# Nitric Acid Storage ?



## kurt (Mar 29, 2011)

I recently bought 15 gallons of nitric acid for $175 but need to return the barrel in a couple days to avoid paying a $250 deposit. I had a couple 6gallon glass jugs I was going to put it in but knocked one over & broke it while working on making a wood protective crate for them. (clumsy me!!!)

At the local hardware store they sell wine, beer, & maple syrup making supplies & have 6 gallon plastic buckets with a spout fitted at the bottom or 8 gallon plastic buckets with a hole in the lid for a siphon hose.

Will these work for nitric “storage” or is the plastic a problem? --- These buckets are about $11 compared to $35 for glass jugs

Kurt


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## Barren Realms 007 (Mar 29, 2011)

Nitric will attack some plastics and make them brittle. Use the glass container or 5 gal plastic bucket with a lid.


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## kurt (Mar 29, 2011)

Hi Barren

You say to use glass - or - "5 gallon buckets" --- These are the same thing as 5 gallon buckets only larger. They are "food grade" (for making wine, beer, maple syrup & pickles in) so I am thinking they are fine for storing the nitric. At least sort term. Just not sure about long term & they are a lot cheaper then glass & don't need to worry about breakage. 

So - would 5 gallon buckets work for long term storage? --- If so - then these should not be a problem.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Mar 29, 2011)

That is what I make my nitric in and store in at times and haven't seen and degrading of the bucket, but not sure how long you can store the nitric in the bucket's.


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## kurt (Mar 29, 2011)

Ok - thanks


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## Oz (Mar 29, 2011)

Your Home Depot buckets will be HDPE plastic and be suitable for storing nitric short term. However consider that your spigot and the seals in it may not be suitable. Use glass and be careful with it is my advice.


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## goldsilverpro (Mar 29, 2011)

Were it me, I would never, ever use large glass containers for nitric. Too hard and dangerous to handle. Too easy to break. Too many bad memories of breakage. I also don't like the buckets too much for this purpose, especially if you're only using small amounts at a time.

I would probably buy 16 (4 cases) one gallon new round plastic jugs, with all-plastic lids, from a chemical supply company - I think they're either PE or HDPE. You can pour from them, with good precision, with one hand (or, two)). Don't use milk jugs - too thin. About 5 years ago, I paid $1.50 each for them in Houston. Then, when filled, I would store these in a large Rubbermaid type plastic tub (as a safety net), with lid, from Walmart. They have one that is deep enough to seal the lid on and hold about 6 jugs. The jugs are easily and safely handed when you're pouring from them - much safer and more controllable than from buckets. I've used the jugs for years and never had a problem. I would still put them inside another container, though. Better safe than sorry.

When transferring the nitric from the drum to the buckets, use a plastic chemical siphon pump and put the 1 gal jug in a plastic bucket, in case of spills. Don't fill the jugs to the brim - leave an inch or two of space. Rinse off the outside of the jug with water into the bucket with a squirt bottle. When finished, pump some water through the siphon pump to rinse it. If you leave strong nitric in a siphon pump, it will cease to work in a week.

If you have to store them outside, keep in the shade and just barely loosen the lids on the jugs to allow for expansion. Put something heavy on the top to keep kids, dogs, and raccoons out. If you are inside a large garage type structure, try putting them inside. Keep the jug lids and container lid tight and sniff around occasionally to check for fume leakage. You can also stick a few short pieces of pH paper around the perimeter of the lid and look for color change


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## trashmaster (Mar 29, 2011)

if you don't have PHpaper ,, put a few beer or soda cans around and watch for white particals forming on the cans.


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## Clneal2003 (Jul 27, 2014)

I know these are old timeeeee looking.... But would these work at all for storing small amounts of HCl, Bleach, and weekly Stannous Chloride? All separately by the way. I'm processing very small batches of karat and never need more than a few oz's per week. I keep all my acids far from each other and I'm tired of lugging around large gallon containers then pouring into small measuring cups, then using pipettes? I'm thinking these wouldn't work on nitric but might work for storing a little bleach and HCl. Will those glass stoppers stop fumes? Would these work for Nitric? 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Reagent-Bot...377?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ccb70189

I plan on ordering something as soon as I get some good feedback. I also saw some amber bottles with eye droppers built in but they look cheaply made in China. 

Thanks


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## resabed01 (Jul 27, 2014)

60ml is probably too small for a nitric bottle IMO. It would be a good size for sulfuric acid because you don't use much in refining. If you could find a larger bottle for nitric I think you'll find that better to work with. I use a 500ml glass stoppered bottle for my 50/50 nitric and for what I do around here I'll mix a bottle full about once a year. Pipettes work great, I love them. They are cheap, disposable and stand up to the dilute nitric acid no problem. You can get them in different sizes but you might find the 3ml or 5ml size most useful.
For HCL and bleach I just leave them in the plastic jug I bought them in.


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## Palladium (Jul 27, 2014)

1,000 ml h2o2 bottle and washing detergent jugs. Been using these for 2 years with no problems.


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## Clneal2003 (Jul 27, 2014)

resabed01 said:


> 60ml is probably too small for a nitric bottle IMO. It would be a good size for sulfuric acid because you don't use much in refining. If you could find a larger bottle for nitric I think you'll find that better to work with. I use a 500ml glass stoppered bottle for my 50/50 nitric and for what I do around here I'll mix a bottle full about once a year. Pipettes work great, I love them. They are cheap, disposable and stand up to the dilute nitric acid no problem. You can get them in different sizes but you might find the 3ml or 5ml size most useful.
> For HCL and bleach I just leave them in the plastic jug I bought them in.




So the bottles with glass stoppers do seal in fumes? I like those old timeee apothecary glass stopper kinds but was concerned about fumes seeping out.


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## solar_plasma (Jul 28, 2014)

My experience is, nothing will seal the fumes completely. That's why chemical storage cabinets have a build in fume hood.


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## resabed01 (Jul 28, 2014)

Clneal2003 said:


> So the bottles with glass stoppers do seal in fumes? I like those old timeee apothecary glass stopper kinds but was concerned about fumes seeping out.



No they don't seal in fumes but they also don't allow pressure to build up inside either. Once I dilute my nitric acid with half distilled water, escaping fumes seems to be a lesser problem.
Besides, I store all my chemicals outside in a well ventilated shed so it's not a concern.


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## goldenchild (Jul 29, 2014)

I'm looking to buy a large quantity of nitric soon myself. Which of these containers would be best suited for storing nitric?

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=82211&catid=576

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24708&catid=576


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## butcher (Jul 29, 2014)

I would look for the square smaller jugs, using the thick HDPE plastic, the smaller square jugs will not take up much more room in storage, and will fit better in a smaller storage cabinet, will be easier to handle or pour.


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## Harold_V (Jul 29, 2014)

A comment about nitric and plastic. 

It's not a good idea to combine them, not unless the plastic is compatible with nitric, and many are not. The larger the vessel, the greater the problem. 

Nitric makes plastic brittle, so it breaks much as glass does. I shudder to think of the consequences of picking up a large container, only to have it shatter. 

Glass was commonly used for nitric (carboys enclosed in polystyrene foam containers), as well as cases of four 1½ liter bottles. They, too, were enclosed in foam containers, to protect the bottles from breaking. In my many years in the lab, I purchased both of them, and never had any issues with breakage. 

The ultimate storage container for nitric is a 300 series stainless vessel. A stainless beer keg would be an excellent choice. 

Harold


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## jonn (Jul 29, 2014)

Here's A good example of the 300 series stainless Harold mentioned. They are available for $100 each, you pay shipping. They have a large nut in the middle for filling and quick release connectors useful for siphoning out of. Also a pressure gauge and temperature probe. Really useful for parting reactions.


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## rickbb (Jul 29, 2014)

Those would also make dandy moonshine pots, not that I know anything about that :wink:


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