math
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Comparison of (relatively) inert atmospheres for preventing oxidation?
Hi, I did think about ordering (from best to worst), atmospheres that would react the least with metals and paper/inks over time.
Argon (dry)
Argon (humid)
Nitrogen (dry)
Nitrogen (humid)
CO2 (dry)
CO2 (humid)
Air (dry)
Air (humid)
This is assuming same temperature, no UV.
I assume most molds won't grow without oxygen and water?
Advice welcome, thank you.
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BromicAcid
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In terms of ink, a CO2 atmosphere could wreak havoc with some dye based inks. It also would affect the acidity of the paper leading to breakdown.
Helium is another option though the crap from the big box stores has enough oxygen mixed in to make it useless for an inert atmosphere. If you want
to throw caution to the wind don't forget hydrogen, methane, ethane, propane, and butane.
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Sulaiman
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I do not know the answer but .....
I'm sure that atmospheres for archival have been well tested and documented.
personally I know very little other than that there is no one-size-fits-all solution;
some things want to be as dry as possible to prevent molds, fungi, bacteria or oxidation
others need a certain humidity level to not dry up and crumble, etc.
I guess that ideally you need to specify your requirements more tightly.
(age, paper, ink and binding type, with illustrations ?
Is it to preserve/seal/store or for frequent access ?
would imaging and digital storage be better ?
the ultimate solution will depend upon available funds vs value to you of the items to be preserved.
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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Radiums Lab
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I personally would go with Argon(dry) because of following reasons:
- It's pretty cheap compared to other noble gasses
- You can store literally anything from alkali metals to halogens without a doubt
- It's heavier than air, so you don't risk it leaving the container pretty easily
_ N2 cannot be used with metals such as Li
_ CO2 atmosphere does not support alkali metals and sometimes alkaline earth metals too.
_ O2 and H2O no need to mention( the reason why glove boxes exist!)
Water is dangerous if you don't know how to handle it, elemental fluorine (F₂) on the other hand is pretty tame if you know what you are doing.
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Keras
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I agree that argon is a good choice. Nitrogen works most of the time, but argon covers about everything and is not much more expensive, so go for it
directly.
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macckone
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Argon is best but nitrogen is cheaper.
Neon may be cheaper than argon in some places and is just as inert as argon.
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clearly_not_atara
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Nitrogen (dry) definitely beats argon (humid), except under very weird circumstances. Argon is more useful in general because it is heavier than air
whereas nitrogen is lighter, so argon will tend to sit in the flask nitrogen... won't! 
Also I would be pretty surprised to find neon cheaper than argon anywhere, it has a very very low bp and atmospheric concentration... it's very common
in the Universe overall but only in places where helium is even more common.
Krypton might also be useful in some circumstances since it has a stronger "blanket" effect than argon. But it is quite expensive.
[Edited on 3-11-2025 by clearly_not_atara]
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Keras
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The noble gases are very scarce on Earth.
Helium has escaped long ago, and the only source of it are alpha rays of radioactive isotopes.
Argon is *the* exception because it is heavier than air and results from the decay of radioactive potassium 40.
The other ones are only found as traces.
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Mateo_swe
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Any of the noble gases would be good as they are so unreactive with everything.
The fact that argon is heavier than air, commonly avaliable and cheap thanks to being used in welding make it highly useful for anyone wanting a
smaller oxygen free environment.
The helium sold at party stores for baloons is often inhaled to get that funny voice so im not suprised they mix in some air to make it slightly less
dangerous.
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FableP
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There are fountain pen inks that are specifically designed to be archival.
Presumably the greater potential for degradation would be the paper. I don't think its just oxidation & biological processes that attack paper
over time, but UV light as well.
Its common to view ancient artefacts in low light environments to protect against degradation.
Argon seems to be the noble gas of choice for manuscript preservation.
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