Petrochemicals in Nontechnical Language Book

Foreword xi

Preface xiii

1 What You Need to Know about Organic Chemistry 1

Organic Chemicals 2

Paraffins 3

Olefins 4

Cyclic Compounds 7

Heterocompounds 9

Polymers and Oligomers 12

2 Processes and Equipment 15

Distillation 15

Measuring Processes 21

Catalysts 22

Separation and Transformation 24

3 Benzene 25

A Historical Perspective 25

Benzene from Coal 27

Benzene in Petroleum Refining 28

Benzene from Olefin Plants 35

Benzene from Toluene Hydrodealkylation 35

Benzene from Toluene Disproportionation 36

Commercial Aspects 38

4 Toluene and the Xylenes 41

Toluene 41

The Xylenes 45

5 Olefin Plants, Ethylene, and Propylene 53

Olefin Plants 53

Other Technologies 62

Ethylene 64

Propylene 68

6 Cyclohexane 71

The Traditional Process 72

The Liquid Phase Process 75

Commercial Aspects 76

7 The C₄ Hydrocarbon Family 79

Processing 81

Butadiene 82

Isobutylene 85

Butene-1 86

Butene-2 87

Alkylation 88

8 Cumene and Phenol 91

Cumene 91

Phenol 96

9 Ethylbenzene and Styrene 103

Ethylbenzene 103

Styrene 108

10 Ethylene Dichloride, Vinyl Chloride, and Epichlorohydrin 117

Ethylene Dichloride and Vinyl Chloride 117

Epichlorohydrin 122

11 Ethylene Oxide and Ethylene Glycol 125

Ethylene Oxide 126

Ethylene Glycol 129

12 Propylene Oxide and Propylene Glycol 133

Propylene Oxide 133

Propylene Glycol 141

13 Ethanolamines and Polyols 145

Ethanolamines 145

Polyols 147

14 Methanol and Synthesis Gas 153

Synthesis Gas 153

Methanol 156

15 FischerTropsch Process 161

The Process 161

The Equipment 163

16 Lots of Other Alcohols 165

Ethyl Alcohol 167

Isopropyl Alcohol 171

Normal Butyl Alcohol and 2-Ethyl Hexanol 175

Secondary and Tertiary Butyl Alcohols 179

1,4-Butanediol 179

The Higher Alcohols 182

17 MTBE 193

The Process 193

18 Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde 197

Formaldehyde 198

Acetaldehyde 202

19 The Ketones: Acetone, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, and Methyl Isobutyl Ketone 207

Acetone 208

Methyl Ethyl Ketone 211

Methyl Isobutyl Ketone 214

20 Acids 217

Acetic Acid 218

Adipic Acid 221

Phthalic Acids 223

21 Maleic Anhydride 229

The Process 230

Commercial Aspects 234

22 Acrylonitrile, Acrylic Acid, and Acrylates 235

Acrylonitrile 236

Acrylic Acid 240

Acrylates 241

Methacrylates 246

23 Aniline and Phosgene 251

Aniline 251

Phosgene 254

24 Bisphenol A 257

The Process 262

Commercial Aspects 263

25 Alpha Olefins 261

Historical Development 262

Manufacturing Alpha Olefins 263

Commercial Aspects 271

26 Making Polymers 273

A Little History 273

Classifying Polymers 274

Making Polymers 277

Methods of Polymerization 283

Polymer Properties 284

27 Thermoplastics 289

Polyethylene 289

Polypropylene 298

Polyvinyl Chloride 301

Polystyrene 304

Foams 306

Choosing Plastics 308

28 MDI and TDI 309

MDI 309

TDI 312

29 Polyurethane 317

The Chemistry 317

Processing 320

Commercial Aspects 321

30 Epoxy Resins and Polycarbonates 323

Epoxy Resins 323

Polycarbonates 326

31 Fibers and Other Resins 331

Resins 331

Fibers 336

Appendix: Conversion and Yield Calculations 341

Measuring 342

Glossary 345

Index 373