Dow Chemicals

In the ancient times" the 1950s), data were transferred to computers by using punched cards. But already in 1959 Ascher Opier from Dow Chemical Company reported the use of a light pen for graphical entiy of chemical structures into a computer. Light pens were also used in the Chemical Abstracts Service in the 1970s. 

The chemistry of stable, long-lived (or persistent) carbocations, as they became known, thus began and its progress was fast and widespread. Publication of research done in an industrial laboratory is not always easy. 1 would therefore like to thank again the Dow Chemical Company for allowing me not only to carry out the work but eventually also to publish the results. 

Starting with my work in Hungary, through my years with Dow Chemical, and during my academic career, besides scientific pub-... 

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... 

Acetone, Eorm No. 115-598-84, product bulletin of The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., 1984. 

Even ia 1960 a catalytic route was considered the answer to the pollution problem and the by-product sulfate, but nearly ten years elapsed before a process was developed that could be used commercially. Some of the eadier attempts iacluded hydrolysis of acrylonitrile on a sulfonic acid ion-exchange resia (69). Manganese dioxide showed some catalytic activity (70), and copper ions present ia two different valence states were described as catalyticaHy active (71), but copper metal by itself was not active. A variety of catalysts, such as Umshibara or I Jllmann copper and nickel, were used for the hydrolysis of aromatic nitriles, but aUphatic nitriles did not react usiag these catalysts (72). Beginning ia 1971 a series of patents were issued to The Dow Chemical Company (73) describiag the use of copper metal catalysis. Full-scale production was achieved the same year. A solution of acrylonitrile ia water was passed over a fixed bed of copper catalyst at 85°C, which produced a solution of acrylamide ia water with very high conversions and selectivities to acrylamide. 

The largest production of acrylamide is in Japan the United States and Europe also have large production faciUties. Some production is carried out in the Eastern Bloc countries, but details concerning quantities or processes are difficult to obtain. The principal producers in North America are The Dow Chemical Company, American Cyanamid Company, and Nalco Chemical Company (internal use) Dow sells only aqueous product and American Cyanamid sells both Hquid and sohd monomer. In Europe, Chemische Eabrik Stockhausen Cie, Ahied CoUoids, The Dow Chemical Company, and Cyanamid BV are producers Dow and American Cyanamid are the only suppHers to the merchant market, and crystalline monomer is available from American Cyanamid. Eor Japan, producers are Mitsubishi Chemical Industries, Mitsui Toatsu, and Nitto Chemical Industries Company (captive market). Crystals and solutions are available from Mitsui Toatsu and Mitsubishi, whereas only solution monomer is available from Nitto. 

Dearborn Chemical Company (W. R. Grace Company) The Dow Chemical Company... 

Chemische Fabrik Stockhausen Cie The Dow Chemical Company SNF Floerger (France)... 

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