Glass

Soda Lime Glass

  • Commonly known as flint glass
  • Resists attack from most common chemicals
  • Impermeable to oxygen and other gases
  • No permeation of container contents through glass wall

Amber Glass

  • Resists attack from most common chemicals
  • Impermeable to oxygen and other gases
  • No permeation of container contents through glass wall
  • Recommended for UV light-sensitive samples

Borosilicate Glass – 33 Expansion

  • Very high resistance against chemical attack
  • Meets requirements for USP Type I, Class A glass
  • Low coefficient of expansion gives high resistance to thermal shock
  • Low alkali content
  • Made without elements of calcium, magnesium, zinc groups, or heavy metals
  • Combined total of arsenic and antimony oxides is less than 0.005%

Borosilicate Glass – 51 Expansion

  • Very high resistance against chemical attack
  • Meets requirements for USP Type I, Class B glass

Plastic

High-density Polyethylene (HDPE)

  • Translucent
  • Flexible, but more rigid than low-density polyethylene
  • Highly resistant to non-oxidizing acids and aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons
  • Suitable for soil and sludge sampling

Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE)

  • Translucent
  • High impact resistance
  • Excellent resistance to weak or dilute acids, strong or concentrated acids, aliphatic alcohols, and bases

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

  • PTFE is widely known as TEFLON®
  • Opaque
  • Maximum temperature use 250°C
  • Excellent resistance to weak acids, most strong acids, and bases
  • Very resistant to organic solvents
  • Can be autoclaved repeatedly

Polypropylene (PP)

  • Translucent
  • Rigid
  • Excellent stress-crack resistance
  • Effectively resists weak and concentrated acids, aliphatic alcohols, and bases
  • Can be autoclavable repeatedly

PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)

  • Glass-like clarity
  • Flexible
  • Less permeable to oxygen than polyethylene
  • Excellent resistance to dilute or weak acids, aliphatic acids, and aliphatic hydrocarbons

Polystyrene (PS)

  • Glass-like clarity
  • Rigid
  • Strong resistance to aqueous solutions
  • Limited resistance to organic solvents
  • Brittle at ambient temperature
  • May crack or break if dropped from bench-top height

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

  • Transparent
  • Extremely good resistance to oils (except essential oils)
  • Very low permeability to most gases

Chemical Compatibility Chart

Chemical Resistance Reagent (20°C) HPDE LDPE PET PP PS PTFE PVC
Inorganic acids E E N E E E E
Organic acids E E E E E E N
Oxidizing agents conc. G G N G G E N
Alcohols G E E E E E E
Aldehydes G G N G N E N
Amines G G N G G E N
Bases E E N E E E E
Ketones G G N G N E N
Ethers G G * G N E N
Esters E E N E N E N
Glycols E E * E G E F
Aliphatic Hydrocarbons G G E G E E N
Aromatic Hydrocarbons G G N G N E N
Halogenated Hydrocarbons G G N G N E N
Mineral Oils E F * F E E E
Vegetable Oils G G * F * E G
Lubricating Oils E G * E * E *

E – Excellent resistance; no damage after 30 days of exposure; plastic may even tolerate for years
G – Good resistance; little or no damage after 30 days of constant exposure
F – Fair resistance; some damage after 7 days of exposure
N – Not recommended; immediate damage may occur
* – Information not available 

Sterilization HPDE LDPE PET PP PS PTFE PVC
Autoclaving (121°C, 15 psig for 20 min.) No No No Yes No Yes No
Dry Heat (160°C, 120 min.) No No No No No Yes No
Gas (Ethylene oxide) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radiation (Gamma irradiation, 25 kGy) Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
Disinfectants
(Benzalkonium chloride, formalin, ethanol, etc)		 Yes Yes Yes Yes Some Some Yes
Temperature Range HPDE LDPE PET PP PS PTFE PVC
Max Use Temperature (°C) 120 80 70 135 90 250 70
Brittleness Temperature (°C) -100 -100 <-40 0 20 -100 -30

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