Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

We are doing a demonstration of turning copper pennies into gold (yellow brass) and have to make a 6M NaOH Solution. We want to know what kind of and how good of a quality should the container be.

Hi there,

Sorry for the delay in answering your question. In case you are still wondering, a great resource for storage is the MSDS of a solution. For NaOH (6M) it is best to avoid storage in a corrodible metal container, it may also corrode certain types of glass containers. Usually NaOH solutions are stored in a thicker plastic- ex: high density polyethylene or polypropylene.

Best,

Erin