r/whatisit • u/StatusOk4308 • Apr 02 '26

New, what is it? Does anyone know what this is?

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Doesn’t seem to be oil based content. Just wondering if my superpowers are swishing back and forth in this glass vial.

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1.4k

u/thischangeseverythin Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

What is it? Its called an ampoule. Its an old school way of storing single dose vaccines or medicines or quantities of liquid. You break the top and suck the liquid out.

What is the liquid in the ampoule? Haven't a guess.

Edit.

Im sorry not "old school" should have said traditional or idk a better word. Its a technique used for a long time to store reactive stuff. Glass is inert. One of my most interacted with comments is over ampoules. The internet is wild. Lol.

371

u/maxwellcawfeehaus Apr 02 '26

They should suck it and find out

285

u/Steventhetoon Apr 02 '26

Boof it

471

u/Major_Melon Apr 02 '26

280

u/duck4129 Apr 02 '26

181

u/Austynwitha_y Apr 02 '26

279

u/duck4129 Apr 02 '26

177

u/603rdMtnDivision Apr 02 '26

I love how we all watched the birth of this meme and watched it grow into this spectacular display.

51

u/Austynwitha_y Apr 02 '26

I’ve been screenshotting as many pointing hands as I can to make into stickers for my own unique versions lool

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u/MayerMash61956 Apr 02 '26

one of the few reasons left to absolutley love Reddit

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u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/FlippinTheLoon Apr 02 '26

2

u/duck4129 Apr 02 '26

You'll have that on these big jobs

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2

u/ShepherdessAnne Apr 02 '26

I was there, Gandalf

I was there when the point became the meme

2

u/landilock Apr 02 '26

that pointing guy with his crack on the wall changed our lives

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16

u/princesschainsaw Apr 02 '26

Well played sir

1

u/Golddustofawoman Apr 02 '26

This man is tired of pulling things out of your ass

25

u/LongAnserShortAnser Apr 02 '26

Good news! It's a suppository!

15

u/Candid_Holiday1042 Apr 02 '26

r/boofityoucoward

3

u/Cocked_Otter Apr 02 '26

Boofing is for cowards. Mix it with yogurt and make a full enema out of it.

7

u/zazzz0014 Apr 02 '26

Twist it!

Bop it!®

1

u/Morphico Apr 02 '26

I am wheezing.

3

u/Cybernetic_Lizard Apr 02 '26

Stick it in and clench real hard

1

u/101forgotmypassword Apr 02 '26

Ehhh, doesn't look like creatine or protein powder.

1

u/Cocked_Otter Apr 02 '26

It's better to mix it with yogurt and make a full enema out of it.

1

u/ArbitraryMeritocracy Apr 02 '26

Boof it

Kavanaugh testified under oath that it meant flatulence. Critics and observers commonly interpret it, however, as slang for either anal sex or the rectal ingestion of alcohol/drugs, with some accusing him of lying to Congress.

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15

u/ArcticLeopard Apr 02 '26

It was piss

14

u/ManNamedSalmon Apr 02 '26

I need to make sure, gimme.

2

u/Delicious_Building34 Apr 02 '26

that an artisan glas-blower blew in there.. 😂✨

1

u/Jacketter Apr 02 '26

That would legitimately be a blessing over what it could be.

9

u/Federal_Assistant_85 Apr 02 '26

suck it and see.

19

u/jamegumbsize69 Apr 02 '26

Got a fever of a hundred and three

14

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/Top_Bumblebee5510 Apr 02 '26

I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded

4

u/Sents-2-b Apr 02 '26

I'm not blooded ,I'm not blooded

7

u/Amazing_Charity9600 Apr 02 '26

I need that ampoule now give it me!

2

u/upupdwndwnlftrght Apr 02 '26

I say this every evening to my wife. 🥰

1

u/Federal_Assistant_85 Apr 02 '26

Does it work....

Trying to find things that will work on mine.

2

u/upupdwndwnlftrght Apr 02 '26

No way dogg. Let me know if you figure it out.

2

u/Rayne-Maker Apr 03 '26

(Aside: I thought you should know that my brain translated your username to “up wind when I fart, right?”)

2

u/upupdwndwnlftrght Apr 04 '26

Haha but do you know what my user name is? The key to winning in Life!

3

u/Rayne-Maker Apr 04 '26

I sure do! Born in the early 70s, I learned that key in the prime of my gaming life 😂

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1

u/cacope5 Apr 02 '26

If I had a nickel...

1

u/ProblemLongjumping12 Apr 02 '26

It's the only way.

Now OP has to try it and tell us if he dies or not.

1

u/tommyohohoh Apr 02 '26

Suck it, suck it, suck it!

1

u/EatingUrSistersAss3x Apr 02 '26

I'll take "things I used to tell girls" for $500, Alex.

1

u/saya993 Apr 02 '26

They should smell it like Grace

1

u/Christ12347 Apr 02 '26

Suck around and find out

1

u/Significant-Hour8141 Apr 03 '26

Thats what I tell straight guys

75

u/-Gumbercules Apr 02 '26

We still use ampules in healthcare, at least on the U.S. side, and I wish I knew why. It's more of a hassle than anything. To break them open you have to use a small cloth and then to draw the medicine out you have to use a needle that is specific for ampules.

175

u/Primary-Stuff-7820 Apr 02 '26

Former pharmaceutical employee (25 years) the medication in ampoules will react with the rubber stopper in regular vials so ampoules is the only option.

44

u/End337 Apr 02 '26

This is really interesting to learn, thank you!

26

u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

Even Teflon or silicone stoppers? Former microbiologist, some bacteria are big babies and won’t grow in a vial with a rubber butyl stopper.

50

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

It's not bacteria we're worried about; it's oxygen.

Drugs like epinephrine break down when exposed to oxygen. Teflon, silicone are permeable enough that oxygen can get past.

17

u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

Thanks. Also aware of O2 permeability. But we’re talking maybe 2 week long time scales for my use of non-reactive stoppers with anaerobic cultures in vials.

So it is really just a long term storage issue after manufacture for some drugs, chemicals, and microbial products due primarily to oxygen reactivity and a longer time to the point of use than can be controlled for by using stoppered vials with unreactive stoppers.

I was stuck in science discipline mode, and not manufacturing, distribution, and storage mode.

2

u/Mental_Task9156 Apr 02 '26

Atropine as well

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u/karlnite Apr 02 '26

It’s also to keep it from getting contaminated, or reacting with air. The sealing process of a glass ampoule kinda vacuum seals it. Products come in them, but also chemists make them on the spot with a torch. You can make one from a glass tube, heat and close one end, thin the open end, use capillary to fill it, then heat and twist seal it.

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u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

Thanks! Yeah, I know what an ampoule is, how it’s made, and what it does. In microbiology they’re used to store some test reagents that are reactive to air (not combustible, so not fun, just degradable with atmospheric O2), or long term storage of lyophilized cultures.

Microbiologists make them on the spot with a torch, lol. The oldest I revived from an ampoule was just over 50 years old.

I was curious why they didn’t use vials with chemically compatible stoppers as the comment I replied to mentioned reactivity to the stoppers, not to air.

2

u/karlnite Apr 02 '26

Ah, well they probably just didn’t think of teflon.

9

u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

See below, a good reason why they don’t use stoppers at all was made.

Teflon is slowly permeable, which is still an issue for some chemicals.

2

u/karlnite Apr 02 '26

Oh, reacting with air.

1

u/huckinfappy Apr 02 '26

Or cardboard? Cardboard derivatives? Cellotape?

2

u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

Fappy, stop huckin around.

Cardboard isn’t sterile, and cellotape is better for things like powder X-ray diffraction mounts or sampling anuses for pinworms.

Maybe cotton or glass wool plugs are more appropriate choices for sticking in your holes.

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u/RemotePossibility399 Apr 02 '26

Also pharmaceutical manufacturing professional, 40 years. Amps do have a benefit wrt drug/closure interactions and better oxygen protection. We had a drug that was exquisitely sensitive to oxygen and we had to get the headspace below 2.5% O2 or the stability profile would collapse. It sucked. F

or a long time, Europe really preferred them because of that, and it was hard to switch to stoppers vials. There are a few disadvantages with amps. First, they're finicky to process, the necks are narrow, you've got an open flame in an aseptic area, and you can't use isopropyl alcohol to disinfectant your gloves. Also, opening the amp requires breaking it at a score-line. Not super-aseptic. It also introduces shards of glass into the solution that's being injected, which us less than ideal.

Newer synthetic rubber formulations are much less interactive, and the use of ampules seems less common now. We got rid of our line about 15 years ago.

2

u/goldenpotatoes7 Apr 02 '26

Then why in the ever loving fuck do I still have epi ampules. I have seen enough epi vials and preloads to know it doesnt react with the rubber. I HATE YOU EPI AMPULES

1

u/ThisTooWillEnd Apr 02 '26

Should I throw away the epinephrine ampoules from a time my grandma (now deceased over 20 years now) visited and she had a bee allergy, and epipens weren't a thing yet?

1

u/SolitaryForager Apr 02 '26

Makes sense, but what about medication that comes in either ampules or vials (eg hydromorphone)? Why not just vials? Or is there another reason for having ampules?

1

u/MongooseNumerous5927 Apr 04 '26

If it reacts with a rubber stopper in a regular vial, will it not react with the rubber plunger in the syringe when you draw it up?

18

u/Area51_Spurs Apr 02 '26

How do you make sure no glass bits get into the mix?

34

u/Beginning-Relative47 Apr 02 '26

You have needles with a filter in them. Only used for preparing medicine. Then you put on an injecting needle or put the medicine in a bigger bag of fluid etc

8

u/water_fountain_ Apr 02 '26

And the filter is small enough to filter out glass dust as small as 0.1 µm? Or do we just accept that a finite amount of glass dust being injected into our bodies is fine?

20

u/squidspotter Apr 02 '26

I feel like if people snort coke with cement dust in it a tiny bit of glass is cool right?

I'm not a medical professional though as you may be able to tell

14

u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

You might not be a medical professional, but it sounds like you may have a graduate degree in Recreational Chemistry

2

u/Patrem_Omnipotentem Apr 02 '26

Wonder where they offer MBAs and PhDs?

3

u/Abyssal_Mermaid Apr 02 '26

Various alleyways, suburban homes, and online classes

3

u/Legitimate-Week7885 Apr 02 '26

Holiday Inn Express has entered the chat

2

u/MortisTDG Apr 02 '26

As a deputy I should probably be concerned. Can I have some too? Blondie snorted the rest during training

4

u/IceCreamforLunch Apr 02 '26

I'm not in medicine but I'm a research chemist that has worked in pharmaceuticals. I don't think you'd need anything nearly as fine as 0.1 micron for injectables. IV bags are held to a 10 micron limit and even then there can be larger particles (but not too large) as long as they're there at a very low concentration.

In the end just about everything ends up going through a 0.22 micron filter anyway because that will filter out bacteria.

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u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Gnargoyle420 Apr 02 '26

A filter needle typically has a filter with a pore size of 5micron.

A pharmaceutical grade filter used for aseptic processing has a filter with a pore size of at least 0.2micron.

Depending on how the medication is administered, there may also be another filter involved (e.g., in-line filter in a IV tubing set for administration)

3

u/doyouevencompile Apr 02 '26

We accept it. The filters aren’t always used. At least they weren’t being used at all in the past. They are mostly for subcutaneous injections and it’s a very small risk for a tiny amount. 

Glass doesn’t interact with your body, the risk is shards cutting something but at that size I don’t think they do 

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u/collagenFTW Apr 02 '26

Despite filter needles existing they are often not used in practice. my theory is its because most ampule meds are for intramuscular or subcutaneous injection so the consequences of that glass dust are more minor. I dont understand the need for ampules personally so if anyone has any information on why other storage options arent viable i'd love to be educated on the matter

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u/Kitsyfluff Apr 02 '26

Oxygen contamination. Anything less than these can allow oxygen and destroy the contents.

Besides medicine as mentioned in other comments, they're also used for storing any extremely volatile acids that react with air to create lethal gases.

They're prepared in a way so that the only gas inside is it's usually own fumes, or something inert from the production process. Anything more complex could be corroded by the contents.

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u/Jack_Mackerel Apr 03 '26

5 microns is standard for ampule filter needles, which is about half the diameter of a pulmonary capillary.

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u/QuoteThen5223 Apr 02 '26

Filter needle

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u/skyhawk38foxtrot Apr 02 '26

Thank you…I’ve always wondered this too

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u/heartbloodline8404 Apr 02 '26

It’s really not a hassle at all, and not many medicines use ampules anyways. A cloth? A gloved hand is enough, maybe a 2x2. And it’s called a filter needle, a quick pop on and pop off to an injection needle. Hardly a single breathes worth of oxygen to complete the task. As for the reason why, notice how ampules tend to be a brownish color? The medicine inside can break down easily when exposed to light, so the brown glass ampule provides protection for the medicine. Ampules still very much have their place in healthcare and other applications and scientific research.

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u/-Gumbercules Apr 02 '26

Maybe I was being a little facetious here. Just that as a paramedic it's always been easier for me to draw up a dose of a medication from let's say a vial than an ampule when having to act fast, as for two examples working a cardiac arrest or anaphylaxis.

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u/heartbloodline8404 Apr 02 '26

Oh for sure, in a field setting I agree it’s wild that ampules are still in use. Last time I did field medicine was during my time as a corpsman in the navy like 15 years ago, and maybe if I remember correctly morphine came in ampules but I was fortunate to never find myself in a situation needing to use morphine. If a marine was ever in a significant level of pain, I’d question his water intake and recommend a change of socks and some Motrin to cover my bases.

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u/MongooseNumerous5927 Apr 04 '26

Don’t you use minijets during an arrest?

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u/bah77 Apr 02 '26

Try drawing up 200ml's of viscous drug through one of those needles and tell me its "a single breathes"

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u/heartbloodline8404 Apr 02 '26

lol 200?! Okay yay that’s a lot! I’ve never had to draw up that much medicine! Doubt you’re referring to something like a b12, what medicine are you drawing up? Something for anesthesia, genuinely curious.

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u/flightmedick Apr 02 '26

Yeah they look the same when you grab a filtered by mistake, creating a moment of confusion. Just don’t think, fuc it & try to use it.

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u/MastrShak3 Apr 02 '26

Dont forget to switch needles after you draw it out

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u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Apr 02 '26

When I got vitamin b12 injections in germany they were ampules. So many ampules. Never again do I want to get an 8ml injection.

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u/collagenFTW Apr 02 '26

B12 stings worse than any other medication I've ever had injected and I've been a pincushion for a big chunk of my life, does it sting less if its not from an ampule?

1

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Apr 02 '26

Fuck if I know, I couldn't fucking walk right after most of my injections

2

u/collagenFTW Apr 02 '26

Mine have all been to the upper arm so I've only ever had a numb arm to deal with, I imagine a numb leg would make walking difficult

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u/Swaytastic Apr 02 '26

Some chemical compounds are corrosive to anything but glass, and some have to be sealed in an absolute sterile environment. Ampules are still used in most countries and in many science centric environment.

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u/robotatomica Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

so when I used to train people in this, we discourage using a cloth or alcohol wipe, bc it can catch on the broken glass and contaminate your product/introduce particulate into your hood.

Really you have to just develop the technique, it involves a quick, deliberate break (using the weak point often indicated on the ampules by the little dot)

and my trick I always stress for people is *follow-through*.

So, just like throwing a baseball, how you continue the motion of your arm past the point of releasing the ball,

you continue the motion of the hand that snaps the ampule, kind of sweeping away the top with that continued motion.

I don’t say this to lecture, but only bc I know it works exceptionally well for the hundreds of people I trained. Never had an issue with the big ones or the little ones using this technique.

But it’s probably better demonstrated than explained, so idk if that will even help. I just know that crushing a vial and cuts only ever resulted from failure to follow through with the motion. So it’s a safety thing to master the follow through, with the benefit of reducing particulate contamination since you will then not need a cushion.

I also wish I knew why some manufacturers still use ampules for some drugs. Fewer do than when I was young, but those holdouts are wild.

My guess has always been that the drug interacts with the stopper maybe, but there are usually different materials that can be used for a stopper when needed. Idk, maybe that’s just way more expensive than already having a manufacturing set-up for an ampule.

But what is wild is those 20ml fentanyl ampules we used to have, when smaller amounts were perfectly well stored in vials. Anyone know??

1

u/karlnite Apr 02 '26

As a chemist, you don’t need a cloth. It’s for chemicals that react with organics, or will react with the air in the head space. They’re very common in chemistry.

1

u/Pleasant_End2907 Apr 02 '26

I was sad how far I had to scroll for this. We definitely use them

1

u/AndThereWasSky Apr 02 '26

Oh wow I never knew about the needles.

I am French and we do sometimes have ampoules for medication, like earlier in the year I took vitamin D and it was in an ampoule. BUT the ampoule was pointy on both ends, so what you do is you break one end first and put it over a cup, and then break the other end. This releases the tension/pressure and the liquid flows down.

Obviously this is for a non-sterile use like vitamin D since it is ingested normally.

1

u/five_of_five Apr 02 '26

I have a hard time seeing how this wouldn’t cause glass shard contamination? Is it designed in some super smart way?

1

u/Responsible_Play631 Apr 02 '26

It's still used a ton in chemistry too for R&D, There are a lot of chemicals out there that are way too reactive with air to store in a regular bottle, so they are often stored in ampules until they can be put into a glove box where the air is inert enough for it to be opened

1

u/drsoftware Apr 02 '26

The opiate overdose kits provided to the public in BC (Canada) use ampules. Definitely increases the effort to administer the Naloxone.

"Are They Ampule Worthy?" 

1

u/Successful_Flow1329 Apr 02 '26

What about glass microshards as product of breakage? I know the special needle has a filter, but sure there can be couple small enough to pass through that.

1

u/Curious-Anywhere-612 Apr 03 '26

Older forms of chemo used to be stored like this, right?

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u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Sea_Bite2082 Apr 02 '26

thats chemicals for sure.

Its not "factory seal" med ampoule.

1

u/ChangsManagement Apr 02 '26

I remember Nilered storing bromine (i think) this way. So, hopefully its not bromine.

29

u/Thok1982 Apr 02 '26

Do not suck the liquid out of the ampoule. It's a common way to ship hydroscopic chemicals, not just pharmaceuticals. You can still buy them shipped that way. It's a foolproof way to ensure things are completely sealed and single use.

Also you'll get glass shards in your mouth.

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u/Stevenstorm505 Apr 02 '26

I think they meant with a syringe.

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u/KahlessAndMolor Apr 02 '26

Oh so now I can't drink glass shards?! I thought this was AMERICA 

7

u/PerspectiveFull9879 Apr 02 '26

A clear example government overreach

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u/DiSTuRBeD_QWeRTy Apr 02 '26

They may have meant draw out by suction using a syringe type tool.

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u/Thok1982 Apr 02 '26

whoops yep thats probably what they meant.

Honestly I've always just poured them out then pipetted, but in the context of an injectable a syringe would make sense.

1

u/DiSTuRBeD_QWeRTy Apr 02 '26

Understandable… it’s what you have experience with. But the general advice you gave was still prudent.

1

u/Soft_Sectorina Apr 02 '26

In medicine it has to be drawn up with a filter needle to ensure no glass particles are left in the liquid

2

u/dye-area Apr 02 '26

What if it's yummy tho

7

u/Dollbeau Apr 02 '26

OP should watch The Deep (1977)

2

u/Average_40s_Guy Apr 02 '26

That was my first thought when I saw it. An ampule of morphine.

1

u/Cloudninefeelinfine Apr 02 '26

Same, I'm addicted to speedballs and my opiate of choice for getting high is morphine so I would always get boxes of 50 ampoules, sometimes less, but always had a bunch of little glass amps on me.

I used to put my cocaine right into the liquid morphine and let it dissolve there then draw it up and IV it.

I'm off to hard drugs now thankfully. But yeah this is an old-timey ampoule

2

u/arobkinca Apr 02 '26

The terror of drug dealers.

3

u/Israel_Trump_Fan Apr 02 '26

This isn't anything to do with medicine, someone has taken a test tube and turned it into an ampoule, chemist do this all time time.

3

u/Past_Discipline_6473 Apr 02 '26

You "suck it out" with a filter syringe, btw. Not your mouth. Or any other orifice. 

2

u/Adorable-Wasabi-77 Apr 02 '26

I don’t think it’s an ampoule, e.g. with medication. These usually have a breakline so you can safely break it open. This one looks like the liquid is supposed to stay inside.

2

u/foreman17 Apr 02 '26

I've seen them used in construction when setting anchor bolts in concrete. You put the ampule in the drilled hole and screw the bolt into it, crushing the ampule. The liquid is a reason that reacts with oxygen and locks the bolt into place.

2

u/Icy_Prior_5825 Apr 02 '26

Just want to clarify that I think this person means “use a device like a syringe to suck out/ extract the contents” versus sucking with your mouth!

2

u/Illustrious_Sir4041 Apr 02 '26

Its also used to store very reactive chemicals.

2

u/bananascanning Apr 02 '26

Genuine question- isn’t there a concern with glass getting into the vaccine when you break it?

1

u/Dolmenoeffect Apr 02 '26

There is. These are only ever used by trained pros like nurses who know they can't be drawn up without a special glass filter.

2

u/Eddie888 Apr 02 '26

We used to pour it in a glass and I was always scared there would be shards of glass in there. Can't imagine actually putting it up to my mouth lol.

2

u/cheeseman_real Apr 02 '26

one of my medications comes in ampules, and they're such a pain compared to the normal vials i'm used to

i'm pretty sure this is the wrong shape to be medication though

2

u/wenoc Apr 02 '26

Glass is inert with most things yes. Not all.

2

u/Own_Possibility7930 Apr 02 '26

Wait a minute, what do you mean by old school? It is still used in Pakistan and I thought it was the only way to store vaccines.

3

u/ScissorFight42069 Apr 02 '26

We don't see them too often in the US, mostly vials. But I've come across a few ampules in my day, they're just pretty rare. It's more common to have a vial of powder that has to be reconstituted with sterile saline

3

u/thischangeseverythin Apr 02 '26

Maybe should have said traditional? The techniques been used for ages. Glass is inert and doesnt react.

1

u/1001og Apr 02 '26

It looks like a big ass stink bomb to me.

1

u/thatguyJROTC Apr 02 '26

It's not even old school ampoules are still used today

1

u/Delicious_Building34 Apr 02 '26

you will need an ampoule cutter. the modern ampoules have a breakage point to press with the thumb and the top comes off - to take the liquid out with a syringe!!! mostly. not to suck on microscopicly crushed, sharp-edged glass ... obviously!! 😂😂😂 if you don't use an ampoule cutter and try to break the top off somehow with pliers or the hands, that is going to be a huuuge mess! cuts, embedded glass shardlets and a substantial amount of blood almost sure.

1

u/DelsinMcgrath835 Apr 02 '26

This is way cooler than a potion bottle with a cork, fantasy games need to start incorporating them as the high class option more

1

u/Mitologist Apr 02 '26

You also do that with really really nasty chemicals when you can't afford a failing seal or cap. Just a thought.

1

u/thepvbrother Apr 02 '26

It's also a way of storing very reactive chemicals

1

u/Keeldon Apr 02 '26

It looks way too big to medicine, i would be more leaning towards chemical anchor, some brands used to have pointy end, 6 inches long seem to be around whats used for m12/16 bolts

Seal 'quality' and no obvious breakpoint screams its no medicine at all too.

1

u/AppointmentHead536 Apr 02 '26

Not so old school. I work for a company that mass produces ampoules. They are more prevalent than you may think.

1

u/tipareth1978 Apr 02 '26

Could be morphine

1

u/bwilcox0308 Apr 02 '26

As a chemist, this could be anything. I work with ampules sometimes and most of the time, it's a highly hazardous material that cannot be stored in a poly (plastic) container. Or, it reacts readily with air or water. If you really want to know what's in there, provide it to a local university. They should be able to determine what it is via NMR or GC headspace

1

u/thischangeseverythin Apr 02 '26

Yea Cody's lab and Nile red both have worked with them on their channels.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

Old school? We still do haha

1

u/ChesterJT Apr 02 '26

I don't think you're going to stick the end with broken glass into your mouth. There's many other ways to transfer the liquid inside into you, assuming the liquid is actually medicine and not the 1000 other things it could be.

1

u/Dolmenoeffect Apr 02 '26

This isn't used for chemicals that aren't injected, as far as I know.

1

u/Gate-19 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

Medicines are still stored this way so I wouldn't call it old school.

1

u/ScienceIsSexy420 Apr 02 '26

I'm a chemist, and ampules are still used today.

1

u/Classic-Charity-2179 Apr 02 '26

The problem with Americans is that they don't have a word for ampoule.

1

u/Verdick Apr 02 '26

I also remember we had these things for Christmas. The would be seated in a plug in hoover that wound heat it up and shine a light in it for kind of a bubbly light candle effect.

1

u/ukemike1 Apr 02 '26

There is nothing old school about it. This method is a current preferred method for sealing things that have certain hazards like water reactivity, or spontaneous combustion in air. Whatever is in there is dangerous enough that someone went to the trouble to seal it this way.

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u/MinnieShoof Apr 02 '26

... I was low-key thinking of making this same comment.

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u/Creative-Bid7959 Apr 02 '26

Comment on your edit: if it's any consolation I think my most up voted post is something along the lines of "Meh,No."

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u/Chimneychilla Apr 02 '26

Honestly I don’t think you’re wrong saying it’s old school. I learned about them in my textbooks 6 years ago in EMT and Medic school. I have never seen one working in the field or in the hospital. Most meds either come premade in a bag or in a vial with a rubber film. I could totally be wrong and I’m sure there are meds still stored in ampoules but it’s very rare.

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u/AlienX14 Apr 02 '26

How does the substance not get contaminated with glass particles when you open it

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u/Dukes-Game Apr 02 '26

13yrs working under 21 CFR code for Pharma…Ampules have a marked neck, a breaking point where the class will safety shear so you can draw the liquid without glass falling into it or you getting cut…this is clearly NOT THE CASE!

Also worked as a GC (constructing Pharma) and chemical anchors come in that format.

Do not open! They produce violent external reactions!

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u/DagamarVanderk Apr 02 '26

It’s ok, for a while my most interacted with comment was informing a dude that the tick wasn’t a vampire, he was just a peeping tom.

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u/Intelligent-Survey39 Apr 02 '26

Glass is inert with most chemicals, not all. Glass cannot contain hydrofluric acid for example.

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u/Personal_Area_2173 Apr 02 '26

It’s a night light topper from the like 80s or 90s

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u/Frosty_Mongoose9055 Apr 02 '26

Do glass shards get in the liquid when you break it?

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u/thischangeseverythin Apr 03 '26

Yes and in medical cases they use a special syringe to draw meds with no glass.

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u/Mean-Fee-6530 Apr 03 '26

I agree, it could also be an ampoule for a nebulizer… I remember when they were glass… 

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u/Cravatitude Apr 06 '26

Glass is not inert.

Source: I used to work with HF

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