Nic Base Storage: Freezer vs. Room Temp Experiment

[mikepetro]

It appears most (if not all) people here (including myself) have our nic in freezers for long term storage. And we also keep a working bottle in the fridge. Since nic solution does not freeze, is there any reason why it cannot also be stored in the freezer (albeit it will be thicker)? What am I missing here?

According to our own Dr Kurt (PhD in Chemistry), the colder the solution - the slower the molecules will move and therefor the slower the oxidation reaction. Cold is good, colder is better.

It is just easier to keep the "working bottle" in the frig for day to day use, little damage is done because it will get used up first, i.e. it is short term storage. The freezer would only be marginally better for short term, but immensely better for long term storage.

 

[puffon]

It appears most (if not all) people here (including myself) have our nic in freezers for long term storage. And we also keep a working bottle in the fridge. Since nic solution does not freeze, is there any reason why it cannot also be stored in the freezer (albeit it will be thicker)? What am I missing here?

Let it come to room temp before opening the bottle.
Otherwise condensation will form inside the bottle, watering down the nic.

 

[DaveP]

One of the things I've been asked repeatedly is, "How does keeping nic in the refrigerator compare to room temperature or the freezer?" The only answer I've been able to give is, "I don't know, I've never tried it." I've been asked often enough that I started regretting having only bough two of each sample instead of three.

Another thing people have asked is, "How about that Carolina Extraction Tech nic that's done using supercritical C02 instead of solvents; is it worth the silly prices they charge for it?"

I've wondered the same, but I'm not about to put a liter at risk for a year to find out. I forget who posted this, but it was one of the Nic gurus here on ECF, (maybe Kurt). The point that struck home with me was that freezing caused a thickening in the base to occur and slowed down the nic's molecular ability to change as rapidly as it would at room temp. I took that to mean that stasis would occur and the molecules would remain longer in a pristine state.

ETA: I posted this before I saw MikePetro's post above on the same theory by Kurt. Great Minds think alike.

 

[Bronze]

According to our own Dr Kurt (PhD in Chemistry), the colder the solution - the slower the molecules will move and therefor the slower the oxidation reaction. Cold is good, colder is better.

It is just easier to keep the "working bottle" in the frig for day to day use, little damage is done because it will get used up first, i.e. it is short term storage. The freezer would only be marginally better for short term, but immensely better for long term storage.

I’m not sure it’s any harder to open my freezer door than my refrigerator door but I believe you’re right in that it likely makes any difference for short term storage.

Let it come to room temp before opening the bottle.
Otherwise condensation will form inside the bottle, watering down the nic.

Now this I can see as a disadvantage for short term freezer storage.

 

[Brewdawg1181]

All four types, side by-side:

And with their order reversed, because the light in my "studio" isn't quite even:

Right or wrong, I do judge companies on presentation. This is their main statement, for the world to see:

And this:

I know they're supposed to be scientists rather than English professors, but....if they're that serious, they should really know smart people to help with their website & marketing. Would you buy a pharmaceutical/supplement from a company whose website info looks like some college dorm mates threw it together?

This is so rife with improper capitalization, misspellings, poor grammar, and just nonsense, I just can't take them seriously - much less pay a premium for their product. Caps where they don't belong, improper hyphens, and not a single claim that really means anything. "diacetyl free?" ; "contained from all oxygen?"

And "water clear?" If there is no oxidation, why is their product so much darker than standard product right off the bat? What makes it darker? Maybe I'm wrong, and it's better than anything else out there. Maybe CO2 extraction really has benefits they haven't clearly laid out. But combine all this with the unsubstantiated statement about freezing at 30 something degrees, well...not for me.

Oh, and I just checked - looks like they must monitor ECF. The Q&A that has that statement about freezing is no longer there.

 

[kas122461]

I have my nicotine in small 50 ML bottles, and the bottle that I have opened for use, is always stored in the freezer. If I am going to mix, the first thing I do is take it out of the freezer, by the time I get everything else mixed, the nicotine is thawed out. If there is still a bit of a chill to it, I hold in in my hand for a few minutes.

KAS

 

[Brewdawg1181]

I have my nicotine in small 50 ML bottles, and the bottle that I have opened for use, is always stored in the freezer. If I am going to mix, the first thing I do is take it out of the freezer, by the time I get everything else mixed, the nicotine is thawed out. If there is still a bit of a chill to it, I hold in in my hand for a few minutes.

KAS

I'm thinking my first bottle of nic was opened and sat in my desk drawer for about a year and a half. I don't go through it very fast. It was yellowed some when I finished it, but still tasted fine. Might've had a little more odor to it, but didn't smell bad. Truth be told, I never thought about it, and I guess I didn't pay attention or know any better.

Now, I just keep less than 30ml handy at room temp, the rest freezer.

 

[Pigs]

It appears most (if not all) people here (including myself) have our nic in freezers for long term storage. And we also keep a working bottle in the fridge. Since nic solution does not freeze, is there any reason why it cannot also be stored in the freezer (albeit it will be thicker)? What am I missing here?

I store my working bottle in the freezer now. I leave it out a room temp an hour or 2 before mixing and it seems fine.

 

[Bronze]

I store my working bottle in the freezer now. I leave it out a room temp an hour or 2 before mixing and it seems fine.

I’m guessing the only purpose for leaving it at room temp for an hour or two is because it thins out and is easier to transfer??

 

[kas122461]

I’m guessing the only purpose for leaving it at room temp for an hour or two is because it thins out and is easier to transfer??

It is to prevent the condensation from occurring.

KAS

 

[Rossum]

It appears most (if not all) people here (including myself) have our nic in freezers for long term storage. And we also keep a working bottle in the fridge. Since nic solution does not freeze, is there any reason why it cannot also be stored in the freezer (albeit it will be thicker)? What am I missing here?

I can't think of any reason why it cannot be. The only downside I can think of is that it will take longer to get up to a reasonable temperature. When I pull a 120 out of the freezer, it almost instantly develops a layer of frost, and it takes many hours to get to a temperature where I'm confident no condensation will form on the inside when I open the cap.

Disclaimer: I normally mix down an entire 120 of 100mg base to a vaping-strength unflavored at one time, so I never really have a "working" bottle of 100 mg base.

 

[Rossum]

And "water clear?" If there is no oxidation, why is their product so much darker than standard product right off the bat?

Yeah, needless to say, I wasn't terribly impressed by its appearance either, especially the VG. If it was mid-summer, I'd say, "OK, the stuff sat in a hot truck for too long", but it is not mid-summer. Yes, it's still fairly warm here in NE FL, but it's by no means "summer hot" either.

 

[Bronze]

I can't think of any reason why it cannot be. The only downside I can think of is that it will take longer to get up to a reasonable temperature. When I pull a 120 out of the freezer, it almost instantly develops a layer of frost, and it takes many hours to get to a temperature where I'm confident no condensation will form on the inside when I open the cap.

Disclaimer: I normally mix down an entire 120 of 100mg base to a vaping-strength unflavored at one time, so I never really have a "working" bottle of 100 mg base.

How much vaping-strength unflavored does that yield and then where do you store that?

 

[Rossum]

How much vaping-strength unflavored does that yield and then where do you store that?

I've been at 13 mg/ml for quite some time. So I get about 920 ml of vaping-strength liquid. I rebottle that in 120s and all but one of them goes back in the freezer. The one I'm currently using sits on my desk, because it gets used at least once a day. A 120 of vaping-strength lasts me close to four weeks.

 

[Pigs]

I’m guessing the only purpose for leaving it at room temp for an hour or two is because it thins out and is easier to transfer??

Yes that's my reason and because I guess the nic will mix with the PG (shaken) better when it's at a thinner vicscosity.

 

[GOMuniEsq]

Sounds like even when it does oxidize it just becomes more peppery, without losing any of its effectiveness. I've got 20x 4oz glass bottles in my freezer now.

So what's the status of this experiment that's been running since March 2017? Freezing and darkness reduces the rate of chemical reaction to practically nil?

 

[Bronze]

Sounds like even when it does oxidize it just becomes more peppery, without losing any of its effectiveness. I've got 20x 4oz glass bottles in my freezer now.

So what's the status of this experiment that's been running since March 2017? Freezing and darkness reduces the rate of chemical reaction to practically nil?

Sumpin’ like that.

 

[Rossum]

So what's the status of this experiment that's been running since March 2017? Freezing and darkness reduces the rate of chemical reaction to practically nil?

I need to post an update on the March 2017 samples. They're up in PA where I've spent relatively little time this year, and when I have been there, I've been preoccupied with other things. I hope to get to this around Thanksgiving or shortly thereafter.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Hey, I just ordered an extra liter of nic from Nic River and it comes in a plastic jug so I'll want to decant into glass bottles for freezer storage. It's been a long time since I bought bottles and I don't remember where I got mine (may have been Nude Nic). Can anyone recommend some good bottles for freezer storage?

 

[zoiDman]

I think Glass Bottle Outlet has pretty Good Prices and Shipping.