Why keep ether and acetone in the shade?

Why keep ether and acetone in the shade?

In chemical experiments and industrial production, ether and acetone are common organic solvents. They are widely used in laboratory cleaning, chemical reactions and many other fields. These chemicals have a certain volatility and flammability, so they need special care when stored. Many of you may be wondering, "Why keep ether and acetone in the shade?" The following section examines this issue in detail and explores the need for ether and acetone storage and the science behind it.

Ether and acetone physical properties and storage requirements

Ethyl ether (chemical formula: C₂ H. I. O) and acetone (chemical formula: CHI3 COCHI3) are both volatile solvents with low boiling points. Ether has a boiling point of 34.6°C and acetone has a boiling point of 56°C, which means that they are easily volatilized at normal temperature. If they are stored in an environment where the temperature is too high, it will accelerate the evaporation process and even cause the pressure in the container to be too high, which may eventually cause danger. Therefore, putting these two chemicals in a cool place can effectively reduce the temperature, slow down the volatilization rate, and avoid safety hazards caused by excessive temperature.

Cool environment helps prevent spontaneous combustion and explosion

Ether is particularly prone to spontaneous combustion and explosion, especially in high temperature or strong light environment. Its flammability is very strong, even if there is no fire source, ether vapor encounter oxygen in the air can also occur spontaneous combustion reaction. Acetone, although relatively stable, can also cause its vapor concentration to be too high at high temperatures, thereby increasing the risk of fire. Therefore, in order to minimize the risk of spontaneous combustion or explosion of ether and acetone, it is a necessary protective measure to store them in a cool place.

shade storage helps extend chemical stability

The stability of chemicals is usually closely related to temperature. Under high temperature environment, the chemical reaction rate of ether and acetone will be accelerated, which may lead to the decline of solvent quality or the generation of unstable by-products. Ethyl ether will undergo peroxidation at high temperatures for a long time to produce peroxides, which may cause an explosion under external stimuli. Acetone is prone to polymerization at high temperatures, generating unsafe compounds. Ether and acetone stored in a cool place, can effectively delay the occurrence of these adverse reactions, so as to maintain its chemical stability and safety.

Temperature is too high may affect the operation accuracy

For experimenters who use ether and acetone, changes in temperature will affect the volatilization rate and concentration of the solvent, thereby affecting the accuracy of the experimental results. For example, too high temperature will make the solvent volatilize rapidly, resulting in the instability of the solvent concentration during the experiment, and then affect the accuracy of the experiment. In order to ensure the reliability of the experiment, ensure that the ether and acetone are stored in a cool place to avoid excessive temperature fluctuations, so as to maintain the accurate solvent concentration required for the experiment.

Summary

The answer to the question "Why keep ether and acetone in the shade?" involves several considerations. The cool environment can effectively reduce the volatilization rate of the solvent and reduce the risk of fire and explosion; the low temperature environment helps to maintain the chemical stability of the solvent and avoid peroxidation and polymerization reactions; stable temperature conditions are also essential for the accuracy of the experimental operation. important. Therefore, when storing ether and acetone, choosing a cool place is a necessary measure to ensure its safety and effectiveness.