Celanese Corporation of America

In 1953 the Celanese Corporation of America introduced a route for the production of vinyl acetate from light petroleum gases. This involved the oxidation of butane which yields such products as acetic acid and acetone. Two derivatives of these products are acetic anhydride and acetaldehyde, which then react together to give ethylidene diacetate (Figure 14.2.)... 

An alternative approach to the production of thermally stable polyoxy-methylenes was made by chemists of the Celanese Corporation of America and the commercial products were marketed as Celcon. Hostaform and Duracon. The principle of thermal stability in this case is the copolymerisation of formaldehyde with a second monomer which is a cyclic ether of the general form shown in Figure 19.3 (I). 

Viscose Research Department, Celanese Corporation of America, Rome, Georgia... 

The determination of propiolactone with thiosuUate has been described by T ler and Reering it cannot as a rule be applied to the homologs (see section VI.4.C ). The determination of acrylic add with a mixture of potassium bromate and hromide and that of the total acidity by direct -titrstion with sodium methylate in anhydrous methanol have been discussed in the booklets edited by members of the Celanese Corporation of America, They recommend mass cpeciro-graphy for the evaluation of the lactons content of oommerical products and for the detection of certain impurities. 

Polyacetal can be divided into two basic types, acetal homoploymer and acetal copolymer. Both homopolymer and copolymer are available in a range of molecular weights (M = 20 000-100 000). The homopolymer is a polymer of formaldehyde with a molecular structure of repeated oxymethylene units (Staudinger, 1932). Large-scale production of polyformaldehyde, i.e. polyacetal, commenced in 1958 in the USA (US Patent 2 768 994,1956) (British patent 770 717,1957). Delrin (1959) was the first trade mark for this polymer by Du Pont Company. The copolymers were introduced by the Celanese Corporation of America, and the first commercial product named Celcon (1960). One of the major advantages of copolymerization is to stabilize polyacetal because the homopolymer tends to depolymerize and eliminate formaldehyde. The most important stabilization method is structural modification of the polymer by, for example, copolymerization with cyclic ether. 

An example of a munition that was standardized but never employed is the incendiary leaf, developed in 1941-42 by the CWS and the Celanese Corporation of America. It was intended for dry grain fields, forests, thatched roofs, and other targets that would burn easily. As with the 4-pound magnesium bomb, the idea came from the British. Leaves were made in the form of disks, eight inches in diameter, one-fourth of an inch thick, and composed of pyroxylin. One type had pellets of white phosphorus attached to it, embedded in a putty-like material. When containers... 

Direct oxidation of propane-butane - Celanese Corporation of America chemical plant. Pet Refin 1959 38(ll) 234-5. 

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