Solution Bottle, Plastic

Quick Answer: The Solution Bottle, Plastic is a capped plastic laboratory bottle for keeping prepared solutions, such as working reagents, buffers, standards and pH calibration solutions, on the bench or reagent shelf where a shatter-resistant container is preferred to glass.

What a Plastic Solution Bottle Is For

Once a solution has been made up in a volumetric flask or beaker, it needs a container that can be labelled, capped and handled many times a day. That is the job of a plastic solution bottle. It survives knocks that would crack glass, weighs less on a crowded shelf and, for a number of common aqueous solutions, is chemically the more suitable container.

Solutions that attack glass are the clearest case. Sodium and potassium hydroxide slowly dissolve glass, which changes their concentration and can cement a glass stopper in place; fluoride-containing solutions etch it. Plastic is also chosen for dilute standards used in sodium, potassium, boron or silicate determinations, because glass can release those elements into the solution.

The listing name describes the bottle’s purpose rather than its neck design, so it overlaps with the narrow mouth and wide mouth bottles in the same range. Where the neck style matters, a narrow neck gives controlled pouring and a wide mouth is easier to fill and clean; compare the listings before ordering.

Applications

• Holding working buffers and reagents for student practical sets.
• Storing dilute sodium hydroxide for acid-base titrations.
• Keeping sodium, potassium or silicate standards where contact with glass is undesirable.
• Holding pH buffer and rinse solutions beside a pH meter or conductivity meter.

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Label every bottle with the solution name, concentration, preparation date and your initials.
• Keep the cap closed between uses to limit evaporation and dust.
• Wash with a mild detergent, rinse with tap water and then distilled water, and dry the bottle upside down.
• Autoclave only if the bottle is polypropylene and rated for it; polyethylene softens at autoclave temperatures.

Why Choose LabEquip

Chemistry teachers and lab technicians preparing reagents for a whole class or a batch of routine tests are the typical buyers of solution bottles, usually in sets. For a bottle defined by its neck shape, see the narrow mouth plastic bottle; for organic solvents, the glass laboratory storage bottle with screw cap is the better fit. Send your list of solutions to LabEquip for a matched set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why store sodium hydroxide solution in a plastic bottle rather than glass?

Alkali solutions slowly dissolve glass, which changes their concentration and can cement a glass stopper in place. Polyethylene and polypropylene generally resist alkalis, so a plastic bottle keeps the solution cleaner and the cap free to open.

Does it matter if the cap is left off?

Yes. An open bottle loses water by evaporation and collects dust, and an alkaline solution also absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, which slowly converts hydroxide into carbonate and alters titration results. Close the cap as soon as you have poured.

What is the difference between a solution bottle and a narrow mouth bottle?

The solution bottle is named for its purpose, holding prepared solutions, while the narrow mouth bottle is named for its neck, which gives controlled pouring. If a particular neck width matters for your work, compare the two listings or ask LabEquip which neck style this bottle has.

Are plastic bottles suitable for light-sensitive solutions?

Only if the bottle is opaque or amber. Solutions such as silver nitrate and potassium permanganate are normally kept in amber containers away from light, and a clear or translucent plastic bottle does not protect them.

Can organic solvents be kept in a plastic solution bottle?

It is not recommended for long-term storage. Aromatic and chlorinated solvents can swell or pass through polyethylene and polypropylene, and some solvents extract additives from plastic. Store solvents in glass or in containers rated for them.

How should a bottle be prepared before it is filled?

Wash and rinse it, finishing with distilled water, and let it dry. Then rinse the inside once or twice with a small portion of the solution it will hold, so any water left on the walls does not dilute the contents.

Last Updated: September 2026