what does the fresh stuff look like? does the color of the powder make a difference in the resulting developer?

Just another post fight on the bragboards, but it also reminds you, check the internet. Whatever the posters with more posts than pictures say— verify it. don’t get trumpd again.

glycin color [TCI] White to Gray to Brown powder to crystal. Notice that color correlates with size of — crystal is darker. Preparation see: Meldola, Foster, Brightman, J. Chem. Soc. 111, 552 (1917) It’s prepared from p-aminophenol and chloracetic acid. [ basis note: Chemical Storage InfoLIGHT SENSITIVE, AIR SENSITIVE: Keep tightly closed in light-resistant containers]

So, Amidol in the US comes from Artcraft or Formulary. December 2022

https://artcraftchemicals.com lists Amidol — chinese. Interestingly, this is the store that as of today is being boasted about as supplying the good English brand, not the evil chinese brand. Can’t say much about the company’s description. No SDS. They also say this: “Chinese Amidol, much better pricing than other Amidol sellers who are selling the Chinese stuff at a premium.”

the Other is likely Formulary. Their SDS lists the vendor as Alfa Aesar. http://photoformulary.homestead.com/Amidol_SDS.pdf

Amidol / 2,4-Diaminophenol dihydrochloride / CAS 137-09-7 /// Color is grey to pale brown

GLYCIN is not sold by artcraft. Formulary lists the SDS from TCI AMerica

Click to access Glycin_SDSAction.pdf

Glycis / N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)glycine / CAS 122-87-2 [over 97% purity] color is white – grayish yellow red

Using the CAS numbers will get you to different datasheets. color is seen in purity. the less pure the material the more color the chemical takes on. In purist assay Amidol and Glycin are mostly clear. This last only hours after the kettle.

Each of these absorb water; amidol darkens with exposure to light. Amidol works long past its darkest changes. Tray life is shortened, very little print stain occurs. Not the case with glycin which picks up moisture going darker and tending toward ‘dye’ form which will stain photographic paper.

These are items to keep in cold, dry, dark store. Freezers are the likely place. Date your purchase. Use the glycin within 2 years. Amidol keeps for decades. The Chinese stuff can, should be filtered. It was purchased as dye precursor so was intended to be purified further. It wasn’t contaminated by bad metal kettles nor storage drums.

Personally, having seen Formulary storage, I’m surprised anything works. Although Bryant Lab wasn’t much better back in “the day.”

notes from 2004 ” The stain is most evident when the amidol print is compared to the MQ print on the same paper. The Bryant amidol is the lightest I have among several samples. Based on my previous experience with amidols from various sources, I do not believe that a better result would be obtained with any other sample yielding a colored solution. On the contrary, I think most if not all solutions, acid or otherwise, whose color is owed to amidol are likely to stain the fiber print, and I would venture that the darker the working solution happens to be, the more pronounced the stain will be, regardless of what formula is used.

AND

“British Journal of Photography” on March 13, 1914 (p 198) in which the writer, one “T. Trevelyn,” claims that both potassium and chrome alum added to the developing solution will prevent amidol stain.

the staining seems more related to Ilford papers than to the Amidol. [2004]

---

reviewing from webionaire:

amidol tales: https://wp.me/p6UdTM-2Af
azo zombi: https://wp.me/p6UdTM-2FS
easy amidol: https://wp.me/p6UdTM-2zf
chloride papers: https://wp.me/p6UdTM-1MR

for glycin alternate developer consider Foma’s PW warmtone

Reminder: most amidol formulations are effective, working the same, so pick any and apply. Amidol is the easy way to make developer. Water ,Sodium sulfite, and amidol…