xylene substitute

I have found that I am very sensitive to xylene. I tried using it yesterday on some test coins, and I found that I react badly to any fumes from it. Has anyone used a substitute for xylene? I just bought a substitute called Pro Par. Anyone try this? Also, has anyone used alcohol to get oil off of coins? If so what was your experience? Thank You for any information

 

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I'd expect acetone to work better than alcohol. Try that first.

 

Where were you using the xylene? It's best used outdoors. And you should be using nitrile gloves.

 

Since I have worked around solvents a lot, they don't bother me particularly, but if they do, I see your problem. Substances are either polar or non-polar, kind of meaning they will dissolve water soluble stuff or they will dissolve oil soluble stuff. Xylene is non-polar, so if you want to replace that, you could try toluene or even odorless turpentine. As long as the solvent you juse is pure, it should not have any effect on the coin. You might want to try alcohol (very polar) then acetone (a little polar) before you go to the non-polar solvents. Just make sure they are pure.

 

Did a quick look and found the MSDS for ProPar. The big difference is that Xylene is what is called an aromatic hydrocarbon while ProPar is an aliphatic hydrocarbon. They should have similar cutting power for grease, but ProPar would probably not be as strong as Xylene. Here is the MSDS sheet link: http://www.anatechltdusa.com/MSDS_pdf/ProParMSDS.pdf

 

Thank You for the input. I have been using acetone a lot, and it does not bother me at all My problem with acetone is its reaction with copper and other such metals. I mainly collect medals which come in many different metals many of which are bronze. I needed a solvent that would clean the oils, but would not hurt the bronze/copper. I will see if I can find pure alcohol if the Pro Par does not work. Has anyone had problems using alcohol?

 

Alcohol will not do nearly as much as acetone. Not even close.
Pure acetone does not react with any metals. However, contaminated or old acetone might. It oxidizes over time to form an acid which can affect copper. I am unaware of it affecting other metals.

BTW, my guess is that if you have something acetone will not remove it is not an oil. Also, I have no idea what Pro Par is. Good luck finding pure alcohol. It is very difficult to refine out all the water.

 

Another problem you have here is he is wanting to use it on medals and many medals have a patina or coating applied to them as part of the manufacturing process. The solvent might react with the coating.

 

I have run into some medals with the coating not frequently but sometimes. Most times, I have found the patina on more recent medals. I also collect coins especially those connected with a historical events such as the centennial etc. Thanks for the warning though. I usually use acetone, but sometimes I find copper medals/coins that need dipping. These I need a different method be it alcohol or the xylene substitute Pro Par.

 

Unless you want to pay prices for alcohols over 90%, there is as rlm says, still a lot of water there. The highest %, I can find is 91% Isopropyl at Walmart. They keep it in the pharmacy area, but in truth, 70% isopropyl is cheaper and kills a larger proportion of microorganisms than 91% or 50 %. And keep goggles on when using.

Jim

 

The only acceptible substitute for xylene would be toluene. However, it has a MUCH stronger odor and is generally more obnoxious than xylene.....that's why xylene is used. If it bothers you, then I suggest you only use it with adequate ventilation. Honestly, you're the first person I've heard of that was effected by xylene.

I would think that ProPar would bother you much more than xylene. It's a mixture of alphatic hydrocarbons and those usually contain quite a mix including lighter molecular weight components that volatilize easily (creates fumes). I find such solvents very offensive to the senses. I also don't like using such a mix of molecules because the content will vary from lot to lot and the results may be unpredictable. This could negatively affect the patina whereas xylene is quite predictable.

 

The 91% isopropanol is a constant-boiling mixture, or "azeotrope", with water. What this means is that it does contain water, which can react with some metals, but it takes ALL the unreacted water with it when it evaporates. In other words, 10 ounces of 91% isopropanol won't evaporate and leave 1 ounce of water behind. It stays 91% isopropanol until it's all evaporated (or until something adds more water to it).

 

Actually, oil is almost completely insoluble in acetone. Take a clear, glass container, mix equal proportions and see what happens.....you'll get two layers. If you do the same experiment with xylene, they will completely mix together. It comes back to the old chemistry principle of "like dissolves like".

 

Not to pick nits, but I'm pretty sure this can't happen. You'd need some pretty exotic chemicals to oxidize acetone without flat-out burning it into CO2 and water.

Whatever's causing this discoloration of copper, it's not "oxidized acetone". I'll stake my reputation as a... well, actually, I have no reputation related to chemistry, now that those disciplinary records from college have been purged. So never mind.

 

Isopropanol is a poor solvent for dissolving oil too. The ProPar will do a better job since both oil and ProPar are non-polar.

 

Don't discount yourself! I've read your posts, you know a lot about chemistry and I always like your posts!

 

This maybe incorrect but Pro Par is recommended as a safer substitute for xylene. When I get it next week, I will test it out on circulated common coinage before trying it on my medals and coins. My reaction to xylene was very subtle. I found myself unusually tired which was not the norm for me. From my web research, this tiredness is a possible effect from xylene.

 

Are you saying that 91% alcohol will evaporate completely without leaving residue?

 

BadThad and everyone else thank you for sharing your knowledge. I understand BadThad is the maker of Verdicare; your expertise and willingness to respond is especially welcomed.