Chemical carbides

Physical Properties Synthetic Organic Chemicals, Carbide and Carbon Chemical Company, (1956). 

Drying agents may be divided broadly into (a) those which combine with water reversibly and (6) tho.se which react chemically with water by a non-revcrsible process giving rise to a new water-free compound. Sodium, calcium carbide and phosphorus peiitoxide belong to the latter class and wih be discussed in Section 11,39. 

Much useful information on these and other solvents will be found in the booklet Synihtiic Oryanic Chemicals issued by the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation. 

A = Aristech Chemical B = BP Chemicals Ce = Celanese Cy = CYRO Industries Do = Dow Chemical Du = Du Pont E = Eastman Chemical G = General Electric R = Rohm Haas S = Shell Chemical U = Union Carbide... 

Historically, the use of acetylene as raw material for chemical synthesis has depended strongly upon the avadabihty of alternative raw materials. The United States, which until recendy appeared to have limitless stocks of hydrocarbon feeds, has never depended upon acetylene to the same extent as Germany, which had more limited access to hydrocarbons (1). During Wodd War 1 the first manufacture of a synthetic mbber was undertaken ia Germany to replace imported natural mbber, which was no longer accessible. Acetylene derived from calcium carbide was used for preparation of... 

A.crolein, Material Safety Data Sheet, Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Company Inc., Specialty Chemicals Division, August 15,1989. 

Rhodium Ca.ta.lysts. Rhodium carbonyl catalysts for olefin hydroformylation are more active than cobalt carbonyls and can be appHed at lower temperatures and pressures (14). Rhodium hydrocarbonyl [75506-18-2] HRh(CO)4, results in lower -butyraldehyde [123-72-8] to isobutyraldehyde [78-84-2] ratios from propylene [115-07-17, C H, than does cobalt hydrocarbonyl, ie, 50/50 vs 80/20. Ligand-modified rhodium catalysts, HRh(CO)2L2 or HRh(CO)L2, afford /iso-ratios as high as 92/8 the ligand is generally a tertiary phosphine. The rhodium catalyst process was developed joindy by Union Carbide Chemicals, Johnson-Matthey, and Davy Powergas and has been Hcensed to several companies. It is particulady suited to propylene conversion to -butyraldehyde for 2-ethylhexanol production in that by-product isobutyraldehyde is minimized. 

Secondary alcohols (C q—for surfactant iatermediates are produced by hydrolysis of secondary alkyl borate or boroxiae esters formed when paraffin hydrocarbons are air-oxidized ia the presence of boric acid [10043-35-3] (19,20). Union Carbide Corporation operated a plant ia the United States from 1964 until 1977. A plant built by Nippon Shokubai (Japan Catalytic Chemical) ia 1972 ia Kawasaki, Japan was expanded to 30,000 t/yr capacity ia 1980 (20). The process has been operated iadustriaHy ia the USSR siace 1959 (21). Also, predominantiy primary alcohols are produced ia large volumes ia the USSR by reduction of fatty acids, or their methyl esters, from permanganate-catalyzed air oxidation of paraffin hydrocarbons (22). The paraffin oxidation is carried out ia the temperature range 150—180°C at a paraffin conversion generally below 20% to a mixture of trialkyl borate, (RO)2B, and trialkyl boroxiae, (ROBO). Unconverted paraffin is separated from the product mixture by flash distillation. After hydrolysis of residual borate esters, the boric acid is recovered for recycle and the alcohols are purified by washing and distillation (19,20). 

The product secondary alcohols from paraffin oxidation are converted to ethylene oxide adducts (alcohol ethoxylates) which are marketed by Japan Catalytic Chemical and BP Chemicals as SOFTANOL secondary alcohol ethoxylates. Union Carbide Chemical markets ethoxylated derivatives of the materials ia the United States under the TERGlTOL trademark (23). 

Calcium carbide has been used in steel production to lower sulfur emissions when coke with high sulfur content is used. The principal use of carbide remains hydrolysis for acetylene (C2H2) production. Acetylene is widely used as a welding gas, and is also a versatile intermediate for the synthesis of many organic chemicals. Approximately 450,000 t of acetylene were used aimuaHy in the early 1960s for the production of such chemicals as acrylonitrile, acrylates, chlorinated solvents, chloroprene, vinyl acetate, and vinyl chloride. Since then, petroleum-derived olefins have replaced acetylene in these uses. 

Plastic materials represent less than 10% by weight of all packagiag materials. They have a value of over 7 biUion including composite flexible packagiag about half is for film and half for botties, jars, cups, tubs, and trays. The principal materials used are high density polyethylene (HDPE) for botties, low density polyethylene for film, polypropylene (PP) for film, and polyester for both botties and films. Plastic resias are manufactured by petrochemical companies, eg. Union Carbide and Mobil Chemical for low density polyethylene (LDPE), Solvay for high density polyethylene, Himont for polypropylene, and Shell and Eastman for polyester. 

Ethylene Glycol Brochure F-49193B-ICD, Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Co. Inc. Danbury, Conn., 1991. 

Eastman Chemical Co., BASF, Mitsubishi Gas, and Union Carbide are manufacturers of this glycol. The U.S. price in June 1993 was 2.97/kg. Toxicity. Acute toxicity data for (9) appear in Table 2. 

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