Unit1

Chemical

Industry化學工業Beforereadingthetextbelow,trytoanswerfollowingquestion:1.Whendidthemodernchemicalindustrystart?2.Canyougiveadefinitionforthechemicalindustry?3.Whatarethecontributionwhichthechemicalindustryhasmadetomeetandsatisfyourneeds?4.Isthechemicalindustrycapital-orlabor-intensive?Why?1.OriginsoftheChemicalIndustryAlthoughtheuseofchemicalsdatesbacktotheancientcivilizations,theevolutionofwhatweknowasthemodernchemicalindustrystartedmuchmorerecently.ItmaybeconsideredtohavebegunduringtheIndustrialRevolution,about1800,anddevelopedtoprovidechemicalsroeusebyotherindustries.Examplesarealkaliforsoapmaking,bleachingpowderforcotton,andsilicaandsodiumcarbonateforglassmaking.Itwillbenotedthattheseareallinorganicchemicals.Theorganicchemicalsindustrystartedinthe1860swiththeexploitationofWilliamHenryPerkin’sdiscoveryifthefirstsyntheticdyestuff—mauve.AtthestartofthetwentiethcenturytheemphasisonresearchontheappliedaspectsofchemistryinGermanyhadpaidoffhandsomely,andby1914hadresultedintheGermanchemicalindustryhaving75%oftheworldmarketinchemicals.ThiswasbasedonthediscoveryofnewdyestuffsplusthedevelopmentofboththecontactprocessforsulphuricacidandtheHaberprocessforammonia.Thelaterrequiredamajortechnologicalbreakthroughthatofbeingabletocarryoutchemicalreactionsunderconditionsofveryhighpressureforthefirsttime.TheexperiencegainedwiththiswastostandGermanyingoodstead,particularlywiththerapidlyincreaseddemandfornitrogen-basedcompounds(ammoniumsaltsforfertilizersandnitricacidforexplosivesmanufacture)withtheoutbreakofworldwarⅠin1914.Thisinitiatedprofoundchangeswhichcontinuedduringtheinter-waryears(1918-1939).1．化學工業的起源盡管化學品的使用可以追溯到古代文明時代，我們所謂的現代化學工業的發展卻是非常近代（才開始的）?？梢哉J為它起源于工業革命其間，大約在1800年，并發展成為為其它工業部門提供化學原料的產業。比如制肥皂所用的堿，棉布生產所用的漂白粉，玻璃制造業所用的硅及Na2CO3.我們會注意到所有這些都是無機物。有機化學工業的開始是在十九世紀六十年代以WilliamHenryPerkin發現第一種合成染料—苯胺紫并加以開發利用為標志的。20世紀初，德國花費大量資金用于實用化學方面的重點研究，到1914年，德國的化學工業在世界化學產品市場上占有75%的份額。這要歸因于新染料的發現以及硫酸的接觸法生產和氨的哈伯生產工藝的發展。而后者需要較大的技術突破使得化學反應第一次可以在非常高的壓力條件下進行。這方面所取得的成績對德國很有幫助。特別是由于1914年第一次世界大仗的爆發，對以氮為基礎的化合物的需求飛速增長。這種深刻的改變一直持續到戰后（1918-1939）。datebaketo/from:回溯到dated:過時的，陳舊的standsb.ingoodstead:對。。。很有幫助Since1940thechemicalindustryhasgrownataremarkablerate,althoughthishasslowedsignificantlyinrecentyears.Thelion’sshareofthisgrowthhasbeenintheorganicchemicalssectorduetothedevelopmentandgrowthofthepetrochemicalsareasince1950s.Theexplosivesgrowthinpetrochemicalsinthe1960sand1970swaslargelyduetotheenormousincreaseindemandforsyntheticpolymerssuchaspolyethylene,polypropylene,nylon,polyestersandepoxyresins.1940年以來，化學工業一直以引人注目的速度飛速發展。盡管這種發展的速度近年來已大大減慢?；瘜W工業的發展由于1950年以來石油化學領域的研究和開發大部分在有機化學方面取得。石油化工在60年代和70年代的迅猛發展主要是由于人們對于合成高聚物如聚乙烯、聚丙烯、尼龍、聚脂和環氧樹脂的需求巨大增加。Thechemicalindustrytodayisaverydiversesectorofmanufacturingindustry,withinwhichitplaysacentralrole.Itmakesthousandsofdifferentchemicalswhichthegeneralpubliconlyusuallyencounterasendorconsumerproducts.Theseproductsarepurchasedbecausetheyhavetherequiredpropertieswhichmakethemsuitableforsomeparticularapplication,e.g.anon-stickcoatingforpansoraweedkiller.Thuschemicalsareultimatelysoldfortheeffectsthattheyproduce.今天的化學工業已經是制造業中有著許多分支的部門，并且在制造業中起著核心的作用。它生產了數千種不同的化學產品，而人們通常只接觸到終端產品或消費品。這些產品被購買是因為他們具有某些性質適合（人們）的一些特別的用途，例如，用于盆的不粘涂層或一種殺蟲劑。這些化學產品歸根到底是由于它們能產生的作用而被購買的。2.DefinitionoftheChemicalIndustryAttheturnofthecenturytherewouldhavebeenlittledifficultyindefiningwhatconstitutedthechemicalindustrysinceonlyaverylimitedrangeofproductswasmanufacturedandthesewereclearlychemicals,e.g.,alkali,sulphuricacid.Atpresent,however,manyintermediatestoproductsproduced,fromrawmaterialslikecrudeoilthrough(insomecases)manyintermediatestoproductswhichmaybeuseddirectlyasconsumergoods,orreadilyconvertedintothem.Thedifficultyconesindecidingatwhichpointinthissequencetheparticularoperationceasestobepartofthechemicalindustry’ssphereofactivities.Toconsideraspecificexampletoillustratethisdilemma,emulsionpaintsmaycontainpoly(vinylchloride)/poly(vinylacetate).Clearly,synthesisofvinylchloride(oracetate)anditspolymerizationarechemicalactivities.However,ifformulationandmixingofthepaint,includingthepolymer,iscarriedoutbyabranchofthemultinationalchemicalcompanywhichmanufacturedtheingredients,isthisstillpartofthechemicalindustryofdoesitmowbelonginthedecoratingindustry?2．化學工業的定義在本世紀初，要定義什么是化學工業是不太困難的，因為那時所生產的化學品是很有限的，而且是非常清楚的化學品，例如，燒堿，硫酸。然而現在有數千種化學產品被生產，從一些原料物質像用于制備許多的半成品的石油，到可以直接作為消費品或很容易轉化為消費品的商品。困難在于如何決定在一些特殊的生產過程中哪一個環節不再屬于化學工業的活動范疇。舉一個特殊的例子來描述一下這種困境。乳劑漆含有聚氯乙烯/聚醋酸乙烯。顯然，氯乙烯（或醋酸乙烯）的合成以及聚合是化學活動。然而，如果這種漆，包括高聚物，它的配制和混合是由一家制造配料的跨國化學公司完成的話，那它仍然是屬于化學工業呢還是應當歸屬于裝飾工業中去呢？Itisthereforeapparentthat,becauseofitsdiversityofoperationsandcloselinksinmanyareaswithotherindustries,thereisnosimpledefinitionofthechemicalindustry.Insteadeachofficialbodywhichcollectsandpublishesstatisticsonmanufacturingindustrywillhaveitsdefinitionastowhichoperati