'Fine' chemicals are
chemicals produced
on a smaller scale
Examples
include: drugs,
food additives
and fragrances
Development of new products
requires an extensive
programme of research and
development e.g. catalyst
testing using trial and error
Making computer models
of the reaction to find the
most suitable catalyst
Designing or refining the
manufacture of the
catalyst to make sure it can
be made safely, efficiently,
and cost effectively
Investigating risks
to minimise them
Monitoring the quality of
the product so that it isn't
affected by the catalyst
Government Regulation
governments have strict
regulations to control chemical
processes. This is done to
protect the workers, the general
public and the environment.
Using Chemicals-e.g. sulphuric acid is
sprayed on potato fields to destroy
the leaves and stalks. Regulations
restrict the amount of acid used and
require signs to be displayed
Storage- many dangerous chemicals
need to be stored in locked rooms.
Some poisonous chemicals need to
be stored in sealed containers or well
ventilated rooms
Transport- lorries must display
hazard symbols and ID numbers
to help the emergency services
deal with accidents and spills.
Production of
useful chemicals
1. Preparation of feedstocks- raw
materials (crude oil) need to be purified or
changed in some way to make the feedstock.
Feedstocks are the actual reactants
2. Syntheis- Feedstocks-->Products.
The conditions have to be controlled
to make sure the reaction happens
and a sensible rate
3.separation of products- by
products and unreacyed
reactants need to be
separated
4.handling of by-products and wastes- by-products can be
sold or used in another reaction. If the reaction is exothermic,
waste heat can be used again (e.g. steam) saving money and
energy. Waste products must be carefully disposed of so they
don't harm the environment (have gov. regulations in place)
5. monitoring the purity- Impurities sometimes
remain.Different industries require different levels
of purity depending on what the product is to be
used for. Money can be saved by not purifying a
product if it's unnecessary.
Sustainability
Sustainability refers to
meeting the needs of
todays population without
affecting the ability of
future generations to
meet their needs. Lost of
factors affect whether a
process is sustainable.
1. whether or not the feedstock is renewable- crude
oil is the main source of chemical feedstocks.
Reducing our reliance on them and finding
alternatives would make the industry sustainable
2.the atom economy- This tells you how
much of the reactants become useful
products. Reactions with low atom economy,
use up resources very quickly too
3.the nature and amount of by-products
or wastes and what happens to them-
Some waste products can take up space,
cause pollution and damage the
environemnt. Alternatuively we could find
uses for watse products or use reactions
with useful by-products
4.the energy inputs or outputs- A reaction that
requires a lot of energy is expensive and this is usually
provided by burning fossil fuels. Exothermic reactions
produce heat which could be used for something else
5.the environmental impact- some products
could harm the environment. Also the
mining of raw materials can cause serious
damage to the surroundings
6.the health and safety risks- Some reactions can be
dangerous and laws are in place to protect workers
7.the social and economic benefits- A
factory creates jobs for the-the community
and brings money into the local economy
Activation Energy- the minimum amount of energy
needed for bonds to break and a reaction to start
Catalysts lower the activation energy needed for bonds to break and
begin a reaction by offering an alternate pathway for the reaction
Enzyme catalysts operature within a certain temperature range otherwise they are denatured and no longer
work. Each enzyme also works at a certain pH range. This limits the conditions that can be used
Energy Change
Endothermic- More
energy is required for
the breaking of old
bonds than is released
in the formation of
new ones. Therefore,
energy is absorbed
from the surroundings.
e.g. photosynthesis
Exothermic- More
energy is released in
the formation of new
bonds than is required
in the breaking of old
one. Therefore, energy
is released into the
surroundings. E.g.
combustion or
neutralisation