Why we publish this, and who writes it

This site is an editorial resource on laboratory containers: the kinds of glass and how they are classified, the closures that seal them, how the tightness of a seal is tested, and how containers are labelled and handled.

Why this exists

The container a material is kept in is in contact with it for longer than any instrument, and it is examined less than almost anything else in a laboratory. It is chosen once, often by habit, and then assumed to be neutral for as long as the material stays in it. The questions that would settle whether it is are always the same handful. Which glass, of which class. Which closure, made of what, treated how. Which test proved the seal, at what sensitivity and at what temperature. How it has been handled since. Those are easier to explain once, properly and in public, than one conversation at a time.

So the site is written as a reference. The position behind it is a plain one: a container is worth what its specification can show. "Good quality glass" cannot be checked by anybody. A glass type, a hydrolytic class, a closure material and a named integrity test can be.

What we publish, and what we do not

Everything here is descriptive: the main kinds of laboratory glass and how they expand and resist water; how containers are classed; the difference between tubing and moulded glass; what amber glass does to light; how stoppers, septa and lined caps are made; the difference between extractables and leachables; the methods used to test the integrity of a seal; and what a complete container specification contains.

We publish no claims of any kind about any product, material or substance. We describe, recommend, compare and evaluate nothing that is sold anywhere, we give no usage guidance of any sort, and nothing here is professional advice. Figures quoted from published standards are summaries for orientation. The current edition of the standard itself is always the authority.

Who it is written for

• Anyone who has read "Type I glass" on a specification and wondered what it commits anyone to
• People who store materials for long periods and want to know what the container contributes
• Anyone comparing two container specifications and wondering which questions to ask
• Students and new starters who were handed a box of containers and never told why they differ

The resource is intended for adult readers aged 18 and over.

Corrections

If something here is wrong, out of date, or reads as more certain than the evidence supports, tell us and we will correct it. Standards are revised and common practice moves, and a reference that is not maintained stops being a reference.

Published by

PlusPeps+
Editorial office, European Union
editor@pluspepts.com

This resource is written for adult readers aged 18 and over.