reagents leaking, tests now unreliable?

[aquinas06]

I recently moved back into my student house and was taking my EZ-Test with me in the bottom of a rucksack. It was a long car journey and I noticed when unpacking the EZ-Test that some of the bottles had leaked, causing the bits of paper with the colour spectrums on to go all mangled and burnt. There was also a rainbow of colours down the side of the plastic container where the acids had leaked.

Anyway, I had to test some pills (white rolex crowns with light grey speckles) and carefully opened each of the reagent bottles in order to proceed with the test. All recent reports I've seen on pillreports speak favourably of this type of pill, but I got some very strange test results. Marquis took a long time but eventually changed to a dark browny colour. Mandelin went straight to purple/black. Mecke had no reaction.

Surely it's impossible that mandelin can rapidly detect MDMA, while marquis struggles and mecke fails completely, right?

Do the reagents stop working after a while? Is it possible that the leakages have caused them to go "off" and become unreliable and faulty? Or should I be think twice before consuming this pill (as no reaction from mecke is a worrying sign)?

Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you.

 

[RavenousBlonde]

How long have you had your testing kit? What was the temperatures in your car during the journey? There are several possibilities here. If your testing kit leaked, it could be cross-contaminated...to be safe, I'd buy a new one. Always take great care when handling/storing your reagents - they are caustic, chemical substances & can burn your skin (and worse). Keep them in a cool, dark, & dry place.

 

[aquinas06]

I've had the kit for a year now, and haven't used it up until yesterday for about 4 months.
In that case, it's possible that some of the bottles have been unsealed for that many months.

I don't think temperature is an issue; I've always stored the kit in a cool, dark place.

Cross-contamination is a definite possibility!

Thanks for your input, I'll make sure to take care when using what's left of the reagents. I've got a lot of reason to assume these pills are fine, but because of the way these tests have gone (no or little response from mecke and marquis, a colour change with mandelin) there is a very slight, albeit possible, chance of PMA, so I'd rather have some more chemical backing before I ingest them.

 

[aquinas06]

OK, I think my Mecke test is just faulty, possibly due to cross-contamination.

I tried testing another pill I have left over which I know is all good, and again I got no reaction from mecke but instant reaction from mandelin and a similar one from marquis.

Guess I'll just order a new kit, might go for Xtreme this time.

 

[phase_dancer]

Please be very careful with any spills, not only because of the corrosive nature of the acids found in Mandelin, Marquis and Mecke. Marquis contains formaldehyde, which is possibly less to worry about long term. Mandelin contains a vanadium compound. Vanadium is a heavy metal, and toxic, so anything with residue on it should be discarded. The most toxic of the 3 however is Mecke. Mecke contains selenious acid, which is a dangerous poison. Even a tiny amount ingested could cause problems.

Simons and Robadope contain sodium nitroferricyanide. If this contacts acids (as are in the above mentioned reagents) hydrogen cyanide gas is liberated!!

So, as RB indicated, care in handling and storing the reagents is important. I'd also suggest getting a new kit, simply because yours are a year old.