Abstract

The synthetic organic chemicals industry supplies materials to a wide range of industrial operations. These include plastics, fibers, solvents, biochemical agents, food chemicals, and materials of construction. The sectors increasingly affected by organic chemicals include electronics and telecommunications, automotive and transportation industry, biotechnology, agriculture, environmental remediation, and the food sciences.

This article gives economic data and patterns for important organic compounds, e.g., methanol, ethylene, benzene, propylene, etc. Economic data include U.S. and International general trends, regional patterns, consumption, supply and demand. History and process technologies are discussed. Environmental data include information on organic chemicals that have come under regulatory control, e.g., methyl-t-butylether and the chlorofluorocarbons.