See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/8013127

Sealing ability of a glass ampoule

Article  in  Clinical Laboratory · February 2005

Source: PubMed

CITATIONS READS

0 64

1 author:

Yutaka Tajima
Shinohara Hospital
35 PUBLICATIONS   254 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Yutaka Tajima on 21 April 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Clin. Lab. 2005;51:47-48
©Copyright
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Sealing Ability of a Glass Ampoule

YUTAKA TAJIMA
Clinical Laboratory, Saga University Hospital, Nabeshima, Saga, Japan

To the Editor: (2) A glass ampoule (medium)

When we desire to keep some materials for a long time, This ampoule is made of translucent crown glass (0.3 ～
air-tight bottles are usually used, and the usage of a 0.5 mm thickness). After being filled with ～5 ml water
glass ampoule is only rarely. However, only little is under room air, this ampoule was sealed by a gas bur-
known about their sealing abilities. The author prepared ner.
several vessels for sample preservation (see below) and
filled them with water 20 years ago. Then, their weights (3) A glass ampoule (small)
were measured every year by a well-calibrated balance This ampoule is made of translucent crown glass (0.3 ～
to check their sealing abilities.
0.5 mm thickness). After being filled with ～0.5 ml wa-
ter under room air, this ampoule was sealed by a gas
(1) A glass ampoule (large)
burner.
This ampoule is made of translucent crown glass (0.3 ～
0.5 mm thickness). After being filled with ～10 ml wa-
ter under room air, this ampoule was sealed by a gas
burner.

Table 1: Sealing abilities of several vessels

Time after sealing (Years)

Sample 0 1 5 10 20
(Water content, ml) Weight (g)
(1) Glass ampoule (10) 16.32855 16.32869 16.32856 16.32860 16.32896
(2) Glass ampoule (5) 8.15978 8.15981 8.15991 8.15967 8.15980
(3) Glass ampoule (0.5) 1.46973 1.47003 1.46986 1.46994 1.46982
(4) Glass ampoule (5) 10.16224 10.16217 10.16293 10.16236 10.16275
(5) Copper tube (10) 44.01581 44.01495 43.89648 43.56743 42.95644
(6) Air-tight vial (10) 22.02743 21.83511 21.42578 - -
(7) Sample tube (10) 16.73521 15.76904 - - -
(8) Glass tubea (10) 29.14383 28.92120 28.78166 - -

a
Capped by a lid with ground tapered glass joint, which was sealed with silicone grease. Without the grease, leakage was greater than 2～3%/year.
However, grease will deteriorate within a few years.

Clin. Lab. 1+2/2005 47

 YUTAKA TAJIMA

(4) A hand-made glass ampoule (medium)
This is only a glass tube of translucent flint glass. After
being filled with ～5 ml water under room air, this am-
poule was sealed by a gas burner.
(5) A hand-made copper tube ampoule (large)
A tube (～30 mm diameter, ～0.2 mm thickness) made
of copper was cut, and both sides were bent to make a
flat aperture. After being filled with ～10 ml water un-
der room air, this tube was sealed by soldering.
strongly recommended for long time sample preserva-
tion.
Sealing a metal vessel by soldering is less reliable.
Probably, a pinhole of molecular size still remained
even after careful soldering. Commercially available
air-tight vials are found to be useful only for tentative
sample preservation. Without packing, the sealing abili-
ty was even less reliable. Sealing by a ground tapered
glass joint was relatively good when the joint was
smeared with silicone grease.

(6) An air-tight tube (large)

This is a commercially available glass screw vial with
silicone packing. After being filled with ～10 ml water
under room air, this vial was tightly closed.

(7) Sample tube

This is a commercially available plastic tube without
packing. After being filled with ～10 ml water under
room air, this tube was tightly closed. Correspondence: Yutaka Tajima
Clinical Lab.
(8) Test tube Saga University Hospital
This is a commercially available glass tube capped by a Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan
lid with a ground tapered glass joint. After being filled Fax.: (+81)-952-34-2028
with ～10 ml water under room air, this tube was capp-
ed by the glass lid with grease sealing. Present address:
Infection Control Sciences
The results are summarized in Table 1. In any case, Postgraduate School of Medicine
there was absolutely no leakage in glass ampoules. This Juntendo University,
means that diffusion of molecules that are larger than Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
water was completely blocked by glass of only 0.3 mm Fax.: (+81)-3-5684-7830
thickness for 20 years. Therefore, a glass ampoule is E-mail: y-tajima@med.juntendo.ac.jp

48 Clin. Lab. 1+2/2005

View publication stats