Mystery Chemical

[Vlad Soare]

Hi guys,

I've posted this on Photo.net, too. I apologize to those of you who happen to read it twice.

A friend of mine has recently given me some photo chemicals he wasn't using anymore. Among them was one without label. He can't remember what it is. I would normally just throw it away, but it has such a distinctive look, it looks so unlike any other photo chemical I have seen, that I thought I'd show it to you first. Maybe someone can identify it.
It resembles glass wool. It looks like cotton mixed with long, thin, shiny, white crystals. Like very thin and sharp needles. And very long, much longer than hydroquinone crystals, for instance. I don't know how to describe it, except that "glass wool" is the first thing that springs to mind when I see it.
Does anyone recognize it?

Thank you.

[Shen45]

It looks like my last batch of hydroquinone. I only say looks like !!

[Vlad Soare]

Thanks, Steve. I thought about hydroquinone, too, but the crystals are much, much longer and also seem to be thinner (though this may be just an impression).
It doesn't resemble my two batches of hydroquinone, nor other hydroquinone I have previously seen.

Could it perhaps be hydroquinone that somehow got altered? Maybe hydroquinone crystals can grow very long under the right (or should I say wrong :)) humidity and/or temperature conditions? :confused:

[Sevo]

Most monocline (needle shaped) crystals will grow if damp, often to quite impressive dimensions. Sodium acetate is another candidate which will over time develop into a wooly mess if slightly damp (and rapidly dissolves into syrup when wet).

Sevo

[Paul Bujak]

Looks like the BTA I just got from Photographer's Formulary.

[evan clarke]

Put some in 100 deg. water and see how it dissolves. Hydroquinone will dissolve faster than benzotriazole. If it dissolves quickly, treat it like it is hydroquinone, mix a little and try it on a film leader...Evan Clarke

[neil poulsen]

I don't care what, I wouldn't trust anything that wasn't labeled. I'd throw it out, or dispose of it properly. (Give to hazardous waste people.)

Granted that it's probably photographic in nature. But, how would you know? Some chemicals that crystallize in this fashion can be explosive, flammable, etc.

[Vlad Soare]

Thanks guys, I think we have a winner. I mentioned benzotriazole to my friend, and he immediately exclaimed "Yes! That's it!". :)
I'm going to put a little into a batch of paper developer and see if it retards the development. If it doesn't, I'll dispose of it.
Thank you.

[emo supremo]

You could look up its properties (Merck index etc) and determine its melting point easily enough. I could run it for you if it is expensive/irreplacable.

[emo supremo]

it would be easy to ascertain its pH too

[evan clarke]

I don't care what, I wouldn't trust anything that wasn't labeled. I'd throw it out, or dispose of it properly. (Give to hazardous waste people.)

Granted that it's probably photographic in nature. But, how would you know? Some chemicals that crystallize in this fashion can be explosive, flammable, etc.

If you're not sure it is a photochemical, definitely dispose of it. It was free:) ..Evan Clarke

[SAShruby]

I don't care what, I wouldn't trust anything that wasn't labeled. I'd throw it out, or dispose of it properly. (Give to hazardous waste people.)

In Romania? LOL. You live in different world my fellow photography friend.

[walter23]

I don't care what, I wouldn't trust anything that wasn't labeled. I'd throw it out, or dispose of it properly. (Give to hazardous waste people.)

Granted that it's probably photographic in nature. But, how would you know? Some chemicals that crystallize in this fashion can be explosive, flammable, etc.


Yeah.

You might be able to narrow it down if you had access to a melting point apparatus.

But it could be just about anything imaginable, and testing its solubility in water, etc, won't really give you much insight into what it is.

[Eric James]

Yeah.

You might be able to narrow it down if you had access to a melting point apparatus.

But it could be just about anything imaginable, and testing its solubility in water, etc, won't really give you much insight into what it is.

Or a flash point apperatus:eek:

Strong oxidizing agents react violently with water - be careful!!!

Neil's advise is best!

[Vlad Soare]

I don't care what, I wouldn't trust anything that wasn't labeled. I'd throw it out, or dispose of it properly. (Give to hazardous waste people.)
In Romania? LOL. You live in different world my fellow photography friend.
Well, we do have facilities for disposing of certain hazardous materials, though it's true that those for raw chemicals are not so easy to find. There are companies which do just that - collect hazardous chemicals and dispose of them properly (at least in theory - I have no way of knowing what really happens in the background).
Facilities for the disposing of most common hazardous materials, like used engine oil, car batteries, common rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries, etc. are everywhere (at least in big cities). Those for raw chemicals may not be so easy to find, but on the other hand a lot of companies still handle hazardous chemicals and are required by law to dispose of them properly, so it's not like you can't do it properly if you really want to.
I don't know what big photo labs do with their chemicals, but I'm sure they don't pour them down the drain. I'll go to a lab and ask them about it when I have the time.