Potassium Bromide

Hello,

I have a bottle of Potassium Bromide that has harden to a crust. Is it usable if I could break it down to its powdery form again? What is the shelf life of this chemical?

Is it a good idea to include a little packet of silica gel into bottles of dry chemical?

Thanks!

Hi Aaron,

Anhydrous potassium bromide (dry white powder) is the usual form of the chemical. It is hydroscopic and takes up moisture at a very rapid rate. Just exposing it to air for a few seconds will cause it to begin to crust. However, it has an indefinite shelf life. Merely grind it back to powder in a mortar and pestal (or whatever you have handy), and it's still O.K. to use. A Silica gel packet in a sealed container will help to keep it dry, but it won't entirely solve the problem. The last batch of KBr that I bought from Artcraft Chemicals came in the form of "nuggets". I think Mike gave up on the idea of keeping it in the anhydrous state.

Thanks Eugene for the information. Glad I could still use it. Appreciate your time.