FUTURE OF CHEMISTRY

Future of Chemistry

Future of Chemistry

Introduction

Where chemistry is the science that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and the transformations that they undergo, industrial chemistry is the practical application and integration of chemistry to the basic science, engineering and marketing that leads to the sale of chemical products. Ultimately the goal in using industrial chemistry is to develop a process pathway or a series of reactions that converts relatively abundant, but poorly differentiated raw materials and feedstocks into desirable products for society at the lowest possible cost. Each individual reaction in a process pathway is designed to break the bonds of the raw material molecules and ultimately form new molecular bonds for the desired consumer products like paint, plastics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, fibers, dyes, detergents, and food preservatives. (see Exhibit 1-1.)

Discussion

Exemplary is the petroleum refining industry where the complex groups of molecules that make up crude oil are converted mostly into fuels. Through industrial chemistry, crude oil that is not used for fuels is transformed into petrochemicals—new, highly functional molecules which form the building blocks for more than 70,000 chemical products used by industry and consumers. Industrial pharmacists do not complete these transformations alone. Engineers are needed to apply engineering principles and analyze each chemical reaction, both individually and in conjunction with all the steps which make up the entire chemical process. The overall objective is to produce chemicals using the raw materials with the lowest cost, minimize capital investment, protect the environment, and ensure the health and safety of those employees that work to manufacture and transport chemical products. Exhibit 1-2 lists some alternative chemistry and engineering-based technologies, identified during the workshops, that hold the potential to transform the chemical process industry. Alternatives will help to achieve sustainable goals such as reducing units of operation, material usage, waste, and energy use; employing more plentiful or renewable resources; and remaining economically competitive. However, substituting an alternative from the list of traditionally used reaction media, conditions or raw materials may create the need to make further adaptations or changes elsewhere in the process. When all parameters are considered, a lot of work may be needed to radically change a chemical process. A recent example of how changing one reaction can cascade through the entire process pathway is the development of a new synthetic route for the production of ibuprofen. Changes made from the old process include the introduction of ...