Produces quantity control

The acetone supply is strongly influenced by the production of phenol, and so the small difference between total demand and the acetone suppHed by the cumene oxidation process is made up from other sources. The largest use for acetone is in solvents although increasing amounts ate used to make bisphenol A [80-05-7] and methyl methacrylate [80-62-6]. a-Methylstyrene [98-83-9] is produced in controlled quantities from the cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide, or it can be made directly by the dehydrogenation of cumene. About 2% of the cumene produced in 1987 went to a-methylstyrene manufacture for use in poly (a-methylstyrene) and as an ingredient that imparts heat-resistant quaUties to polystyrene plastics. 

Microbial EPS can be produced under controlled conditions with consistent and reproducible yield and with more degrees of freedom to control product composition. Traditional gums may suffer from a lack of reproducibility in their properties, purity, supply, and cost due to environmental factors such as climate and pollution, which causes great variabihty in the quantity. 

Environmental Considerations. Environmental problems in Ziegler chemistry alcohol processes are not severe. A small quantity of aluminum alkyl wastes is usually produced and represents the most significant disposal problem. It can be handled by controlled hydrolysis and separate disposal of the aqueous and organic streams. Organic by-products produced in chain growth and hydrolysis can be cleanly burned. Wastewater streams must be monitored for dissolved carbon, such as short-chain alcohols, and treated conventionally when necessary. 

Although 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde can be made by the saligenin route, it has been made historically by the Reimer-Tiemann process, which also produces sahcylaldehyde (64). Treatment of phenol with chloroform and aqueous sodium hydroxide results in the formation of benzal chlorides, which are rapidly hydrolyzed by the alkaline medium into aldehydes. Acidification of the phenoxides results in the formation of the final products, sahcylaldehyde and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde. The ratio of ortho and para isomers is flexible and can be controlled within certain limits. The overall reaction scheme is shown in Figure 1. Product separation is accomphshed by distillation, but this process leads to environmental problems because of the quantities of sodium chloride produced. 

Criticality Precautions. The presence of a critical mass of Pu ia a container can result ia a fission chain reaction. Lethal amounts of gamma and neutron radiation are emitted, and a large amount of heat is produced. The assembly can simmer near critical or can make repeated critical excursions. The generation of heat results eventually ia an explosion which destroys the assembly. The quantity of Pu required for a critical mass depends on several factors the form and concentration of the Pu, the geometry of the system, the presence of moderators (water, hydrogen-rich compounds such as polyethylene, cadmium, etc), the proximity of neutron reflectors, the presence of nuclear poisons, and the potential iateraction with neighboring fissile systems (188). As Httle as 509 g of Pu(N02)4 solution at a concentration Pu of 33 g/L ia a spherical container, reflected by an infinite amount of water, is a critical mass (189,190). Evaluation of criticaUty controls is available (32,190). 

---