X-Message-Number: 7717
From: "Gerald Olschewski" <>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 14:19:10 +100
Subject: Re: #7712 Ether

Mike Darwin wrote:


> Thanks for the correction.  You are right.  Which makes old ether all the more
> dangerous.  I have never seen ether packaged in anything other than in metal
> bottles.  Anesthetic ether comes in a single use tin with a top which must be

> punctured.  Hugh Hixon taught me the ether basics years ago and he set a limit
> of 1-2 years on how long he'd let me keep an open container around. (no
> reflection on Hugh that I fogot it was air and light rather than H20 that
> created the peroxides!) I guess this is reasonable.  Gerald, do you have
> specific information on how long ether can be stored?  This is of more than

> passing interest since we will probably soon be working with ether on a 
regular
> basis.  We _do_ have explosion proof refrigerators.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mike Darwin


Dear Mike,

as far as I know, you can store ether indefinitely, as long as you 
keep it away from light and oxygen. This could be done best by 
keeping it under nitrogen or argon in a light-proof container or in 
a place without light. If you have no possibility of keeping it under
inert gas, having it in a tightly closed container may slow formation 
of peroxides.

To find out  whether dangerous amounts of peroxides have been formed or 
not, you can use inexpensive, commercially available iodide-starch paper.

If it happens, that peroxides have been formed and if you don't want 
to discard that solvent, you might try to reduce the peroxide with 
either magnesia or zinc. But I am not quite sure if this is correct. 
However, if  that should be of some importance to you, I could find out.


Gerald Olschewski


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