Many commercially purchased ethers have expiration dates printed on the containers beyond which they must not be used. All peroxidizable chemicals should be stored in sealed, air impermeable containers. Containers with loose fitting lids and ground glass stoppers on glass bottles should not be used for storage. The chemicals should be stored in a tightly closed, properly labeled container inside a flammable storage safety cabinets or explosion proof refrigerator away from heat, flames, sources of ignition , light, oxidizers and oxidizing acids. Promote routine testing for peroxides before distilling ethers.
Distillation is notable for a number of accidents involving peroxidizable chemicals it has caused.
A peroxidizable chemical should not be distilled if it contains more than 100 ppm of peroxide. Peroxide may form from freshly distilled and unstabilized ethers in less than 2 weeks. There are reports that indicate the formation of peroxide in tetrahydrofuran after 3 days and in ethyl ether after 8 days. Very dry absolute ether undergoes oxidation much more readily. A responsible user should annotate the general chemical inventory to indicate which chemicals are subject to peroxidation.