Question

I had ordered both Marquis and Ehrlich's reagents from a manufacturer and they came in eye dropper like bottles inside of prescription pill like bottles. The perscription pill bottles also had cotton like strips inside them which I am assuming help absorb leakage. I put both these perscription pill bottles together inside two layers of Ziploc bags.

After a while, I noticed some condensation inside the Ziploc bags. I am worried because the safety data sheets of the reagents scared me and I had stored the reagents in a closet.

I am assuming that the condensation came from the HCl / propanol or ethanol in the Ehrlic's reagent but I'm not completely sure. I doubt that the sulfuric acid from the Marquis reagent would have evaporated and I know the formaldehyde is in such low quantity and so volatile that it would probably not remain in the clothes/items in the closet.

I am wondering if the evaporation could have escaped the plastic bags and got into the clothes / other items in the closet. I removed the reagents from the closet about 1.5 months ago so is it safe to assume that any evaporation has broken down and that there aren't chemicals in the clothes? Would washing these clothes neutralize these chemicals? Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer 1

The condensation inside the Ziploc bags is likely the result of the HCl/propanol or ethanol in the Ehrlich's reagent evaporating and then condensing on the inside of the bags. After being removed from the closet for 1.5 months, it is safe to assume that any evaporation has broken down and there are no longer significant amounts of the reagents in the clothes. Washing the clothes should help to remove and neutralize any remaining chemicals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The condensation inside the Ziploc bags is likely the result of the HCl/propanol or ethanol in the Ehrlich's reagent evaporating and then condensing on the inside of the bags. It is possible that some of the evaporation could have escaped the plastic bags and gotten onto the clothes or other items in the closet. However, after being removed from the closet for 1.5 months, it is safe to assume that any evaporation has broken down and there are no longer significant amounts of the reagents in the clothes. Washing the clothes should help to remove and neutralize any remaining chemicals.