What's the best way to store chemicals/elements?

[Fullmetal]

Let's say I obtained some I2 crystals.

 

What's the best way to store them? In a glass jar? I want them to stay as crystals.

[akcapr]

keep them in the smallest vial they will fit in, and possibly with some dessicant.

[jdurg]

Storing your elements is perhaps the MOST important part of an element collection. Each element needs to be stored in containers and in conditions that will result in the lowest amount of 'tarnish' or 'loss' of the element. Elements which oxidize readily should be stored in a glass container under mineral oil in order to slow down the oxidation. (This includes elements like lanthanum, europium, calcium, sodium, potassium, neodymium, cerium, etc). Still, you must realize that over a long period of time oxygen WILL find its way into the container and oxidize your element. Therefore, for some of these elements the BEST method of storage is in a sealed glass ampoule filled with argon. This will keep them oxidation free for an eternity. In fact, for some elements that's the ONLY way you can store them. (Rubidium and Cesium come to mind. Any other method of storage will result in instant reaction and/or fires).

 

For anything that's a gas, the ONLY way to store them is in fully sealed glass ampoules. For gaseous elements, they WILL find their way out of any openable container. Hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, the noble gases, and the halogens should be stored in a glass ampoule that is sealed shut so that it cannot be open. This is particulary true for the halogens as those buggers can and will escape from nearly every container you can think of.

 

Fluorine can barely be stored at all, and chlorine being a gas will eventually leak out of any capped container. Therefore, it must be stored in a sealed glass ampoule if you want to keep it. Bromine is particularly nasty. There's a reason why it's called the 'Houdini' of the elements. It will leach out of any container you can think of. If there's a plastic top to the container, it will eat right through it. If it's a screw on top, it will eat through the cap and leach out into the air around it. I had a few containers for my bromine before I finally found a way to keep it together. (I initially had a glass vial with a screw top cap. In about a week, the Bromine had eaten right through it. Kind of a scary experience. The supplier then sent me an amber glass bottle with a tight fitting, Teflon lined cap. The bromine didn't eat through this one, but it leached out slowly and corroded anything in the area). So with the Br2 eating through any method of storage, I finally decided to put in a glass test-tube and then melt the tube shut, thus sealing the bromine inside. The Br2 has been in that tube for a good long while now and has not leaked out one iota.

 

Iodine is kind of like bromine in that it will find its way out of most containers over a period of time, but it won't eat through them like Br2 will. Instead, it will leach into and through the cap and corrode what's in the area. You can store I2 in a vial with a teflon lined lid, but the I2 will eventually leach through that lid. Therefore, if you are going to use that method of storage you need to have yet another container to store the I2 in so that any which leaches out won't corrode anything of value. I have a jar of I2 crystals (I think. Though I can't remember where I put it) that is surrounded by vermiculite and stored within a large metal container. This is the Iodine that I use for experiments. The rest of my iodine is sealed into a glass tube like my bromine is so that it can be put on display and will not corrode everything in the area.

 

So the best way to store Iodine for long term storage, and display purposes, is in a glass test tube which has been sealed shut on one end. (What's nice is that if you have the sealed tube laying against a white background, you can see the beautiful purple vapor of I2).

[Mendelejev]

Very nice explanation !!!! I would also advice to store the more danger / reactive / gaseous elements in sealed ampules. You can easily make them yourself. Just take a glass test-tube, put the sample in it and seal the other size by melting the glass.

 

If you have some Mercury, you should seal it very well, becouse it evaporates. A few years ago I broke my mercury-bottle and all the mercury was on the floor of my chamber. A few days later, it was all gone ! And don't forget, the vapour is very very toxic !!!! So, take a bottle that you can close completely !

[Fullmetal]

I don't want the I2 to turn into gas. I've heard some comments from people to use a glass flask topped with a teflon lined cap (teflon doesn't create that much fricton therefor it's good to use).

 

Also, I should put some silica gel capsules or packets inside of the jar also.

 

I've seen a picture of one person's storing of I2 at sciencemadness.org.

 

this person sealed it off in a glass tube. I'm curious as to whether it will still turn into a gas inside of the tube.

[Mendelejev]

I'm curious as to whether it will still turn into a gas inside of the tube.

 

Yes, it will !! It will always turn into gas !!! That's why you should keep it in tubes.

[akcapr]

only if its dry

[jdurg]

I2 will always sublime into a gas. There is nothing you can do about that. However, once the vapor pressure of the I2 reaches a certain point, no more will sublime as it would not be favorable to do so. So if you have a container in which no iodine can escape (hence a sealed glass ampoule), a small portion will sublime but the vapor pressure limit will soon be reached and no more will sublime. If you have a container with which the iodine can escape, then over time all of the iodine will slowly sublime. (Though I'll admit, this would take a VERY long time). If you have your iodine in an unsealed, open container, then you'll lose all of it fairly quickly.

[akcapr]

also if u have the gases or air or watever pressurized in the iodine ampule already, since there already is pressure built up in there, no iodine should sublime.

[YT2095]

a little Tip for any Gallium owners out there, Don`t store it in a long this glass vial (unless it`s a very small amount) the stuff expands on cooling and will break the glass (I just found that out this morning).

[BenSon]

Yeah i did that once, i just wanted to see what happens, interestingly enough once it cracks only a very small amount comes out.

 

~Scott

[YT2095]

I like the fact that the stuff (even just a few degrees below melting point) will still shatter like glass when hit, and then melt in your hands moments later!

 

kinda reminds of Terminator 2 on some freaky level.