The bottoms are rounded and they will therefore not stand without support of some sort. They do not usually come with caps. They are purchased when small quantities of a gas are required, and a wide variety of standard and specialty gases are available from many gas suppliers in this type of container. Lecture bottles and other small gas bottles are often a disposal problem for several reasons, the first being that, unlike most larger cylinders, the company who sold the container to Purdue does NOT want it back. Tags and labels are lost or become illegible.
Valves become stuck due to lack of maintenance and disuse.
If you would like assistance coping with lecture bottles or other small gas containers in your area, let me know. Email is the best way to do this. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is stepping up enforcement efforts in New England colleges and universities. Officials were prepared today to file a complaint accusing the University of New Hampshire of violating hazardous waste management plans. Ken Moraff, chief of the EPA's regional enforcement office said that complaints are expected to be made against other institutions in New England as well.