Broadly describes the essential topics of the organic chemicals industry In the past two decades, the organic chemicals industry has undergone unprecedented restructuring, complicated feedstock problems, and massive shifts of capacity to developing countries. In the developed world, specialty chemicals have gained increasing significance. Although the fundamentals of organic chemical and polymer production have remained largely constant, one needs to be aware of the economic, structural, and political changes in the industry in order to understand its current state. This much-expanded Second Edition of Industrial Organic Chemicals presents the various technologies and processes involved in the organic chemicals industry as an organized body of knowledge. It describes the chemistry of the seven basic building block chemicals and their derivatives, how they are manufactured, their economic importance, uses, and associated environmental issues. Also covered are two topics essential to an understanding of modern industrial chemistry-catalysis and polymer synthesis. Key additions to this Second Edition include discussion of: * Sustainability and "green" chemistry * Dendrimers * Metallocenes * Chemicals in biotechnology * Specialty chemicals for pharmaceuticals, electronics, fire retardation, fuel additives, foods, and other uses * Economic, political, and social concepts for understanding future directions of the industry Industrial Organic Chemicals, Second Edition presents the chemistry of both large-scale and specialty products while taking into account important political, environmental, and economic considerations. It provides both a narrative account of the evolution of today's industry from the viewpoint of authors intimately involved with the changes, and an essential reference for chemists, chemical engineers, plastics engineers, petroleum engineers, managers, executives, and policy makers working in and with the organic chemical industry.

HAROLD A. WITTCOFF has taught industrial organic chemistry at the University of Minnesota while serving as Vice President of Corporate Research for General Mills, Inc. As scientific advisor to Nexant ChemSystems, he has presented 300 courses in industrial chemistry in twenty-eight countries. He is author/coauthor of 130 patents and sixty technical publications.

BRYAN G. REUBEN is Professor Emeritus of Chemical Technology at London South Bank University. He has worked on the research and commercial sides of the Chemical Division of Distillers Company, Ltd. (now BP Chemicals), and was a founding member of both Surrey and London South Bank Universities. He is author/coauthor of about 130 publications and a single patent.

JEFFREY S. PLOTKIN is Director of the Process Evaluation and Research Planning program at Nexant ChemSystems. He previously worked at Exxon Chemical and International Specialty Products (ISP) in both research and marketing positions. He is author/coauthor of about twenty-five technical publications and about thirty patents.