Alt Process Chemicals; How long can they last?

[Wayne Crider]

I wondering if anyone can help me with a determination as to how long the following list of chemical items "might" last. This is left overs from a Ziatype kit of which I believe some might be used in other disciplines.
I have no receipt showing purchase but would hazard a guess that they would have to be around 8 years old. If their no good I want to get rid of them or sell what's good.

Sodium Tungstate 40% solution.
Ammonium Dichromate 5%
Ammonium Ferric Oxalate Sol #1
Platinum Sol #3 (Potassium Chloroplatinite)
Lithium Palladium Sol #3 (Lithium Chloropalladite)
Gold Chloride 5% (I'm sure this is probably ok, but there is percipitate.
thanks

[Scott Davis]

The one most likely to be bad is the Ammonium FeOx. The metal salts are probably ok, the contrast agents, not sure. With the Platinum and Gold, if there is precipiate, you can try to get it back into solution by immersing the bottle in hot (100 F +) water and giving the bottle a good vigorous swirl. After you get any metal salts back into solution, let the bottle settle before using, as there is some precipitate that is expected and you don't want to be adding that to your emulsion.

[tgtaylor]

I don't know about ammonium ferric oxalate but the shelf life of a 20% solution of ferric oxlate is about 6 months according to James. In the powder state it will last for years. James suggest adding a few drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the old ferric oxalate if it is responsible for fogging your images.

Thomas

[Wayne Crider]

In remembering now, I believe it was the Ferric Oxalate that I had to replace at one time. I'll just trash it.

[D. Bryant]

I wondering if anyone can help me with a determination as to how long the following list of chemical items "might" last. This is left overs from a Ziatype kit of which I believe some might be used in other disciplines.
I have no receipt showing purchase but would hazard a guess that they would have to be around 8 years old. If their no good I want to get rid of them or sell what's good.

Sodium Tungstate 40% solution.
Ammonium Dichromate 5%
Ammonium Ferric Oxalate Sol #1
Platinum Sol #3 (Potassium Chloroplatinite)
Lithium Palladium Sol #3 (Lithium Chloropalladite)
Gold Chloride 5% (I'm sure this is probably ok, but there is percipitate.
thanks

The Sodium Tungstate will also eventually go bad. I had to dump a small bottle that had some kind of crud growing in it. I have no idea why it became contaminated.

[Wayne Crider]

Yeah that looks bad. Kind of cloudy.

[janosch simon]

I don't know about ammonium ferric oxalate but the shelf life of a 20% solution of ferric oxlate is about 6 months according to James. In the powder state it will last for years. James suggest adding a few drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the old ferric oxalate if it is responsible for fogging your images.

Thomas

hey which james are you refering too? :-) i have a problem with the highlights on my Ziatype and what you discribe sounds like it could be the ammonium ferric oxalate gone bad mine is 2 years old?

cheers janosch

[Vaughn]

When in doubt, I always get new Ammonium Ferric Oxalate Sol #1 (the #2 has Potassuim chlorate added and does not last long). The Ammonium Ferric Oxalate is cheap enough not to use old stuff! I usually buy a couple bottles and keep them in the fridge -- I have used refridgerated Ammonium Ferric Oxalate solutions well over a year after I bought it.

The "crud" might be mold -- try filtering it out. I got out my Ammonium citrate a few nights ago to develop some platinum/palladiums and there was a good growth of mold floating on the top. I just ran it thru a filter and all was good!

[janosch simon]

thx vaughn i guess i buy me the raw chemicals and mix myself much cheaper :-) in solution #1 and #2 is also some crystallized stuff on the bottom of the bottle hmmm i guess its time for new stuff i never stored them in the fridge guess i should get me a chemistry fridge :-) cheers janosch

[Vaughn]

I am the only one in the house, so just have the one fridge. The Ammonium Ferric Oxalate Sol #1 is the only chemical I keep in there ( I do not use the #2) -- but the fridge is about a third full of film...still plenty of room for beer, cheese and other essentials.

From what I remember reading years ago, Ammonium Ferric Oxalate can be difficult to get into solution. B&S sells a powdered form for shipping over-seas. The powder is about $9 for 100grams, the liquid $8.25 for 25ml

If you have not come across this, this might be helpful...

https://www.bostick-sullivan.com/art...iccoalate.html

PS -- Christopher James; The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes