Test center of the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant

The authors of this paper, Head of the Control and Methodological Laboratory of the Central Plant Laboratory (CPL) A.I. Kamelin, Head of CPL N.P. Miroshnik, and Deputy Head of CPL V.L. Pasechnik, recollect stages of the development of plant analytics and, which is most important, the people responsible for the success achieved by the plant test center, whose core was always the Central Plant Laboratory.     

Industrial Research as a "Corporate Counterculture"? The Development of the HPO Caprolactam Process at DSM, 1956–77

Abstract

This paper focuses on the development of the hydroxylamine phosphate oxime (HPO) process for the manufacture of caprolactam, an intermediate for nylon, by Central Laboratory, the R&D organisation of the Dutch chemical company DSM. The example of the HPO process shows that Central Laboratory was independent rather than isolated. This position enabled it to develop its own view of the interest of the company and start research projects regardless of the opinion of the production and marketing functions. The example of the HPO process shows the potency of such a position but also the problems involved. As a medium-sized chemical company, DSM is a company that may be more typical for the practice of R&D between 1945 and 1970 than the large companies that historians have typically chosen for analysis.     

World War II, post-war reconstruction and British women chemists

This paper draws on evidence from a range of sources to consider the extent to which World War II served as a turning point in the employment opportunities open to women chemists in Britain. It argues that wartime conditions expanded women's access to some areas of employment, but that these opportunities represented, in many ways, an expansion of existing openings rather than wholly new ones, and not all of them proved permanent. Instead, women chemists benefited more permanently from increased state expenditure on higher education and on research and development after the war. This enabled some women to remain in what had originally been temporary wartime posts and others to secure employment in wholly new positions. Women were most successful in securing positions created by the expansion of state welfare and support for agriculture, but also found new employment opportunities as a result of the heavy investment in weapons development that accelerated with the advent of the Cold War. In higher education, an initial expansion of openings was not sustained, and the proportion of women in university chemistry departments actually fell during the second half of the 1950s. Industry presents a rather ambiguous picture, with many firms continuing to refuse to employ women chemists, whereas elsewhere they enjoyed enhanced opportunities and better salaries than those offered before the war. This did not mean, however, that women chemists received equal treatment to their male colleagues, and, despite the changes, they remained concentrated in subordinate positions and were expected to concentrate on routine work. Prospects in the 1950s were certainly better than they had been during the 1930s, but they remained strongly gendered.     

Pigments with improved properties – microreaction technology as a new approach for synthesis of pigments –

Clariant, as an important pigment producer forces the investigation of new pigments with improved qualities and properties to fulfill the rising tomorrow's demands of customers. For these reasons, new production ways like microreaction technology are included. This paper focuses on results obtained in manufacturing pigments in a lab-scale microreactor as well as in a microreactor pilot plant. Investigations of the diazotation, azo-coupling and laking steps of pigments have shown not only the principle feasibility of these reactions in laboratory microreactors but also significant improvement of coloristic properties. The microreactor pilot plant, realized by the concept of numbering-up instead of conventional scaling-up process, allowed more detailed investigations of the complete azo-pigments synthesis under production conditions.     

Ethanol,the ultimate feedstock

Ethanol appears to be a key factor in the “biomass alternative” to fossil feedstocks for producing fuels and chemicals. If produced at a low enough price relative to crude oil, it and its derivates could account for 159 billion pounds, or 50%, of the US production of synthetic organic chemicals, presently valued at $113 billion. This use would consume 4.2 billion bushels, or about 54%, of the corn crop.

This study evaluated the potential savings in ethanol manufacture to be gained by applying advanced process engineering or genetic engineering of improved organisms, centering on the use of fluidized bed bioreactors operating at high cell densities with immobilized cells of either the Saccharomyces yeast or the bacterium: Zymomonas mobilis.

A new continuous plant could produce at about $1.82/gal based on Zymomonas or $1.97/gal based on the Saccharomyces yeast. The bacterium has a competitive edge as a result of its lower sensitivity to product inhibition.

There appears to be no inherent design limitation to effect the engineering improvements required for the advanced process. In a longer-term, more difficult research effort, it might be possible to reduce or eliminate product inhibition to reduce cost even further.

     

Influence of structural and functional modifications of selected genotoxic carcinogens on metabolism and mutagenicity – a review

Alterations in molecular structure are responsible for the differential biological response(s) of a chemical inside a biosystem. Structural and functional parameters that govern a chemical's metabolic course and determine its ultimate outcome in terms of mutagenic/carcinogenic potential are extensively reviewed here. A large number of environmentally-significant organic chemicals are addressed under one or more broadly classified groups each representing one or more characteristic structural feature. Numerous examples are cited to illustrate the influence of key structural and functional parameters on the metabolism and DNA adduction properties of different chemicals. It is hoped that, in the event of limited experimental data on a chemical's bioactivity, such knowledge of the likely roles played by key molecular features should provide preliminary information regarding its bioactivation, detoxification and/or mutagenic potential and aid the process of screening and prioritising chemicals for further testing.     

Vendor test studies supporting the design of a biomass-to-ethanol pilot plant

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - In support of the effort to develop the biomass-to-ethanol process, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is building a pilot plant based on the...     

SAR—The U.S. Regulatory Perspective

Abstract

Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR) have been used for over a decade by the U.S. EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) in their new chemicals program. The development and use of SAR resulted from the need to make rapid risk-based decisions on thousands of new chemicals per year while seldom receiving data on chemical properties, potential exposures, or hazards to humans or organisms in the environment. Qualitative SAR and quantitative SAR methods (QSAR) have been used to fill some of these data gaps by estimating the potential properties and hazards of such chemicals. SAR has been used to assess chemical hazards, identify testing needs, and set priorities. Validation of these SAR assessment tools is an ongoing process.     

Papierproduktion: Von Zellstoff zu Filtertüte,Schreibpapier, ..

By adding process chemicals it is possible to give paper a tailored profile of properties. Limitation is in most cases the price, due paper is a product with high output and low value adding. The paper mills ask for a system of process chemicals for all demands without problems of compatibility. A problem and a challenge for developer of new components.     

U.S. EPA Regulatory Perspectives on the Use of QSAR for New and Existing Chemical Evaluations

Abstract

As testing is not required, ecotoxicity or fate data are available for ≈ 5% of the approximately 2,300 new chemicals/year (26,000 + total) submitted to the US-EPA. The EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) regulatory program was forced to develop and rely upon QSARs to estimate the ecotoxicity and fate of most of the new chemicals evaluated for hazard and risk assessment. QSAR methods routinely result in ecotoxicity estimations of acute and chronic toxicity to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae, and in fate estimations of physical/chemical properties, degradation, and bioconcentration. The EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory of existing chemicals currently lists over 72,000 chemicals. Most existing chemicals also appear to have little or no ecotoxicity or fate data available and the OPPT new chemical QSAR methods now provide predictions and cross-checks of test data for the regulation of existing chemicals. Examples include the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the Design for the Environment (DfE), and the OECD/SIDS/HPV Programs. QSAR screening of the TSCA Inventory has prioritized thousands of existing chemicals for possible regulatory testing of: 1) persistent bioaccumulative chemicals, and 2) the high ecotoxicity of specific discrete organic chemicals.     

Thermal characterization of usnic acid/collagen-based films

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical–chemical properties of collagen (CL) and usnic acid/collagen-based (UAC) films, using differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both films were prepared by casting process using polyethylene glycol 1500 (PEG 1500) as plasticizer. In the spectrum of UAC, similar bands of the usnic acid are observed, indicating that the polymerization (film formation) did not affect the stability of the drug. Distinctly, DTA curve of UAC did not show an endothermic peak at 201 °C, indicative that the drug was incorporated into the polymeric system. These results were corroborated by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The TG/DTG curves of UAC presented a different thermal decomposition profile compared to the individual compounds and CL. These findings suggest the occurrence of molecular dispersion or solubilization of the drug in the collagen film.     

Harmonisation Of Ec Air Quality Directives

Abstract

The Environment Institute of the Joint Research Centre in Ispra devotes an important part of its activities to support the Commission of the European Communities in scientific and technical matters. As an example of these activities, a general overview is given of the harmonisation work lead by its Central Laboratory of Air Pollution for the implementation of EC air quality directives in the European Member States. The different stages of a directive's development are reviewed and illustrated with typical examples of harmonisation work recently undertaken.

Preparatory actions for future regulations are illustrated by the recent intercomparison exercise for VOC measurements, realized in view of the coming directive on photo-oxidants.

Quality assurance programmes are developed that are mainly focused on the evaluation of sampling, calibration and measurement techniques in the Member States. Special attention is also paid to the harmonisation of network design. The results of a recent network design campaign realised in Madrid, using passive sampling techniques in combination with mobile measurements, are presented.

An example of the development of scientific and technical progress is given by the intercomparison of primary NO₂ calibration standards, where the reference method of the directive was checked and compared to new standard methods.     

Investigation of Degradation of Structural Adhesives under Influence of Chemicals

Structural adhesives are used for joining materials also under conditions, where they through the application will be influenced by many different chemicals. The adhesives can – if not protected from the chemical influence – be degradated of the chemicals. The degradation can because of the different structures of the polymers in the adhesives result in lower strength of the joining area, but can also give higher strength but brittleness. Information of the structures of the structural adhesives used in the project have been taken from the data sheets from the manufacturers and have been compared with investigation of the structures by FTIR and DSC. In the laboratory the HSP's (Hansen Solubility Parameters) of the adhesives has been determined and compared with the theoretically estimated HSP's. The estimation has mainly been done by Lydersens group contribution method. The chemical resistance of the adhesives have been foreseen by using HSP's of the adheisves and compared them with the HSP's of the chemicals. The structural adhesives were most of the epoxy types and of the polyurethane types with different curing systems. The structural adhesives should all have high strength and an opening time of more than 30 minutes. They were in the laboratory cured up after the specifications from the manufacturer and were stored one week after curing before they were influenced by hte chosen chemicals. The chemicals were chosen from their functional groups. In the laboratory the adhesives were influenced by different chemicals at room temperarture and under elevated temperature and under different periods to develope the degradation curves for the different chemicals and to foresee the degradation time of the adhesives before their properties were not acceptable any more. The structure after influence of the chemicals is studied by FTIR. The results of the investigations have been that it is possible to estimate the degradation by using the HSP's of the adhesives and the chemicals, but to estimate the time before degradation has been so serious that the properties of the adhesives are not acceptable any more, it is necessary to add laboratory investigations to the HSP comparisons of adhesives and chemicals. The comparison of the HSP and of the chemicals by which the adhesives can be in its lifetime has seen to be usefull especially if the chemicals are pesticides.     

Thermal hazards related to the use of potassium and sodium methoxides in the biodiesel industry

The introduction of sodium and potassium methoxides in processes leading to biodiesel production has triggered several questions about their stability under actual biofuel manufacturing conditions. In most biodiesel production facilities, basic homogenous catalysis is obtained through the introduction of caustic potash (KOH) or caustic soda (NaOH) in the reactor. In this process, the hydroxides are converted into their corresponding methoxide forms (CH₃OK/Na), which then become the actual catalysts in the reactor. Supplying the actual catalyst directly, instead of the low cost hydroxides, may offer several advantages, but may also introduce new hazards that deserve further characterisation work. From a review of the available literature, it was found that very little was known about the thermal decomposition properties of these methoxides. Therefore, as a starting point, l’Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques (France) and the Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory (Canada) have recently undertaken a joint effort to better characterise their thermal behaviour. This was achieved by means of a variety of calorimetric techniques including differential scanning calorimetry, accelerating rate calorimetry and ‘large scale’ thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis. It was found that these chemicals can become self-reactive close to room temperature under specific physical conditions.     

黑磷的发现及其制备和应用发展史

1914年,美国物理学家布里奇曼无意间制得了黑磷并证明了这是磷的一种新的相变体,但在很长的一段时间内并没有引起人们的关注.20世纪中期以后,黑磷的制备方法得到了一定程度的发展.至2014年,研究者成功制备了二维黑磷场效应晶体管,随后人们发现黑磷在储能设备、光电子器件、光催化、生物传感等方面都有巨大的应用潜力.随着黑磷制...     

Overlapping chemical and genetic diversity in Ligularia lamarum and Ligularia subspicata. Isolation of ten new eremophilanes and a new seco-bakkane compound

Root chemicals and DNA sequences were analyzed for Ligularialamarum samples collected in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces of China and the relationship between the plant and Ligulariasubspicata, its taxonomically closest species, was examined. Both species produce furanoeremophilanes and eremophilan-8-one derivatives as the major components. Eleven new compounds, including a new seco-bakkane compound, were isolated. The two species were found to harbor overlapping intra-specific diversities with respect to the chemicals and the DNA sequences.     

Organometallic Homogeneous Catalysis—Quo vadis?

Homogeneous catalysis is the success story of organometallic chemistry. Otto Roelen's initial discovery of hydroformylation in 1938 not only entailed large-capacity production plants but was later followed by systematic research into the catalytic chemistry of the ever-growing class of organometallic compounds. Further developments in industrial chemistry towards clean, low-temperature, low-pressure, and economic processes—in feedstock or in the fine chemicals and polymer area—clearly depend on improved catalysts. Molecularly defined, tailor-made structures are the safest prerequisites for chemical selectivity; hence, organometallic compounds with their overwhelming variety of compositions and structures offer the most promising approach. Wilkinson's catalysts [HRh(CO){P(C₆H₅)₃] and [ClRh{P(C₆H₅)}₃}₃] are outstanding examples. On the other hand, process technology has to be considered also (for example catalyst-product separation and hear-exchange problems). The following review attempts to critically assess the future trends and present demands in the applied area of orgnometallic catalysis–a “gentle art” that is far from being a mature field.     

QSARs for identifying and prioritizing substances with persistence and bioconcentration potential

From the 8511 chemicals with 1998 production volumes reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee's (ITC's) Degradation Effects Bioconcentration Information Testing Strategies (DEBITS) was used to identify 56 chemicals. The DEBITS Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) and the U.S. EPA's PBT profiler QSARs were used to predict the persistence and bioconcentration factors of these 56 chemicals. Partial order ranking was used to prioritise the chemicals based on persistence and bioconcentration potential.     

Green approaches in the valorization of plant wastes: Recent insights and future directions

Modern biorefinery technologies use a wide range of plant fibers/wastes and bioconversion techniques to produce a variety of biofuels and other goods. Plant waste, or lignocellulose, is one of the world's most easily accessible, sustainable, and biodegradable bioresources and has been identified as a valuable alternative raw material for the production of a variety of biofuels and chemicals. Furthermore, the generation of platform chemicals and biofuels from plant wastes benefits the environment and the economy. We will cover current advances in biotechnologies for valorizing plant lignocellulosic wastes to produce a wide range of high-value products such as biofuels, biocatalysts, biologically active chemicals, and so on in this brief communication. Furthermore, significant emphasis has been made on the green conversion of lignin into useful compounds, produced in large quantities as a by-product of paper and pulp or other industrial processes.     

Quality assurance in clinical chemistry laboratories in the UK

 Since the mid-1960s quality assurance in clinical chemistry has progressed from a need to define and improve precision and accuracy in analytical test procedures to an all-embracing process of assuring that the whole process of pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of handling patient samples is managed effectively and efficiently. Automated and computer-controlled equipment has reduced many of the analytical errors, in particular in imprecision, that were present in manual analysis. New management techniques have been developed to control the quality and appropriateness of results. Developments in internal quality control and external quality assessment procedures have enabled laboratories to continually improve the quality of assays. Laboratory accreditation and external quality assessment scheme accreditation have ensured that peer review and peer pressure have been applied to both laboratory and external quality assessment scheme performance. As the NHS reviews its priorities and places more emphasis on primary care provider demands, hospital laboratories will of necessity assist with near patient testing outside the laboratory. This will provide new challenges to the quality of the service provided. Received: 2 July 1998 · Accepted: 1 August 1998