Introduction
The development of the chemical industry had important effects on chemistry. In 1749, the Chamber process for the commercial manufacture of hydrogentetraoxosulphate (vi) was developed.
Important Raw Materials
The important raw materials are air, sea-water and rock salt, sulphur, calcium trioxocarbonate (IV), metallic mineral ores, coal, natural gas and petroleum. Most of the naturally occurring raw materials are themselves chemicals which are used as starting materials to produce other chemicals and products on a large scale. All these important raw materials except air are mined from the earth’s crust. Salt is obtained mainly from sea water.
Air
Air is the source of oxygen and nitrogen. Nitrogen is important because it is used in the manufacture of ammonia by haber process. Ammonia itself is used in the manufacture of trioxonitrate (V) acid (HNO3) which is used in the making of explosives, plastics and other materials.
Ammonia can also be used in the manufacture of ammonium salts like ammonium trioxonitrate (V) NH4NO3 which are used in manufacturing fertilizers. The flow chart for the major chemical industries which use air as raw material is given below
Limestone, Chalk and Marble (CaCO3)
Calcium trioxocarbonate (IV) CaCO3 in the form of limestone, chalk and marble is the source of lime or calcium oxide which is used for making cement and concrete. It can also be the source of raw material for the production of baking powder and also for carbon (IV) oxide which can be used to produce sodium trioxocarbonate (IV) by Solvay process
Sea Water and Rock Salt
Salt or sodium chloride occurs as rock salt in underground deposits and in seawater. The sodium chloride salt is the major starting material for many chemical industries. Sea water is also the source of sodium bromide from which bromine is manufactured on a large scale.
Electrolysis of sodium chloride produces chlorine. The other main product is sodium hydroxide which is used in the manufacture of soap and textile and petroleum refining, as well as other chemicals such as sodium trioxocarbonate (IV) which is also a raw material for the glass industry and in the manufacture of detergents. It is also used in the softening of water in the public water works department…
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