Agrochemicals problems with

To illustrate the application of the proposed algorithm the agrochemicals problem already presented in Chapter 4 of this textbook is revisited. It involves a completely batch operation wherein reusable water is generated from liquid-liquid extraction (product washing) operations with water as the aqueous phase in the production of three agrochemicals A, B and D. The data for the production of these products are shown in Table 5.1. These agrochemicals are produced in batch reactors. All three reactions form sodium chloride (NaCl) as a byproduct which is later removed from... 

CrystalHsation, which is by far the most serious instability problem with suspoemulsions (particularly with many agrochemicals), arises from the partial solubihty of the suspension particles into the oil droplets. The process is accelerated at higher temperatures and also on temperature cycling. The smaller particles will have a higher solubility than their larger counterparts, due to the fact that the higher the curvature the higher the solubihty, as described by the Kelvin equation [11],... 

To date, only a few iridium catalysts have been applied to industrially relevant targets, especially on the larger scale. It is likely that several types of Ir catalyst are, in principle, feasible for technical applications in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. At present, the most important problems are the relatively low catalytic activities of many highly selective systems and the fact, that relatively few catalysts have been applied to multifunctional substrates. For this reason, the scope and limitations of most catalysts known today have not yet been explored. For those in academic research, the lesson might be to employ new catalysts not only with monofunctional model compounds but also to test functional group tolerance and-as has already been done in some cases-to apply the catalysts to the total synthesis of relevant target molecules. 

Symmetrical biaryls are important intermediates for synthesising agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and natural products (1). One of the simplest protocols to make them is the Ullmann reaction (2), the thermal homocoupling of aryl chlorides in the presence of copper iodide. This reaction, though over a century old, it still used today. It has two main disadvantages, however First, it uses stoichiometric amounts of copper and generates stoichiometric amounts of CuL waste (Figure 1, left). Second, it only works with aryl iodides. This is a problem because chemicals react by their molarity, but are quantified by their mass. One tonne of iodobenzene, for example, contains 620 kg of iodo and only 380 kg of benzene . 

There are few important weed, insect or disease problems in major crops that have not been addressed and for which there is not at least one synthetic crop protection agent available to the grower. The challenges to the agrochemical industry are now associated with the search for novel, competitive products in an already crowded market, for which use... 

Among the contrarians, Bayer has had for historical reasons a different approach to the problem of remaining a well-rounded producer of chemicals. It has always been a leader in such specialty chemicals as plastics and rubber additives and supplies master batches through its subsidiary Rhein Chemie. Its polymers are mainly centered on synthetic elastomers and specialty plastics like polyurethanes and polycarbonates that Bayer itself develops. These are not subjected to the cutthroat competition that commodity thermoplastics are. Bayer has remained involved in aroma chemicals with a well-known subsidiary, Haarmann Reimer. In pharmaceuticals the company occupies an honorable rank, although in the future its management may want to separate that branch from the rest of its activities in preparation for further alliances. Like BASF, Bayer considers its agrochemical line as a core business. However, unlike BASF, it is less interested in integrating upstream production to oil raw... 

---