Other aroinatics are h\ better shape than naphthalene. The petroleum industry, which normally supplies 35V of domestic benzene, 78'.< of toluene, and 90' / of xylene, has stepped up operations. Some plants are reported to be running at 110'r of capacity. Even so, benzene is tight, particularly in the Southwest. Petroleum benzene makers are filling contracts on schedule, doing their best to allocate what is le>rt. As in the case of naphthalene, benzene prices «.ue xiiiu c"xccpt for a small amount or gray market material which is going at a premium. • Big Buyer. The steel industry is a substantial buyer of chemicals. As just one example, the shutdown ot Kaisers Fon tana plant means a $250,000-amonth loss to chemical suppliers. The steel industry consumes about 10r.'< of U . S . sulfuric acid production. Oxygen is another chemical which has been hurt by the strike. Lin de, which operates 40 or 50 on-site oxygen, plants, says that less than ofA of its on-site capacity for steel making is running. On the bright side, Linde points out that before the strike it was having trouble keeping u p with demand, now has a chance to build stocks and make repairs. Fortunately, other uses for oxygen, such as missiles, are booming. This takes some of the sting out of the loss of steel's business. After six weeks of steel strike, Linde's total volume was still ahead of 1958. In other chemical sectors, the story is much the same: Loss of business because of strikes probably won't keep most firms from marking up a good sales year in 1959. Three fourths of the country's copper output was cut off on Aug. 20 when the international Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers called walkouts at a n u m b e r of plants. Supplies of copper sulfate, the most important copper chemical, appear to be in good shape. Reflecting prestrike stockpiling, copper sulfate shipments in June rose 58r< over May to 5280 tons, the best month since September 1957. Phelps Dodge, a producer of copper as well as copper sulfate, is not making any sulfate at all because of the strike. Generally, copper sulfate is made from scrap copper rather than primary metal, and the copper strike should have only a secondary affect on copper sulfate output. C o p p e r sulfate prices are mainly influenced by the metal market. Authorities think there is enough metal available world-wide to prevent any wild price swings. 24
C&EN
SEPT.
7,
1959
Fumade Price Drops Monsanto has cut the price of fumaric acid by about 15S t o 22 : ; / 4 cents a pound in drum carloads, freight equalized. The price slash follows h a r d on the heels of an IS'f drop i n Meonsanto's malcic anhydride price (
