I've had glass crack on me, it's not unheard of. Depending on what solvents you are using you can use Polypropylene jars (if you are using naphtha) or HDPE jars (if you are using limonene). But the best idea is to get Lab-glass IMO and consider the following things:
i) When you are adding lye, make sure it dissolves properly. If you have lye beads stuck to your glass somewhere they could be causing heat gradients which could weaken your glass. Add the lye slowly, bit by bit and let it dissolve completely. Only when your water is clear is your lye fully dissolved.
ii) When you add the lye your water heats up. If you close the lid of the jar you will have pressure build up. At some point your glass will give way. Lab-glass like these
can withstand a bit more pressure than your average canning jar, but still it is advisable to leave the lid a bit unscrewed while the water is still heating.
iii) For safety reasons it is good practice to keep your jars inside some kind of tub, sink to catch the caustic mess if it breaks.
iv) If you are working with naphtha, which is pretty volatile and you shake it, or just leave it standing over night, you will also have some pressure build up. If your glass is already weakened from the lye-induced heat gradient or for some other reason this might also be a problem, though I think points i) and ii) are more dangerous. I usually unscrew the cap after shaking to release the pressure just in case, even though I use lab glass. With limonene this isn't so much a problem.
I hope you are careful with the caustic stuff. Maybe next time at least keep it in an environment with a tile floor - easier to clean, less mess
take care!
cheers & love
Enoon
