottles with no problems. I've stored other liquid fixers, but not Clayton.

That, of course, is a fair bit warmer than most refrigerators.
But it is in the correct range for wine refrigerators.

gone · Jun 14, 2022

The suggestion to put the chemicals into glass is a good one, especially as I have some smallish old glass bottles w/ screw on caps. Might need to get some marbles to keep the level up to the top. Thanks a lot for the help.

Sirius Glass · Jun 15, 2022

MattKing said:
That, of course, is a fair bit warmer than most refrigerators.
But it is in the correct range for wine refrigerators.

Just label properly so you can stick to drinking wine and not the chemicals.

Paul Verizzo · Jun 27, 2022

Only developers benefit from refrigeration.

No need for glass. Polycarbonate or thick polyethylene work fine and are chemically neutral and don't break.

Refrigeration slows oxidation, which is what kills developers. As you close up the bottle, spray in CO2 (for wine), propane or butane, or canned "air." The latter is a Freon.

Sometime in the next month I hope to make the ultimate test. I made up some C-41 developer in 2019 and put it in the fridge after the CO2 blast. Never used it. We shall see.

Refrigeration of liquid chemicals

gone

albada

koraks

Moderator

Alan9940

MattKing

Moderator

gone

Sirius Glass

Paul Verizzo

Refrigeration of liquid chemicals

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency