Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Acetone & LDPE Wash Bottles

bfesser - 13-7-2008 at 07:58

I've seen LDPE wash bottles for acetone in catalogs and for sale online, but when I checked the Nalgene catalog's chemical resistance table, it says that immediate damage may occur and that LDPE is not recommended for use with acetone. Are LDPE, HDPE, and PP compatible with acetone (such as hardware store grade)?

Formatik - 13-7-2008 at 21:55

According to this compatability chart, both HDPE and LDPE are said to have only a moderate compatability with acetone (I wouldn't use PE for storage), whereas PP, PMP (Polymethylpentene), and PTFE are said to have excellent compatability.

ScienceSquirrel - 14-7-2008 at 02:44

We used plain wash bottles for acetone and never had any problems.
Just don't leave them in the sun as they are self emptying when warm.

Panache - 29-8-2008 at 00:47

Unfortunately you will ind manufacturers charts on polymer compatabilty are similar these days to MSDS's, as far as their usefulness goes. So like the situation with MSDS's if you want to 'really' know you have to ask someone who knows and you'll get a practical answer.
Polyolefins (ie the polymers with only carbon and hydrogen in them and no double bonds)
are all universally solvent proof. The worry comes because one rarely is using a polymer that does not have a range of additives compounded into it to alter its physical properties. These are never listed so you don't know what they are. I imagine Nalgene listed acetone as incompatable with LDPE washbottle because for a wash bottle shitloads of plasticisers may be used so as to increase the flexibilty of the polymer and hence they can use less in making the item, acetone however is good at leaching plasticiers out.