Synthetic organic chemicals, production volume

One of the Tariff Commission s reports which is very valuable to chemists is Synthetic Organic Chemicals, U.S. Production and Sales. It is an annual volume which comprises three major sections chemical raw materials, cyclic intermediates, and finished synthetic organic chemical products. The most recent report (Report 206, Second Series) may be purchased from GPO for 1. 

Cyclic Hydrocarbons. The cyclic hydrocarbon intermediates are derived principally from petroleum and natural gas, though small amounts are derived from coal. Most cycHc intermediates are used in the manufacture of more advanced synthetic organic chemicals and finished products such as dyes, medicinal chemicals, elastomers, pesticides, and plastics and resins. Table 6 details the production and sales of cycHc intermediates in 1991. Benzene (qv) is the largest volume aromatic compound used in the chemical industry. It is extracted from catalytic reformates in refineries, and is produced by the dealkylation of toluene (qv) (see also BTX Processing). 

United States International Trade Commission, Synthetic Organic Chemicals. Calculated from reported toluenediamine production volumes. 

According to the most recent edition of the United States International Trade Commission publication on U.S. production and sales of synthetic organic chemicals (USITC 1987), Union Carbide (Institute, WV), is the only domestic manufacturer of isophorone. A comparison of the list of isophorone manufacturers in USITC (1987) and USITC (1986) shows that Exxon Corporation (Bayway, NJ) also manufactured this chemical, but discontinued production in 1985. Because of the limited number of domestic manufacturers of isophorone and their desire to maintain confidentiality, up-to-date information regarding the production volume of isophorone in the U.S. is not available. In 1973, 35 million pounds of isophorone were produced in the United States (Papa and Sherman 1981) and in 1980, approximately 20-30 million pounds were produced (CMA 1981). The decrease may be because of replacement of isophorone with less costly solvents (CMA 1981). 

Those synthetic organic chemicals (excluding polymers) having production volumes of greater than four billion pounds in 2000, according to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) Chemical Economics Handbook, are listed below. Note that the production of 5 chemicals alone totaled more than 100 billion lb, and 15 totaled 190 billion lb/year. 

A waste product itself probably provided the foundation for the modern synthetic organic chemical industry. The Industrial Revolution of the early 19th century saw large volumes of a malodorous, black, sticky waste product generated from the production of coke from coal. The coke fuelled the growing steel industry and town gas was produced to power the urban environments which sprang up around the industrial wealth creation. 

Phenol is both a man-made chemical and produced naturally. It is found in nature in some foods and in human and animal wastes and decomposing organic material. The largest single use of phenol is as an intermediate in the production of phenolic resins. However, it is also used in the production of caprolactam (which is used in the manufacture of nylon 6 and other synthetic fibers) and bisphenol A (which is used in the manufacture of epoxy and other resins). Phenol is also used as a slimicide (a chemical toxic to bacteria and fungi characteristic of aqueous slimes), as a disinfectant, and in medicinal preparations such as over-the-counter treatments for sore throats. Phenol ranks in the top 50 in production volumes for chemicals produced in the United States. Chapters 3 and 4 contain more information. 

Green chemistry imposes additional constraints on the product and process characteristics. The issues are different for different product sectors and industries. Thus, the specialty chemicals and the pharmaceuticals industries use many different types of synthetic organic reactions. The product volume may be small, but the purities expected are very high. They are very dependent on solvents, as both reactants and products are often solids, and produced molecules may possess toxicity and have other effects on the environment. The most important issues are atom efficiency of individual reactions, solvent recovery and reuse, use of benign solvents, product toxicity, and product end-of-life. Such data for all their raw materials and products may not be available. 

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