Inorganic chemical industry development

Development of industrial. sodium carbonate manufacturing processes such as the Leblanc (1790) and Solvay (1865) processes stimulated the development of the inorganic chemical industry... 

As a consequence of its recent development the petrochemical industry is relatively much younger than the major inorganic chemicals industry. However, one can easily be misled by the classification of products that are termed petrochemical . Basically a petrochemical is derived directly or indirectly from a petroleum or natural gas fraction. It may be organic, such as ethylene, benzene, or formaldehyde, or it may be inorganic, such as ammonia, nitric acid, and ammonium nitrate (Chap. 11). So a petrochemical is not synonymous with an organic chemical, although most petrochemicals are also organic chemicals. 

An overview of the Swiss chemical industry would not be complete without reference to other branches of this industry. In most countries, in regions with home based textile industries, the heavy chemical industry developed right at the start of the nineteenth century, manufacturing acids and other inorganic substances for dyers, calico printers and bleachers. The same applied in Switzerland, but most of these plants disappeared around 1850 with the advent of the railway network local manufacture became obsolete as transportation costs went down. Only the Uetikon company, located on the east bank of Lake Zurich, survived as the most successful Swiss heavy chemicals plant. ... 

Solvent extraction is used in nnmerons chemical industries to produce pure chemical compounds ranging from pharmaceuticals and biomedicals to heavy organics and metals, in analytical chemistry and in environmental waste purification. The scientific explanation of the distribution ratios observed is based on the fundamental physical chemistry of solute-solvent interaction, activity factors of the solutes in the pure phases, aqueous complexation, and complex-adduct interactions. Most university training provides only elementary knowledge about these fields, which is unsatisfactory from a fundamental chemical standpoint, as well as for industrial development and for protection of environmental systems. Solvent extraction uses are important in organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry, and in chemical engineering, theoretical as well as practical in this book we try to cover most of these important fields. 

It is clear that there are many possibilities for avoiding the use of classical acid and base catalysts in a wide variety of chemical reactions. Their application will result in the development of more sustainable processes with a substantial reduction in the inorganic waste produced by the chemical industry. Particularly noteworthy in this context is the use of chemically modified expanded com starches, containing pendant S03H or NH2 groups, as solid acid or base catalysts, respectively [152]. In addition to being recyclable these catalysts are biodegradable and derived from renewable raw materials (see Chapter 8). 

Inorganic chemistry as a field of study was extremely important during the early years of the exploration and development of mineral resources. Qualitative analysis methods were developed to help identify minerals and, combined with quantitative methods, to assess their purity and value. As the industrial revolution progressed, so did the chemical industry. By the early 20th century, plants for the production of ammonia, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, and many other inorganic chemicals produced on a large scale were common. 

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