How To Open A Stuck Reagent Bottle Stopper
Jun 15, 2023
If the lid of your reagent bottle gets stuck, there are several methods for removing it without breaking it. (If you are attempting to remove a stuck stopper, you should wear leather gloves in case the bottle or stopper breaks.) Small chips around the mouth of the bottle are frequently caused by stuck stoppers. Smooth the edges of the chips with a small piece of fine grit wet sandpaper.
Grasp the bottle with both hands, fingers around the bottle and thumbs against the stopper's edge. Push up against the stopper's edge. Turn the bottle around and try again until you hear a small pop. The lid may require several rotations and "pops" before it is loose enough to be removed.
If the first step didn't work, try running the bottle under warm water with the lid closed. The larger the temperature difference between the bottle and the stopper, the more likely it is that the stopper will come loose. Once the bottle is warm, dry it and repeat the preceding steps.
If that doesn't work, place a slightly crumpled piece of foil on an oven rack in the center. The foil should be at least 1.5 times the height of the bottle. Place the bottle on its side on the foil, with enough foil underneath to prevent the lid from hitting the oven rack if it falls out.
Begin by gently heating the bottle at 250°. Every 15 minutes, raise the temperature by 10-20° until the stopper comes loose. Wearing heat-resistant gloves, pull the bottle out and try step one, but the lid should eventually become loose enough to fall out on its own.
If all else fails, allow the bottle to gradually cool to room temperature. Hold the bottle upside down over a folded towel while wearing a heat-resistant glove and safety glasses and heating the neck of the bottle with a torch. Eventually, the lid should fall out onto the towel. Use caution because the bottle may crack due to the rapid heating.
If none of those methods work and you really need to get the contents out of the bottle, use a chisel and hammer to gently chip away at the bottle's neck around the stopper. If the contents are your bitters, thoroughly filter them to remove any glass slivers.
