United States sufficiency

At the present rate of world phosphate rock consumption (150 x 10 t/yr), the total world reserve (Table 14) is sufficient for about 200 years, and the resource would be sufficient for nearly 900 years. At expected increased rates of consumption, the reserves and resources are adequate for at least 150 years and 700 years, respectively. At projected rates of consumption, the high grade reserves in Florida probably will be exhausted by the year 2000. Rock production from the Florida reserve presentiy constitutes about 80% of all United States production and about one-third of world production (106). This rate of depletion is causing increased interest in western United States reserves which represent nearly 80% of present U.S. total reserves. 

In drafting a patent appHcation, proceeding methodically through the several steps necessary to produce the type of disclosure legally and technically sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the laws of the United States is absolutely essential to a successful granting of the patent. A first step is to outHne those elements of the invention which are absolutely essential to its practice. A body of disclosure should be outlined for each of the essential elements of the claim. This disclosure should describe each element in terms of its function, as weU as the parameters that are relevant to the essential nature of the individual element. For example, if a chemical mixture has a component which acts so as to thicken the mixture, it is appropriate to outHne the family of constituents that can serve this function. At the same time, a full outHne of the disclosure of this individual element will include mention of those chemicals that are preferred for use within the mixture so as to perform the desired thickening function. 

Manufacturing plants for thioglycolic acid and derivatives are found in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Producers in Europe are B. Bock (Germany), Elf Atochem (Erance), and Merck (Germany) in the United States Elf Atochem, Hampshire, and Witco and in Japan, Daicel. Production capacity is expected to be sufficient to supply world demand for five years. 

Another method iavolves an electric-arc vaporizer which is >2000° C before burning (25,32). One of the features of the process is a rapid quench of the hot gas flow to yield very fine oxide particles (<0.15 nm). This product is quite reactive and imparts accelerated cure rates to mbber. Internally fired rotary kilns are used extensively ia Canada and Europe and, to a limited extent, ia the United States (24). The burning occurs ia the kiln and the heat is sufficient to melt and vaporize the ziac. Because of the lower temperatures, the particles are coarser than those produced ia the other processes. In a fourth process, ziac metal which is purified ia a vertical refining column is burned. In essence, the purification is a distillation and impure ziac can be used to make extremely pure oxide. Also, a wide range of particle sizes is possible (33). 

The United States is not self-sufficient in its lequitements for antimony and is heavily dependent on imports of both ore and metal (Table 2). 

Biphenyl has been produced commercially in the United States since 1926, mainly by The Dow Chemical Co., Monsanto Co., and Sun Oil Co. Currently, Dow, Monsanto, and Koch Chemical Co. are the principal biphenyl producers, with lesser amounts coming from Sybron Corp. and Chemol, Inc. With the exception of Monsanto, the above suppHers recover biphenyl from high boiler fractions that accompany the hydrodealkylation of toluene [108-88-3] to benzene (6). Hydrodealkylation of alkylbenzenes, usually toluene, C Hg, is an important source of benzene, C H, in the United States. Numerous hydrodealkylation (HDA) processes have been developed. Most have the common feature that toluene or other alkylbenzene plus hydrogen is passed under pressure through a tubular reactor at high temperature (34). Methane and benzene are the principal products formed. Dealkylation conditions are sufficiently severe to cause some dehydrocondensation of benzene and toluene molecules. 

The United States is largely self-sufficient with respect to copper, meeting any shortfall by imports. AustraHa and the CIS consume most of their production on the domestic market. Japan and Western Europe import substantial quantities of copper in the form of concentrates, bHster, and refined copper. World mine, smelter, and refining capacities in 1989 are given in Table 6. Copper industries in Chile, Pern, Zaire, and Zambia are nationalized. 

Location of Deposits. Deposits of diatomite are known to exist on every continent and in nearly every country. Over half of the states in the United States reportedly contain diatomaceous earth deposits. In some cases, deposits of marine and freshwater origin occur almost side by side as do deposits of widely varying ages (5). Most of the deposits are not large enough or sufficiently pure to have commercial value. Production figures show the location of the deposits that meet commercial standards in both respects (7). 

The preparation of a synthetic polyisoprene was first reported in 1879 by Bouchardat (1), who treated isoprene [78-79-5] obtained from the destmctive distillation of natural mbber with hydrochloric acid. This discovery led to a search for a way of converting isoprene into a material dupHcating natural mbber (Hepea brasilienses). During World War II, scientists extensively studied the polymerization of isoprene with the hope of replicating natural mbber since the United States was temporarily cut off from sufficient natural mbber suppHes. These studies were not successful. PinaHy, in 1954 the B.E. 

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