Fibers and Plastics

Nicotine, C,oH,4N2, is the principal alkaloid in the tobacco plant. Its formula is 

It is highly toxic and is used as an insecticide. In small quantities it acts as a stimulant and raises the blood pressure. The decreased life expectancy of cigarette smokers is thought to be due in some part to the effect of the inhaled nicotine, which is absorbed into the blood stream, but for the most part to carcinogenic hydrocarbons and other harmful substances in the smoke. 

Silk and wool are protein fibers, consisting of long polypeptide chains (see Chapter 15). Cotton and linen are polysaccharides (carbohydrates), with composition (C6Hki05)j.. These fibers consist of long chains made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, with no nitrogen atoms present. 

In recent years synthetic fibers have been made, by synthesizing long molecules in the laboratory. One of these, which has valuable properties, is nylon. It is the product of condensation of adipic acid and diamino-hexane. These two substances have the following structures  

Adipic acid is a chain of four methylene groups with a carboxyl group at each end, and diaminohexane is a similar chain of six methylene groups 

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Synthetic Fiber and Plastics Industries. In the synthetic fibers and plastics industries, the substrate itself serves as the solvent, and the whitener is not appHed from solutions as in textiles. Table 6 Hsts the types of FWAs used in the synthetic fibers and plastic industries. In the case of synthetic fibers, such as polyamide and polyester produced by the melt-spinning process, FWAs can be added at the start or during the course of polymerization or polycondensation. However, FWAs can also be powdered onto the polymer chips prior to spinning. The above types of appHcation place severe thermal and chemical demands on FWAs. They must not interfere with the polymerization reaction and must remain stable under spinning conditions. 

Table 6. Fluorescent Whitening Agents Used in the Synthetic Fibers and Plastics Industries...

Miscellaneous. The reaction products of sahcylaldehyde with certain compounds containing active methylene groups, eg, acetylacetone, are excellent uv absorbers. Films containing these compounds can be used as uv filters to protect light-sensitive foods, wood products, paper, dyes, fibers, and plastics (95). 

Naphthalenedicarboxylic Acid. This dicarboxyhc acid, a potential monomer in the production of polyester fibers and plastics with superior properties (105), and of thermotropic Hquid crystal polymers (106), is manufactured by the oxidation of 2,6-dialkylnaphthalenes (107,108). 

The mixed monocyclic aromatics are called BTX as an abbreviation for ben2ene, toluene, and xylene (see Btxprocessing). The benzene and toluene are isolated by distillation, and the isomers of the xylene are separated by superfractionation, fractional crystallisation, or adsorption (see Xylenes and ethylbenzene). Bensene is the starting material for styrene (qv), phenol (qv), and a number of fibers and plastics. Toluene (qv) is used to make a number of... 

Ammonia is used in the fibers and plastic industry as the source of nitrogen for the production of caprolactam, the monomer for nylon 6. Oxidation of propylene with ammonia gives acrylonitrile (qv), used for the manufacture of acryHc fibers, resins, and elastomers. Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), produced from ammonia and formaldehyde, is used in the manufacture of phenoHc thermosetting resins (see Phenolic resins). Toluene 2,4-cHisocyanate (TDI), employed in the production of polyurethane foam, indirectly consumes ammonia because nitric acid is a raw material in the TDI manufacturing process (see Amines Isocyanates). Urea, which is produced from ammonia, is used in the manufacture of urea—formaldehyde synthetic resins (see Amino resins). Melamine is produced by polymerization of dicyanodiamine and high pressure, high temperature pyrolysis of urea, both in the presence of ammonia (see Cyanamides). 

Caprolactam [105-60-2] (2-oxohexamethyleiiiiriiQe, liexaliydro-2J -a2epin-2-one) is one of the most widely used chemical intermediates. However, almost all of the aimual production of 3.0 x 10 t is consumed as the monomer for nylon-6 fibers and plastics (see Fibers survey Polyamides, plastics). Cyclohexanone, which is the most common organic precursor of caprolactam, is made from benzene by either phenol hydrogenation or cyclohexane oxidation (see Cyclohexanoland cyclohexanone). Reaction with ammonia-derived hydroxjlamine forms cyclohexanone oxime, which undergoes molecular rearrangement to the seven-membered ring S-caprolactam. 

DSM America produces caprolactam only for merchant sales, both domestic and foreign. BASF is a customer, foUowiag acquisition of Enka s United States fiber and plastics plants, and also a captive producer of caprolactam. AUied-Signal s production is primarily captive for nylon-6 fibers and plastics, but substantial amounts are supplied to the export market. 

The main contaminant and its concentration ia commercial caprolactam usually is water at <0.1 wt%. Anhydrous caprolactam is produced ia small quantity for use ia anionic polymerisa tion processes. Commercial product of very high purity is required by the users, ie, the fibers and plastics producers, most of whom utilise technologically advanced processes that are sensitive to monomer quality. 

Cellulose acetate [9004-35-7] is the most important organic ester because of its broad appHcation in fibers and plastics it is prepared in multi-ton quantities with degrees of substitution (DS) ranging from that of hydrolyzed, water-soluble monoacetates to those of fully substituted triacetate (Table 1). Soluble cellulose acetate was first prepared in 1865 by heating cotton and acetic anhydride at 180°C (1). Using sulfuric acid as a catalyst permitted preparation at lower temperatures (2), and later, partial hydrolysis of the triacetate gave an acetone-soluble cellulose acetate (3). The solubiUty of partially hydrolyzed (secondary) cellulose acetate in less expensive and less toxic solvents such as acetone aided substantially in its subsequent commercial development. 

A rather impressive Hst of materials and products are made from renewable resources. For example, per capita consumption of wood is twice that of all metals combined. The ceUulosic fibers, rayon and cellulose acetate, are among the oldest and stiU relatively popular textile fibers and plastics. Soy and other oilseeds, including the cereals, are refined into important commodities such as starch, protein, oil, and their derivatives. The naval stores, turpentine, pine oil, and resin, are stiU important although their sources are changing from the traditional gum and pine stumps to tall oil recovered from pulping. 

Mechanical Hygrometers Materials such as human hair, wood fiber, and plastics have been used to measure humidity. These methods rely on a change in dimension with humidity. 

Type of core (fiber, wire, plastic, or fiber and plastic). 

The conclusion that short stable fibers will not produce maximum physical properties is not theoretically correct. Both experiment and theory have concluded that with proper adhesion or bond between fibers and plastic matrix, maximum properties can basically be achieved by using relatively short stable fibers rather than continuous filament construction (39). To date the higher performances is overwhelming achieved with the continuous fibers. Also, the fibers used in RPs have the important potential of reaching values that are far superior (7,10). 

Thus, it is necessary to allow for the fact that two widely dissimilar materials have been combined into a single unit. In the basic design approach certain fundamental assumptions are made. The first, and most important assumption, is that the two materials act together. With a load applied (stretching, compression, twisting, etc.) the fibers and plastic under load is the same that is, the... 

C04-0075. Acrylonitrile is an important building block for synthetic fibers and plastics. Over 1.4 billion kilograms of acrylonitrile are produced in the United States each year. The compound is synthesized from propene in the following reaction ... 

All the BTXs are high-octane gasoline blending components. In the petrochemicals business, toluene is used as a building block for polyurethane. Para-xylene and ortho-xylene are used to make polyester fibers and plastics, allcyd resins, and plasticizers. 

Ethylene glycol, CH2OHCH2OH, looks like ethane with hydroxyl groups (-OH) on each carbon in place of a hydrogen. EG is used as the essential ingredient in antifreeze and in the production of PET and polyester film, fiber, and plastics. 

Uses Rubber accelerator solvent in fiber and plastic industry rocket fuels lubricants condensers to increase dielectric constant industrial solvent antioxidant nematocide softener of copolymers research chemical plasticizer in acrylonitrile polymers inhibit nitrification in soil chemical intermediate for 1,1-dimethylhydrazine. 

Condensation polymers tend to exist below their Tg at room temperature. They typically form fairly ordered structures with lots of strong interactions between the various chains giving strong materials with some, but not much, elongation when stretched. They are normally used as fibers and plastics. They have high stress/strain ratios. 

The most important cellulose ester is cellulose acetate because of its use in fibers and plastics. They were first made in 1865 by heating cotton with acetic anhydride. During World War I, cellulose acetate replaced the highly flammable CN coating on airplane wings and fuselage fabrics. 

Poly(ethylene terephthalate), known by the trade names Mylar, Dacron, and Terylene, is a very high volume polymer—the United States production of PET fiber and plastic was over... 

Aliphatic polyamides of e-caprolactam (Nylon-6) possess great importance as fibers and plastics. 

Commodities are large-volume, low-price, homogeneous, and standardized chemicals produced in dedicated plants and used for a large variety of applications. Prices are cyclic and fully transparent. Petrochemicals, basic chemicals, heavy organic and inorganic chemicals (large-volume) monomers, commodity fibers, and plastics are all part of commodities. Typical examples of single products are ethylene, propylene, caprolactame, methanol, BTX (benzene, toluene, xylenes), phthalic anhydride, poly (vinyl chloride) soda, and sulfuric acid. 

The second goal was that the company should seek to be the lowest-cost producer in the more mature businesses. These include oil and gas exploration and production, coal production, commodity fibers and plastics, automotive finishes, plastic films, and titanium dioxide white pigment. Extensive process and productivity improvements have been achieved. 

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