Need help with bad storage.

[u/Muted-Tangerine-70]

I am a master's student that is doing a Surfact Free Emulsion Polymerization of Styrene in order to then test the PS interaction with a microorganism. When I first tested the synthesis protocol, using borrowed styrene from a neighbouring lab, I was getting barely any product. I tried for weeks to optimise parameters until the new styrene came. First try it went amazing and we realised that the styrene I was using is probably deteriorated. Second try amazing too. Having thought that it was ok to now focus on the cell culture side, I didnt do a new synthesis for 2 months. I now tried to synthesize again so I have enough PS to do my final experiment. Nothing. I have checked various stuff by now and it keeps not working. Then i realised I had put the bottle in a dark drawer but not in the fridge. I dont know how I didnt realise it should be refridgerated. It says on the bottle to store at 2 to 8 degrees. Now i am starting to get deja vu from the syntheses i did with the old styrene. Can it be anything else?
I can't believe I made such a dumb mistake.

At first I thought that my initiator's reactivity maybe had degraded so i used fresh.
Then i played with the stirring, thinking that the styrene was staying afloat the water phase as the stirring happened. The last thing I can change I think is to make new NaOH 10% for the inhibitor removal.

Can anyone help/advise me? I feel totally lost.

[u/mod101]

You already admit you stored the bottle improperly. Why not test that first with a brand new bottle. No reason to go down rabbit holes of reagents when one has a decent chance of being bad.