Syringe Filter Solvent Compatibility
Intro
There are so many solvents and syringe filter/membrane materials that it can be tough to remember which combinations are safe and which are corrosive.
These tables show five common syringe filter materials -- Cellulose Acetate (CA), Nylon, PES, PTFE, and PVDF -- and their compatibilities with 75 common solvents.
Compatibility Tables
Compatibility Grades
The tables below indicate a compatibility grade for each material/solvent combination.
Safe means that the combination is confirmed compatible.
Not Safe means that the combination is confirmed incompatible/corrosive.
Caution is a wild card. It means either (a) that the combination is safe or unsafe depending on certain conditions or (b) that there's not enough laboratory data for a confident determination. If dealing with a combination graded as Caution, it's recommended that you test the
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Acids
| Solvent | Cellulose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetic, 5% | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Acetic, 10% | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Acetic, 25% | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Acetic, Glacial | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Boric | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Formic, 25% | Caution | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Hydrochloric, 15% | Caution | Caution | Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Hydrochloric, 25% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Hydrochloric, concentrated | Not Safe | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Not Safe |
| Hydrofluoric, 10% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Caution | Caution | Caution |
| Hydrofluoric, 35% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Nitric, 25% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Nitric 6N, 38% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
| Nitric, concentrated | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Phosphoric, 25% | Caution | Not Safe | Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Sulfuric, 25% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Sulfuric 6N, 29% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Sulfuric, concentrated | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Trichloroacetic, 10% | Not Safe | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Alcohols
| Solvent | Cellulose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amyl Alcohol | Caution | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Benzyl Alcohol | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution |
| Butyl Alcohol | Caution | Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
| Butyl Cellosolve | Not Safe | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution |
| Ethanol, 70% | Caution | Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
| Ethanol, 98% | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Ethylene glycol | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Glycerol | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Isobutyl Alcohol | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution |
| Isopropanol, n-Propanol | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Methanol, 98% | Not Safe | Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
| Methyl Cellsolve | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution |
| Propylene glycol | Caution | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Phenol, Aqueous 10% | Caution | Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Alkalines
| Solvent | Cellulose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonum Hydroxide, 25% | Not Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Formalin, 30% | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution | Caution |
| Sodium Hydroxide 3N, 12% | Not Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Esters
| Solvent | Celluose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amyl Acetate | Not Safe | Safe | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Amyl Propyl & Butyl Acetate | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Benzyl Benzoate | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Butyl Acetate | Not Safe | Caution | Not Safe | Caution | Caution |
| Ethyl Acetate & Methyl Acetate | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Isopropyl Myristate | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Methyl Cellosolve Acetate | Not Safe | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Propylene Glycol Acetate | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Tricresyl Phosphate | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Isopropyl Acetate | Caution | Safe | Caution | Caution | Safe |
| Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Dioxane & Tetrahydrofuran | Not Safe | Safe | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Ethyl Ether | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Isopropyl Ether | Caution | Caution | Caution | Safe | Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Hydrocarbons
| Solvent | Cellulose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hexane | Caution | Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
| Xylene | Caution | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Kerosene, Gasoline | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Tetrakin, Decalin | Not Safe | Safe | Caution | Safe | Safe |
| Toluene, benzene | Caution | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Carbon Tetrachloride | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe |
| Chloroform | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Methylene Chloride | Not Safe | Caution | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Monochlorobenzene | Not Safe | Not Safe | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Trichloethylene | Not Safe | Not Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Ketones
| Solvent | Cellulose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetone | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Cyclohexanone | Not Safe | Caution | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Isopropylacetone | Caution | Safe | Caution | Safe | Not Safe |
| Methyl Ethyl Ketone | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Methyl Isobutyl Ketone | Not Safe | Safe | Caution | Safe | Not Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Nitrogen Solvents
| Solvent | Celluose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetonitrile | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Aniline | Not Safe | Caution | Caution | Safe | Caution |
| Diethylacetamide | Not Safe | Caution | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Dimethyl Formamide | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe |
| Pyridine | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Caution |
| Triethanolamine | Caution | Safe | Caution | Safe | Not Safe |
Syringe Filter Compatibility with Other Solvents
| Solvent | Cellulose Acetate | Nylon | PES | PTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formaldehyde Solution, 30% | Caution | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Hydrogen Peroxide, 30% | Not Safe | Caution | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Pyridine | Not Safe | Safe | Not Safe | Safe | Safe |
| Silicone Oil & Mineral Oil | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe |