Contents

Prefase ................................................................................ v

1. Introduction to the Chemical Industry: An

Overview ....................................................................... 1
1 The National Economy ....................................................... 1
2 Definition and Divisions of the Chemical Industry .............. 2
3 Size and Current Economics of the Chemical
Industry .............................................................................. 5
4 Location of the Chemical Industry ...................................... 6
5 Employment in the Chemical Industry ................................ 7
6 Salaries of Chemists .......................................................... 8
7 General Characteristics of the Chemical Industry .............. 11
8 Top 50 Chemicals .............................................................. 16
9 Top Polymers ..................................................................... 18
10 Top U.S. Chemical Companies .......................................... 22
11 Top World Chemical Companies ....................................... 22

2. Sulfuric Acid and Its Derivatives ................................ 23

1 Introduction to Inorganic Chemicals ................................... 23
2 Sulfuric Acid (Oil of Vitriol) .................................................. 27
3 Phosphoric Acid (Orthophosphoric Acid) ........................... 37
4 Aluminum Sulfate (Filter Alum or Papermaker's
Alum) .................................................................................. 39

3. Industrial Gases ........................................................... 41

1 Nitrogen .............................................................................. 41
2 Oxygen ............................................................................... 44

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3 Hydrogen ............................................................................ 45
4 Carbon Dioxide .................................................................. 50
5 Economics of Industrial Gases ........................................... 51

4. Inorganic Nitrogen Compounds ................................. 55

1 Ammonia ............................................................................ 56
2 Nitric Acid ........................................................................... 59
3 Ammonium Nitrate ............................................................. 61
4 Urea ................................................................................... 62
5 Ammonium Sulfate ............................................................. 63

5. Chemicals from Limestone ......................................... 65

1 Lime ................................................................................... 65
2 Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) .......................................... 69
3 Calcium Chloride ................................................................ 72
4 Sodium Silicate (Silica Gel) ................................................ 73

6. Sodium Chloride Derivatives and Miscellaneous

Inorganics .................................................................... 75
1 Sodium Chloride ................................................................. 75
2 Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide, Caustic) ....................... 77
3 Chlorine .............................................................................. 82
4 Economics of Caustic Soda and Chlorine .......................... 83
5 Hydrochloric Acid (Muriatic Acid) ....................................... 84
6 Titanium Dioxide ................................................................ 86
7 Miscellaneous Inorganic Chemicals ................................... 87

7. Petroleum Refining Processes ................................... 91

1 Introduction ........................................................................ 91
2 Distillation ........................................................................... 96
3 Octane Number .................................................................. 98
4 Additives ............................................................................. 101

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5 Hydrotreating ...................................................................... 105

6 Cracking ............................................................................. 106
7 Reforming ........................................................................... 110
8 Alkylation and Polymerization ............................................ 112
9 Separation of Natural Gas: Methane Production ............... 113

8. Basic Organic Chemicals ............................................ 117

1 Ethylene (Ethene) .............................................................. 117
2 Propylene (Propene) .......................................................... 122
3 The C4 Stream .................................................................... 124
4 Butadiene (1,3-Butadiene) ................................................. 124
5 Isobutylene (Isobutene) ...................................................... 126
6 Economic Aspects of Olefins ............................................. 128
7 Benzene (Benzol) ............................................................... 130
8 Toluene (Toluol) ................................................................. 134
9 Xylenes (Xylols) ................................................................. 136
10 Economic Aspects of Aromatics ......................................... 139

9. Derivatives of Ethylene ............................................... 143

1 Ethylene Bichloride (EDC) ................................................. 145
2 Vinyl Chloride (Vinyl Chloride Monomer, VCM) ................. 147
3 Acetic Acid (Ethanoic Acid, Glacial Acetic Acid) ................ 148
4 Vinyl Acetate ...................................................................... 152
5 Ethylbenzene ..................................................................... 154
6 Styrene (Vinylbenzene, Phenylethene) .............................. 156
7 Ethylene Oxide ................................................................... 158
8 Ethylene Glycol (Ethan-1,2-Diol) ........................................ 160

10. Chemicals from Propylene and Butylene .................. 163

1 Acrylonitrile (2-Propenonitrile) ............................................ 163
2 Propylene Oxide (1,2-Epoxypropane) ................................ 167
3 Cumene (Isopropylbenzene) .............................................. 171

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4 Acetone (2-Propanone) ...................................................... 172

5 Bisphenol A (BPA) ............................................................. 176
6 n-Butyraldehyde (Butanal) ................................................. 177
7 Chemicals from the C4 Fraction .......................................... 179
8 Butadiene Derivatives ........................................................ 179
9 Methyl t-Butyl Ether (MTBE) .............................................. 182
10 Other C4 Derivatives ........................................................... 182

11. Derivatives of the Basic Aromatics ............................ 185

1 Benzene Derivatives .......................................................... 185
2 Phenol (Carbolic Acid) ....................................................... 187
3 Cyclohexane (Hexahydrobenzene, Hexamethylene) ......... 188
4 Adipic Acid (1,6-Hexandioic Acid) ...................................... 189
5 Caprolactam ....................................................................... 193
6 Nitrobenzene ...................................................................... 195
7 Toluene Derivatives ........................................................... 197
8 Terephthalic Acid and Dimethyl Terephthalate .................. 199
9 Phthalic Anhydride ............................................................. 201

12. Chemicals from Methane ............................................ 205

1 Methanol (Wood Alcohol, Methyl Alcohol) ......................... 207
2 Formaldehyde (Methanal) .................................................. 208
3 Acetic Acid ......................................................................... 210
4 Chlorofluorocarbons and Fluorocarbons ............................ 211

13. The Second Fifty Industrial Chemicals ...................... 217

1 Introduction and Background ............................................. 217
2 Characteristics of the Second 50 Chemicals ..................... 220
3 Derivatives of the Seven Basic Organics ........................... 221
4 Second 50 Chemical Pairs ................................................. 222
5 Manufacture and Uses ....................................................... 222

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14. Basic Polymer Chemistry: Thermoplastics ............... 245

1 Definitions and Classes ...................................................... 245
2 Chain Growth Polymerization ............................................. 249
3 Step Growth Polymerization ............................................... 257
4 Copolymerization ............................................................... 262
5 Polymerization Procedures ................................................ 264

15. Basic Polymer Chemistry: Thermosets ..................... 265

1 Phenol-Formaldehyde Polymers (Phenolic Resins) ........... 265
2 Urea-Formaldehyde Polymers (Urea Resins) .................... 269
3 Melamine-Formaldehyde Polymers (Melamine
Resins) ............................................................................... 270
4 Epoxy Resins ..................................................................... 271
5 Polyurethane Foams .......................................................... 273
6 Unsaturated Polyesters ...................................................... 275
7 Alkyd Resins ...................................................................... 276
8 Natural Polymers ................................................................ 277
9 Polymer Properties ............................................................. 280

16. Plastics ......................................................................... 289

1 Introduction and Economic Factors .................................... 289
2 General Uses of Plastics .................................................... 293
3 Definitions and Classes of Plastics .................................... 294
4 Fabrication of Plastics ........................................................ 295
5 Recycling of Plastics .......................................................... 301
6 Important Plastics ............................................................... 304

17. Fibers ............................................................................ 315

1 History, Economics, and Types of Fibers ........................... 315
2 Properties of Fibers ............................................................ 318
3 Important Fibers ................................................................. 320

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18. Elastomers ................................................................... 329

1 History and Economics ...................................................... 329
2 Natural Rubber ................................................................... 330
3 Vulcanization ...................................................................... 331
4 Accelerators ....................................................................... 333
5 Reinforcing Agents ............................................................. 333
6 Antidegradants ................................................................... 333
7 Development of Synthetic Rubber ..................................... 334
8 Catalysts and Mechanisms ................................................ 335
9 SBR vs. Natural Rubber ..................................................... 336
10 Tires ................................................................................... 337
11 Important Elastomers ......................................................... 340

19. Coatings and Adhesives ............................................. 345

1 Introduction to Coatings ..................................................... 345
2 Types of Coatings .............................................................. 346
3 Basic Composition of Coatings .......................................... 348
4 Pigments ............................................................................ 348
5 Binders ............................................................................... 351
6 Solvents ............................................................................. 354
7 Introduction to Adhesives ................................................... 355
8 Market for Adhesives ......................................................... 356
9 The Adhesion Process ....................................................... 357
10 Forms of Adhesives ........................................................... 357
11 Chemical Types of Adhesives and Sample Uses .............. 358
12 Use Summary .................................................................... 360

20. Pesticides ..................................................................... 361

1 What Next? ........................................................................ 361
2 Introduction to Pesticides ................................................... 362
3 Insecticides ........................................................................ 365
4 Herbicides .......................................................................... 380

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21. Fertilizers ...................................................................... 389

1 Introduction ........................................................................ 389
2 History and Economics of Fertilizers .................................. 392
3 Fertilizer Materials .............................................................. 392
4 Liquids vs. Solids ............................................................... 396
5 Controlled-Release Fertilizers ............................................ 396

22. Pulp, Paper, and Wood ................................................ 399

1 Introduction ........................................................................ 399
2 The Chemistry of Wood ..................................................... 400
3 Pulp Manufacture ............................................................... 401
4 Bleaching and Recycling .................................................... 407
5 Paper Manufacture ............................................................. 408
6 General Uses of Paper Products ....................................... 409
7 Miscellaneous Chemicals Used on Wood .......................... 409
8 Chemicals from Wood Hydrolysis and Fermentation ......... 411
9 Chemicals from Wood Carbonization and Distillation ........ 412
10 Naval Stores Industry ......................................................... 412

23. The Pharmaceutical Industry ...................................... 417

1 The Pharmaceutical Industry ............................................. 417
2 Types of Drugs ................................................................... 420
3 The Top Ten Drugs ............................................................ 422
4 Cardiovascular Agents ....................................................... 429
5 Central Nervous System Pharmaceuticals ......................... 433
6 Antibacterial Agents ........................................................... 437
7 Steroids .............................................................................. 444
8 Analgesics and Anti-Inflammatory Drugs ........................... 449
9 Antihistamines .................................................................... 456
10 The Future .......................................................................... 457

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24. Surfactants, Soaps, and Detergents .......................... 461

1 Introduction to the Industry ................................................. 461
2 Cationic Surfactants ........................................................... 464
3 Anionic Surfactants ............................................................ 466
4 Nonionics ........................................................................... 470
5 Amphoterics ....................................................................... 471
6 Detergent Builders ............................................................. 472

25. The Chemical Industry and Pollution ......................... 475

1 Introduction ........................................................................ 475
2 General Pollution Problems ............................................... 476
3 A Chronology of Pollution and Its Control .......................... 479
4 The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ........................ 489
5 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) ........................................... 491
6 High Production-Volume (HPV) Chemicals ........................ 492
7 Are Things Better Today? .................................................. 492

Appendix Subjects for Further Study ............................ 495

List of Important References ............................................. 497

Index .................................................................................... 503

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