I can understand the conservator's caution, but as a collection manager you also have an obligation to try to preserve the historical and scientific integrity of the objects (the vials of essential oils). Opening and emptying the vials means you would intentionally damage the historic and research value of the objects. Before taking a step that drastic, you might want to consider proceeding more cautiously: 1. First, examine the vials and their seals. What materials are they made of? How stable are these materials? 2. Is there any evidence than any of the vials are leaking? 3. If there is no obvious evidence of leakage, set up a monitoring program to detect leakage either in storage or on exhibit. For example, you can do this by weighing the individual vials, measuring the level of fluid in each vial, and documenting the vials with color images. 4. If possible, determine what sort of oil is in the vials. Some oils are more volatile than others, some more corrosive than others. 5. Evaluate how the vials will be used. For display only? For research purposes? Can they be isolated in an exhibit case or storage in case they do later start leaking? --John John E. Simmons Museologica 128 E. Burnside Street Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010 [log in to unmask] 303-681-5708 www.museologica.com and Adjunct Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University University Park, Pennsylvania and Instructor, Museum Studies School of Library and Information Science Kent State University On Tue, Jul 5, 2016 at 11:41 AM, Jack, Emily <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Does anyone have advice or experience related to handling plant essential > oils? A donor from our university’s chemistry department is bringing a > collection of antique scientific equipment that includes about 30 vials of > essential oils (e.g. oil of sage, oil of rosemary, lemon, bergamot, etc.) > > We’ve spoken with conservators who suggested emptying the vials, based on > evidence that although the chemicals inside the vials may be inert, they > can nevertheless emit vapors which may be corrosive to other materials in > storage or display. > > When we told the donor, her response was that the vials are sealed/frozen > shut and cannot be emptied. > > We’d be grateful for any advice/insight regarding this situation. > > Thanks! > > Emily > > --- > Emily Jack > Digital Projects and Outreach Librarian > North Carolina Collection Gallery, Wilson Special Collections Library > CB #3930, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27514-8890 > (919) 962-4331 > www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/gallery.html > > > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail > message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should > read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).