Conure
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How do you store chemicals in inert gas?
How do you as an amateur store chemicals in inert gas? Do you buy one of those glass jars with 'vacuum lid' for food storage and pour argon gas into
it? Since argon is heavier than air it would sink to the bottom and stay there if you're careful.
I would like to make and store chips of La, Nd and Sm and be able to open the container and scoop up the chips when I need them.
Fire is good. Fire is life.
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Rainwater
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I use a glove box and argon. Its also a great way to open a ball mill without oxygen contamination. But when im cheap, a vacuum works well to
"You can't do that" - challenge accepted
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DraconicAcid
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Just pouring in argon isn't going to work very well- it is heavier than air, but it will still mix more than it displaces.
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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Sulaiman
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I think that you should consider ampouling (in inert gas) multiple small samples.
I have not yet found any affordable/practical truly airtight re-sealable container.
Plus each time that you take a sample from a container, you let air mix in.
PS to visualise argon replacing air by density and gravity
note that nitrogen dioxide is more dense than argon
[Edited on 15-1-2025 by Sulaiman]
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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drakedevel
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For manipulation, probably the cheapest option is a trash-bag "glove bag". Get a clear plastic trash bag, put your containers and tools inside, purge
the atmosphere in the bag with argon, inflate it a bit, seal the bag, and manipulate through the bag. Not the best dexterity, but a simple transfer
should be manageable. Anything you seal up while in the bag is automatically argon-filled.
The next step up is probably a DIY a glove box. Commercial glove bags exist that have gloves molded into the bag (e.g. Spilfyter) which helps a lot
with the dexterity, though I'm not aware of any that are particularly cheap.
Long-term storage is another challenge. Resealable containers usually have rubber or plastic involved, and those are significantly gas-permeable. I
would guess that a glass bottle and glass stopper (greased with vacuum grease) would give the lowest diffusion rate of the readily-available
options, but of course that comes with grease contamination risk.
Sulaiman's suggestion to ampoule small quantities solves both problems quite thoroughly, if you're willing to go that route.
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esquizete_electrolysis
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I've typically used balloons filled with nitrogen parafilmed on to the end of a cut off syringe, which is then inserted through a the diaphragm of a
vial to keep the compound under an inert gas. you could probably do the same with a food storage container by drilling a hole in it and filling it
with silicone to make a self sealing diaphragm. You could go about it a few ways, but just make sure your container is kept at positive pressure.
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Dr.Bob
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For many purposes, just blowing some nitrogen or argon in via a needle with the lid held to the bottle, slightly to onne side, and blowing in that way
works fine for many things. For short term use, a rubber septa allows a needle in and a vent out, but septa leak eventually. Ampule are great, but
hard to seal and they need to be blown out using a long needle or pipette as well.
Using a glove box is great, except they are hard to find, use, and afford. We have one at work, but I rarely use it, as it is a pain, and costs a
lot in gas usage to use. Argon is not cheap. But a simple purge with nitrogen works fine for most things. I have had air senstive chemicals sealed
that way in a bottle last 2 to 5 years with no real degradation. Just depends on how perfect you want them and how much money you can spend on it.
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