Fine chemical

The production of fine and specialty chemicals is characterized by several important and fundamental differences compared to producing bulk chemicals. These are summarized in Table 5.3.18. Many of these differences stem from the fact that the production volumes in fine and specialty chemicals manufacturing are much smaller. Moreover, the chemical complexity of these products is typically much higher. As a consequence, it is less the efficiency of the process that is in the focus but the quality and performance of the product itself. Characteristic for fine and specialty chemicals production is the fact that the products are formed in multistep syntheses (as demonstrated for the product Aspirin in Topic 5.3.8). As each step provides the desired product in a certain selectivity, the overall ratio of by-product formation versus product formation is typically much higher than in bulk chemicals production. However, the added value in fine chemicals production is also very high as the customer appreciates the special performance of the product for their specific application. 

While the production of fine chemicals is defined by a high added value and relatively low production volumes, specialty chemicals are formulations of several compounds containing one fine chemical or a mixture of several fine chemicals as active ingredients. Specialty chemicals are usually sold under brand names and are identified by their performance. For example, the active ingredients of a drug are fine chemicals, whereas the formulated drug itself is a specialty chemical. 

Typical reaction equipment for fine and specialty chemicals production is a batch-wise operated multi-purpose plant (MPP). A common MPP set-up includes a stirred stainless-steel or glass-lined batch reactor with reflux condenser, feed systems for reactants and inert gases, as well as equipment for different, optional separation 

Product life cycle Short ( 10 years) Long ( 30 years) 

Process technology Batch in multi-purpose facilities. Continuous 

SOLVSAFE is aimed at developing SFOS for their innovative application in key products and processes within six different sectors ranging from metal degreasing, paints and varnishes, crop protection formulations to fine chemicals manufacture and extraction of vegetable oils. 

4 Industrial Application of SOLVSAFE Solvents Results and Perspectives 

The new process was scaled-up successfully. The yield obtained was similar to that of the classical route and the new process proved to be cost effective. Only considering raw materials is the classical route less economic. The 15% reduction in the overall process cost is due to a higher efficiency of the glycerol formal route and a smaller waste stream generated during the manufacture. 

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (4th Edition) 

Also sold under the trade names Hydroton, Regroton, Igrolina, Igroton, and Renon. 

Product innovation absorbs considerable resources in the fine chemicals industry, in part because of the shorter life cycles of fine chemicals as compared to commodities. Consequently, research and development (R D) plays an important role. The main task of R D in fine chemicals is scaling-up lab processes, as described, eg, in the ORAC data bank or as provided by the customers, so that the processes can be transferred to pilot plants (see Pilot PLANTS AND microplants) and subsequently to industrial-scale production. Thus the R D department of a fine chemicals manufacturer typically is divided into a laboratory or process research section and a development section, the latter absorbing the Hon s share of the R D budget, which typically accounts for 5 to 10% of sales. Support functions include the analytical services, engineering, maintenance, and Hbrary. 

In the laboratory or process research section a laboratory procedure for a fine chemical is worked out. The resulting process description provides the necessary data for the determination of preliminary product specifications, the manufacture of semicommercial quantities in the pilot plant, the assessment of the ecological impact, an estimation of the manufacturing cost in an industrial-scale plant, and the vaHdation of the process and determination of raw material specifications. 

The development section serves as an intermediary between laboratory and industrial scale and operates the pilot plant. A dkect transfer from the laboratory to industrial-scale processes is stiH practiced at some small fine chemicals manufacturers, but is not recommended because of the inherent safety, environmental, and economic risks. Both equipment and plant layout of the pilot plant mirror those of an industrial multipurpose plant, except for the size (typically 100 to 2500 L) of reaction vessels and the degree of process automation. 

Tii3-nanoclusters (Fig. 2.8) have been used as powerful activators for heterogeneous noble metal hydrogenation catalysis [9, 130]. In the so-called butyronitrile hydrogenation standard test the activity of surfactant-stabiUzed colloidal rhodium 

In batch and continuous tests the performance of the colloidal catalyst systems has been compared to conventional Pt/C-systems. The potential of the colloidal heterogeneous catalyst lies in the possibility of fine tuning the properties for specific applications by the addition of special dopants or poisons to the precursor. The infiuence of metal ions on the hydrogenation of o-chloronitrobenzene over platinum colloids, and the effect of metal complexes on the catalytic performance of metal clusters have also been demonstrated [133-135]. 

A surfactant was found to control the selectivity in the cis-selective partial hydrogenation of 3-hexyn-l-ol giving leaf alcohol, which is a valuable fragrance (Eq. (2.5)) [140]. 

The performance in this reaction (Eq. (2.5)) of heterogeneous Pd colloid catalysts on CaCOs modified by a number of surfactants was compared with conventional Pd/C and Lindlar catalysts. The selectivity was found to depend on the support and various promoters. The highest activity and the best selectivity (98.1%) towards the desired cis-3-hexen-l-ol was found when employing a lead-acetate-promoted palladium colloid on CaCOs modified by the zwitterionic surfactant SB-12 (N,N-dimethyl-dodecylammoniopropanesulfonate). According to chemisorption results. 

Contrary to a common prejudice, the colloidal Pd/C oxidation catalysts demonstrated substantially enhanced durabiUty as compared to conventionally manufactured Pd/C catalysts under identical conditions [104]. Obviously, the lipophilic NOct4Cl surfactant layer prevents the colloid particles from coagulating and being poisoned in the alkaline aqueous reaction medium. 

---

Only a very few selected examples have been discussed. The number of processes based on shape-selective catalysis by zeolites is ever increasing, particularly in the field of speciality and fine chemicals and quite a few have been... 

To seat ch for available starting materials, similarity searches, substructure searches, and some classical retrieval methods such as full structure searches, name searches, empirical formula searches, etc., have been integrated into the system. All searches can be applied to a number of catalogs of available fine chemicals (c.g, Fluka 154]. In addition, compound libraries such as in-housc catalogs can easily be integrated. 

Figure 10.3-39. A substructure search in a catalog of fine chemicals. The precursor illustrated may be needed for the synthesis of a library, A substructure is defi ned by setting an open site at the position of the R group. Some representative examples of the 69 compounds in the Acros catalog which were obtained are shown.

Rhenium catalysts are exceptionally resistant to poisoning from nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, and are used for hydrogenation of fine chemicals. 

ITiis chapter does not introduce new chemical reactions. On the contrary, mainly elementary reactions are employed. The attempt is made here to provide an introduction into the planning of syntheses of simple "target molecules" based upon the synthon approach ofE.J. Corey (1967A, 1971) and the knowledge of the market of "fine chemicals". 

Finaplix Finaprene Finasteride [98319-26-7] Finazoline Fine arts Fine chemicals Fine-coarse difference Fine-grain sugar... 

Uses. Furan is utilised as a chemical building block in the production of other industrial chemicals for use as pharmaceuticals, herbicides, stabili2ers, and fine chemicals. There are a great many references to the use of furan as an intermediate in these applications. For a recent review, see Reference 104. Several of the principal uses are described below. 

There are thousands of breweries worldwide. However, the number of companies using fermentation to produce therapeutic substances and/or fine chemicals number well over 150, and those that grow microorganisms for food and feed number nearly 100. Lists of representative fermentation products produced commercially and the corresponding companies are available (1). Numerous other companies practice fermentation in some small capacity because it is often the only route to synthesize biochemical intermediates, enzymes, and many fine chemicals used in minor quantities. The large volume of L-phenylalanine is mainly used in the manufacture of the artificial dipeptide sweetener known as aspartame [22389-47-0]. Prior to the early 1980s there was httle demand for L-phenyl alanine, most of which was obtained by extraction from human hair and other nonmicrobiological sources. 

Green Cross Korea fine chemicals, biochemicals... 

Fig. 1. Fine chemicals plant design showing successive additions of processing equipment, where A represents the reaction vessel with agitator B, centrifuge C, dryer D, crystaUi2ation vessel E, raw material feed tanks F, centrifuge which may have an automatic discharge G, mother Hquor tank H,...

In the design of a fine chemicals plant equally important to the choice and positioning of the equipment is the selection of its size, especially the volume of the reaction vessels. Volumes of reactors vary quite widely, namely between 1,000 and 10,000 L, or ia rare cases 16,000 L. The cost of a production train ready for operation iacreases as a function of the 0.7 power. The personnel requirement iacreases at an even lower rate. Thus a large plant usiag large equipment would be expected to be more economical to mn than a small one. 

Eor this example the cost of the battery limits plant is about four times the purchase cost of the equipment. This number is about two for module I-type plants designed and iastalled by the fine chemicals company itself, and about six for expanded module IV-type plants designed and built by contractors. 

Batchwise operated multipurpose plants are per defmitionem the vehicle for the production of fine chemicals. There are, however, a few examples of fine chemicals produced ia dedicated, coatiauous plants. These can be advantageous if the raw materials or products are gaseous or Hquid rather than soHd, if the reaction is strongly exothermic or endothermic or otherwise hazardous, and if the requirement for the product warrants a continued capacity utilization. Some fine chemicals produced by continuous processes are methyl 4-chloroacetoacetate [32807-28-6] C H CIO [32807-28-6], and malononittile [109-77-3] C2H2N2, made by Lonza dimethyl acetonedicarboxylate [1830-54-2] made by Ube and L-2-chloropropionic acid [107-94-8] C2H C102, produced by Zeneca. 

Fig. 2. Schematic of a multipurpose fine chemicals plant. Computer-assisted process control is utilized.

The workforce consists of 92 shift and 8 daily workers. Approximately 20 to 30 different fine chemicals are produced per year which range ia volume from 20 to 200 metric tons per train and ia campaign length from 20 to 180 days. 

The production building is only one part of a full-fledged fine chemicals plant. Apart from the multipurpose plant building there is usually an office and R D building, the warehouse, the maintenance shop, tank farms, the iaciaerator, and wastewater treatment faciUties. 

Figure 3 shows the capacity utilization resulting from the production program ia a multipurpose plant. The aimual percentage of occupation is shown on the x-axis reflecting the overall busiaess condition, and the level of equipment utilization is shown on thejy-axis, reflecting the degree of sophistication of the fine chemicals to be produced. Several conclusions can be drawn ...

Optimum capacity utilization ia the two dimensions of time and equipment are cmcial to the overall performance, and miming a fine chemicals company has been described as gap management. Attempts have been made to develop adequate equations for describiag the correlation between... 

Quality Control. Because fine chemicals are sold according to specifications, adherence to constant and strict specifications, at risk because of the batchwise production and the use of the same equipment for different products ia multipurpose plants, is a necessity for fine chemical companies. For the majority of the fine chemicals, the degree of attention devoted to quahty control (qv) is not at the discretion of the iadividual company. This is particularly the case for fine chemicals used as active iagredients ia dmgs and foodstuffs (see Fine chemicals, standards). Standards for dmgs are pubHshed ia the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) ia the United States (6) and the European Pharmacopeia ia Europe (7). 

---