Vacuum storage for chemicals?

[craigclu]

A friend's wife has QVC habit and has accumulated 3 food-saver type vacuum pack machines. Her first one is not sealing bags quite right and she gave it to me recently. My thought was that it may be a good way to store my darkroom components. This machine is designed to seal wide mouth Mason jars. I've got a pantry full of standard jars and thought I'd ask opinions and experiences on APUG before running out to get supplied for this.

It seems a logical thing to expect reduced oxidation and extended storage life. My supply jars are my original packaging poly jars that aren't tinted so I am assuming brown-tinted jars wouldn't be needed? Any thoughts?

 

[marsbars]

It would make sense as the vacuum would remove all of the oxygen that causes the oxidation. However my physical science is a bit rusty but doesn't water, which is the main component of most chemicals, boil in a vacuum?

 

[pnance]

Water would boil in a vacuum, however the bag sealers are a long way from a vacuum, only a slight difference in pressure, just enough to collapse the bag.

 

[craigclu]

My thought had been regarded to the dry chemicals. I have what appears to be many years of supply of a number of things and my thought was to transfer them to sealable jars, draw the air (or bulk of it), thinking that it should add to the usable life of the materials. I'm in there, using things quickly right now, but I also know that my darkroom activity is erratic at best. I didn't recall the discussion before and would like to know if anyone is doing this?

As I thought it through, it even seemed that I could devise an orderly storage system with all like-size containers in single depth wall shelves with a retaining band at proper height. I'm in the process of moving/rethinking my darkroom and am trying to think of everything possible that could be easily integrated into the new space. I suppose properly sized drawers with top labels would get rid of the clutter and possibly even be better for certain things that dark storage would help?

 

[srs5694]

Most dry chemicals keep for years in sealed jars. I'm not sure vacuum-sealing them would be very helpful unless you've got such quantities that you don't expect to buy more for decades. I've heard of people using decades-old phenidone and metol, for instance. My understanding is that moisture in the air is the most common problem, since some chemicals absorb that. The most important thing to do to preserve such chemicals is to keep them in sealed glass jars and to open them as infrequently as possible.