Interesting note - and a reminder that alkaline solutions are tricky :) By
personal preference, HDPE bottles are probably the best for storing
strongly alkaline solutions (XLPE also is very good, but harder to get
lab-grade bottles).

Here's a handy chart for plastic vs stuff resistance. Note that HDPE is "E"
whereas PC (polycarbonate) is "N".

https://www.calpaclab.com/chemical-compatibility-charts/

Glass is not recommended for alkali storage, although there are some glass
products that have A1 or better alkali resistance rating. They can get
pretty esoteric, especially if one requires near-complete passivity towards
strongly alkaline solutions.

Artem

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On Sun, Jan 30, 2022 at 1:02 PM Edward Berry <ber...@upstate.edu> wrote:

> After using the same reagents for the Lowry assay and seeing the color
> yield in the standard curve gradually decreasing year by year, we decided
> to make new reagents last year. Sure enough the color yield was restored,
> but in the next assay a few weeks later the blank was unusually high. after
> a month the blank read nearly 1 AU.
>
> The problem was, we stored the alkaline reagent (NaOH + Na2CO3)in a
> polycarbonate bottle. I like polycarbonate because it is transparent and
> hard like glass, but lighter and less breakable. But polycarbonate is a
> polyester of Bis-phenol A with carbonic acid. Apparently the high pH slowly
> hydrolyzes the ester linkages, or the plastic retains some monomers that
> slowly leach out, and (duh!) bis-phenol A gives a positive reaction with
> the Folin-Ciocalto phenol reagent.
>
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