can test kits go bad?

[naatural]

Hia,

SWIM tried to test a pill the other day and there was no real colour change, maybe very slight darkening where the fragment was, but usually the whole solution drop would turn blue/black.

Then he realised the there was some kind of spill from one or more of the 4 solutions (EZ test xtreme) in the bigger container, and he noticed a kind of dark/grey dry residue covering some of the bottle and instructions leaflet.

He then decided to throw a tiny fragment of other mdma (which had before been tested) and it didn't really give a colour change either - same kind of slight darkening as the pill fragment

So maybe is it possible that the test kit solution has gone bad or something??? Does anyone know what could have made this happen/would it still do anything in the presence of mdma etc...

cheers!!

[radiometer]

From your description it sounds like you need a new test kit.

Stored properly, Marquis reagent and Simon's reagent (the two that SWIM uses) can be kept for a very long time. SWIM has some 3+ years old Marquis reagent in his fridge which is still working correctly.

[KyleM]

The exact same thing happened to SWIM about 4 weeks ago with the EZ Test Extreme. He had 2 kits for about 2 years which he kept in his freezer. That seemed to preserve them well and they worked great until he took them on vacation and had them out of the freezer for a week or so and they stopped working. They spilled into the larger container and had the liquids had a darker appearance when he tried to use them and had much difficulty distinguishing colors. SWIY's best bet is to keep them very cold and make sure the lids are on tight when not in use. And try to dry up any liquid on the outside of the bottle, like around where it pours out, before returning it into the larger container. They do eventually expire, but carelessness will speed that up very quickly.

[Broshious]

I'm pretty sure for at least Marquis, that sugar will give a strong reaction so give that a go.

[naatural]

I think the problem has been figured out:

buffer solution seems almost empty so was probably spilt and somehow caused marquis (and only marquis) to go bad

simons still works fine somehow :/

oh and unfortunately the pills were duds lol (no reaction with simons or robadope) guess my friend will throw them in the bin

[Fantasian]

SWIF found that his went bad roughly after 8 months,

[Pretty_Diamonds]

Yes, they go bad.