Why do Triton X-100 and Tween 20 bottle lids always break?

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alfredhershey
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Why do the lids on Triton X-100 and Tween 20 break all the time? The lid on every bottle I've had has always cracked in a very distinctive manner (ie right along the edge where the horizontal circular top meets the vertical sides that screw on).

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I've noticed this as well. Certainly, the detergents must degrade the plastics (which may be leaching substances into the solution!). The location of the cracks is probably due to a combination of accessibility to the detergent solution, the design of the caps, and the points on the cap that bear the most force when tightened.