Chemicals from Synthesis Gas: Catalytic Reactions of CO and H2 / Edition 1

by R.A. Sheldon

Overview

The origins of the petrochemical industry can be traced back to the 1920s when simple organic chemicals such as ethanol and isopropanol were first prepared on an industrial scale from by-products (ethylene and propylene) of oil refining. This oil-based petrochemical industry, with lower olefms and aromatics as the key building blocks, rapidly developed into the enormous industry it is today. A multitude of products that are indispensible to modern day society, from plastics to pharmaceuticals, are derived from oil and natural gas-based hydro­ carbons. The industry had its heyday in the '50s and '60s when predictions of future growth rates tended to be exponential curves. However, two developments that took place in the early '70s disturbed this simplistic and optimistic view of the future. Firstly, the publication of the report for the Cub of Rome on the 'Limits to Growth' emphasized the finite nature of non-renewable fossil fuel resources. Secondly, the Oil Crisis of 1973 emphasized the vulnerability of an energy and chemicals industry that is based largely on a single raw material.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789027714893
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	05/31/1983
Series:	Catalysis by Metal Complexes , #3
Edition description:	1983
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Petrochemicals.- 2. Mechanistic Principles.- 3. Hydrocarbon Synthesis.- 4. Olefin Hydroformylation.- 5. Olefin Carbonylation and Related Reactions.- 6. Methanol and Formaldehyde.- 7. Methanol Carbonylation and Related Chemistry.- 8. Nitrogen-Containing Systems.- 9. Direct Conversion of Syn Gas to Oxygenates.- 10. Summary — Directions for the Future.