Lid on acetone bottles do the fumes make the plastic melt?

TheGoonies1985

I ask because I just put a coin in acetone and the inner liner in the cap of the bottle fell out so I just took the rest out and now it is just the plastic lid. Will this cause any problems to the acetone I will use on coins?

TheGoonies1985

The inner lining was plastic over foil then cardboard. I was surprised to see that the first layer is some type of plastic that directly takes the acetone fumes. I am no scientist when it comes to this type of stuff hence my question. I would imagine there are different types of plastics. I presume this plastic has zero PVC in it?

TheGoonies1985

If say plastic fell into the container were I placed my coin what will happen? Will it stick to the coin or just wash off with water once I rinse my coin after the acetone bath?

nwcoast

I would suggest that you dump the contaminated acetone and rinse your coins in a couple of sequential new acetone baths. Though I’m not a chemist, it is my feeling that the plastic in the lids could be trouble and defeat the purpose of using the acetone bath in the first place.

Edited to add: if it’s the lid for the acetone itself, I might guess that it’s inert and safe. If it was a jar that you grabbed from the kitchen, that could be trouble.

Cameonut

I think you may be overthinking this a bit, but it is best to be cautious.
In my experience, the caps of the acetone bottles are generally pretty good. That is, the materials they use are not typically "attacked" by the acetone itself. The weak point is often the cardboard liner and the glue that holds the liner in place. I've had many come loose, but I replace them when storing the leftover solvent. If you don't put the liner back, I can pretty much guarantee that the acetone will evaporate much faster than when the liner is in place.

I doubt there is anything in the liner to be concerned about but it is possible. Acetone does dissolve PVC but it should stay in solution so great rinsing will minimize this issue.

I have not purchased acetone in some time. I typically save up a bunch of coins that need treatment, then buy the smallest container I need (usually 16 oz) so I don't keep it around.

In the meantime if you have some coins soaking in acetone, they should be just fine.
Hope this helps.

MsMorrisine

acetone melts many but not all plastics

i assume from the description the plastic melted down into the acetone

that acetone is no longer pure and must be dumped

any coin dipped in it must be re-bathed

OAKSTAR

I'd like to see your acetone bottle and lid you're talking about.

TheGoonies1985

I am guessing these lids are made with plastics that do not dissolve with acetone fumes?

TheGoonies1985

OAKSTAR

Thanks @TheGoonies1985

TheGoonies1985

@MsMorrisine said:
acetone melts many but not all plastics

i assume from the description the plastic melted down into the acetone

that acetone is no longer pure and must be dumped

any coin dipped in it must be re-bathed

Yeah just going to use a new bottle. This is a first for me hopefully the coin will not be damaged by the first bath.

TheGoonies1985

@OAKSTAR said:
Thanks @TheGoonies1985

I imagine the cap on the bottle will not dissolve with the acetone fumes even if the inner layer of the cap are now out?

DNADave

Polystyrene will melt. I don’t think polypropylene will

TheGoonies1985

@DNADave said:
Polystyrene will melt. I don’t think polypropylene will

I imagine these bottles and caps are not what melts? That would be common sens.

TheGoonies1985

If ever there was some plastic in the acetone will a new acetone bath clean that off the coin?

MsMorrisine

no need for fancy acetone from someplace. i have a metal can of it from walmart or a hardware store

TheGoonies1985

@TheGoonies1985 said:
If ever there was some plastic in the acetone will a new acetone bath clean that off the coin?

Anyone?

TheGoonies1985

@MsMorrisine said:
no need for fancy acetone from someplace. i have a metal can of it from walmart or a hardware store

It costs me 9$+taxes up here in Canada. Amazon is so expensive for acetone I just walk to my pharmacy.

MsMorrisine

@TheGoonies1985 said:

@TheGoonies1985 said:
If ever there was some plastic in the acetone will a new acetone bath clean that off the coin?

Anyone?

re-bathe it

TheGoonies1985

@MsMorrisine said:

@TheGoonies1985 said:

@TheGoonies1985 said:
If ever there was some plastic in the acetone will a new acetone bath clean that off the coin?

Anyone?

re-bathe it

Thanks doing it right now. Cleaned my jar first with fresh acetone.

Mr_Spud

Just FYI, I wouldn’t expect the liner of the cap to be soluble in acetone if it is the original liner that came with the acetone bottle, but if it’s not what came with the acetone, then it might be acetone soluble. I once made the mistake of using a mason jar with its lid to rinse coins in acetone and the reddish rubbery liner melted from the fumes and dripped into the acetone with the coin inside. Because of that experience, I ended up moving to this type of glass container to rinse coins in acetone. It has a glass lid that prevents the acetone from evaporating so you can do a long soak, and it’s just the right size so that you only need about a tablespoon full of acetone to completely cover the coin. And it makes you feel all scientific when you use it 😉

TheGoonies1985

@Mr_Spud said:
Just FYI, I wouldn’t expect the liner of the cap to be soluble in acetone if it is the original liner that came with the acetone bottle, but if it’s not what came with the acetone, then it might be acetone soluble. I once made the mistake of using a mason jar with its lid to rinse coins in acetone and the reddish rubbery liner melted from the fumes and dripped into the acetone with the coin inside. Because of that experience, I ended up moving to this type of glass container to rinse coins in acetone. It has a glass lid that prevents the acetone from evaporating so you can do a long soak, and it’s just the right size so that you only need about a tablespoon full of acetone to completely cover the coin. And it makes you feel all scientific when you use it 😉

Yes was the cap that came with the bottle I always buy the same acetone but this was a first for me. I use those glass containers now as well since about a year. I doubt the plastic in the lid of the acetone bottle mixed with the acetone but since it never happened to me I was worried.

What did you do with the coins with the lid you used that messed up?

Mr_Spud

@TheGoonies1985 said:

What did you do with the coins with the lid you used that messed up?

I rinsed the coin a couple of more times using fresh acetone in a different glass container.

TheGoonies1985

@Mr_Spud said:

@TheGoonies1985 said:

What did you do with the coins with the lid you used that messed up?

I rinsed the coin a couple of more times using fresh acetone in a different glass container.

All OK now?

Mr_Spud

Yes, all ok after rinsing.

Sapyx

Acetone solubility is reversible - anything which contaminated acetone might leave behind on a coin, pure acetone should remove quite easily. Since it already dissolved in acetone the first time around, its acetone solubility the second time ought to be quite good.

@TheGoonies1985 said:
I am guessing these lids are made with plastics that do not dissolve with acetone fumes?

The lid, and the little insert, are both likely to be made with acetone-resistant plastics. Otherwise, the acetone bottles would spontaneously self-destruct while sitting on the shelf in the store, and nobody trying to sell acetone wants that to happen.

Where you're most likely to encounter a problem in this scenario is if they've used glue to attach the liner to the main body of the cap. If they did indeed use glue of some kind, then this glue has obviously failed (otherwise the liner would still be stuck in there), and being attacked by acetone fumes is the most likely cause of it failing. Age deterioration would be another possibility, but this bottle doesn't look old enough for that to be an issue. And if there was glue residue stuck to the liner and the liner then fell into the acetone, or if there's glue residue still stuck inside the lid, this would likely have washed off and contaminated the acetone.

jmlanzaf

@TheGoonies1985 said:

@DNADave said:
Polystyrene will melt. I don’t think polypropylene will

I imagine these bottles and caps are not what melts? That would be common sens.

They "dissolve". They don't "melt".

CRHer700

I tried to dissolve an NGC slab recently in acetone and it either didn't work, or it didn't work fast enough for me, so I cracked it in another fashion.

jesbroken

My metal tin has a plastic lid and has been on for the last 6 months or so with no noticeable damage to the lid, as was the last two tins I had over the last 10 years. From Lowes, btw.
Jim

TheGoonies1985

@Sapyx said:
Acetone solubility is reversible - anything which contaminated acetone might leave behind on a coin, pure acetone should remove quite easily. Since it already dissolved in acetone the first time around, its acetone solubility the second time ought to be quite good.

@TheGoonies1985 said:
I am guessing these lids are made with plastics that do not dissolve with acetone fumes?

The lid, and the little insert, are both likely to be made with acetone-resistant plastics. Otherwise, the acetone bottles would spontaneously self-destruct while sitting on the shelf in the store, and nobody trying to sell acetone wants that to happen.

Where you're most likely to encounter a problem in this scenario is if they've used glue to attach the liner to the main body of the cap. If they did indeed use glue of some kind, then this glue has obviously failed (otherwise the liner would still be stuck in there), and being attacked by acetone fumes is the most likely cause of it failing. Age deterioration would be another possibility, but this bottle doesn't look old enough for that to be an issue. And if there was glue residue stuck to the liner and the liner then fell into the acetone, or if there's glue residue still stuck inside the lid, this would likely have washed off and contaminated the acetone.

That inner plastic lining had a rip in the middle have no idea how that happened never seen this before in over 3 years of using acetone and always the same kind. I imagine with the new acetone bath I gave the coin from a new bottle of acetone (got rid of that older bottle) any glue would come of the coin correct? I cleaned my glass jar and lid and did fresh acetone 4-6 hours each side (new acetone for each side) then rinsed the coin with fresh acetone and let it dry. It is now in a Mylar cardboard flip.

Or would the glue damage the coin long term in any way?

Trying to learn.

TheGoonies1985

Thanks guys!!!

Sapyx

Yes, your treatment should remove whatever residue might have been in the old acetone.

"Glue" is just a generic word for a kind of plastic that we use to stick things together with; it could be made of virtually anything. There are PVC glues out there but I have no idea if the plastic bottle industry uses it to make bottle lids.

Besides, as has been said numerous times, PVC itself is not the cause of "PVC damage" - it's the plasticizers they use to turn PVC into coin album pages. PVC glue would not have those specific plasticizers, since glue does not need to be soft and transparent - but may have other ingredients. Other glues not made from PVC might also contain things not entirely safe for coins; epoxy glue, for example, usually uses an acidic catalyst in the second syringe to cause the polymerization.