INDUS.ÏR Y &
BUSINESS
materials that could he investigated Imtlier. The story of Hygromix is one of LilK-'s most striking; case histories. This fermentation product, after extensive testing, was found to be inapplicable lo h mnaii medicine. But, unexpectedly, it proved highly potent in killing worms in pigs. T h e product has been a big sellfcfr for over a year n o w . 15·nt, Carney emphasizes, all the agriei lit iiral research will not b e a mere byproduct of work on pharmaceuticals. The- 32,000 samples on the shelves will he c inly a starting point. If promising leads develop, Lilly chemists will be investigating altogether new compounds independently of the company's past or present research o n medicinals. • Products Under Test. At the new research center, scientists arc testing nerve poisons, tranquilizers, and other emit pounds as insecticides. They are studying new chemicals that may protect plants from attack by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. They are trying out new compounds that might destroy animal parasites. And they are investigating the nutritional factors that may inilîLieiice an animal's resistance to disease. Lilly researchers are also exploring new.· chemicals to retard plant growth. Possible use: to slow down growth of grass in lawns. They are seeking materials that will destroy protozoa that infect young salmon in hatcheries. And, as a rather off-beat interest, they are also studying compounds that will immobilize a whale after it has been harpooned—sort of "whale tranquilizers." X h e new research center is about 20 mix.*» CUM. OL uie eunupuuy s u o i n e o n i c e
and laboratories in Indianapolis, and adjacent t o a site where Lilly has been mailing vaccines since 1914. Among the- new facilities are a n administration building, a veterinary building, and a r>lant science building with three adjoining greenhouses. Also included are houses containing 10,000 broiler chickens and 1000 laying hens, and a barn containing 240 yearling cattle and 400 sh&ep. r\s T o m Carney pointed out at the center's dedication ceremony: "The beautiful buildings w e are dedicating tocîLy attest to our firm belief that w e are* literally interested in everything. T h ^ 'field of ideas' is truly the only descrip tive phrase b r o a d enough to define our- research interest." 22
C&EN
JUNE
2 9,
1959
Escambia Scales Up Process Company's new process f o r methacrylic acid and methacryiates w i l ! g o into sernicommercial production ilsCANi»i\ CHEMICAL is hustling along scale-up of its highly touted new route to methacrylic acid and methacryiates. The process will move from pilot plant to semicommercial production. A 500,000 poimd-per-year unit is going u p at Escambia's Pensacola complex, the company says ( C&EN, June 22, page 17). Tentative completion date: early I960. T h e move comes none too soon, say industry observers, if Escambia is to t /lace the first commercial unit on stream within two years, as predicted. The new route starts with the oxidation of isobutylene with a nitric acidnitrogen dioxide mixture, giving hvdroxyisobutvric acid (about 8(Κί vields ). Dehydration of hydroxyisobutyric acid gives 95'Y yields of meth acrylic acid. Escambia plans to esterify a portion of this to methyl and higher methacryiates. But the bull; will be sold as the acid.
T h e orocess is blanketed with ei°"ht patents. Escambia has already piloted the oxidation process at 100 pounds per day at its Wilton, Conn., research cen ter, t h e company says. The semiworks unit will check recycle performance. • Economic Edge. Methacrylic acid in the 30 cents-a-pound range—that's what Escambia claims for its process. This intermediate n o w sells at 45 cents a p o u n d in tank cars. Escambia will make higher meth acryiates directly from the acid. Pres ent technology uses methyl meth aciylate as the intermediate to higher methacryiates. But on a performance basis, roughly 86 pounds of acid goes as far as 1O0 pounds of methyl meth aciylate, according to Escambia. Trans lated into price, this means, the com pany believes, that methacrylic acid at 3 3 cents a pound could give stiff com petition to methyl methaciylate. which currently sells for 29 cents a pound.
i A Clear Look at a New Research Center At Picker X-Ray Corp.'s n e w research center in Cleveland, a technician using a master-slave manipulator works safely behind a liquid-filled double p a n e window that's five feet thick. Scientists at the $1 million installation package radioactive isotopes for industry and medicine, search for n e w radiation uses.
INDUSTRY &
At present, methyl methacrylate dominates the methacrylate market (about 707c). But the market for other derivatives (including methacrylic acid, per se) is snowballing, says Escambia. But the economics are not all that c u t and dried, say methacrylate experts. O n the surface, Escambia appears to have t h e t r u m p hand. In the conven tional route, acetone reacts with HCN to produce acetone cyanohydrin; metha nol treatment follows and gives methyl methacrylate. Starting from the ground u p , this requires a verv sub stantial initial outlay, the experts agree. But such factors as existing HCN and acetone production units can somewhat dull Escambia's bright eco nomic picture, they point out. The Gulf Coast area shapes up as t h e likely site for Escambia's commer cial unit. Isobutylene availability is t h e deciding factor. Currently, just two producers—Esso ( a t Baton Rouge) and Petro-Tex (at Houston)—offer this prod uct. But almost any of the major oil refiners a n d / o r butadiene producers could isolate isobutylene from their C, streams. And, Escambia points out, the new process doesn't require a rubbergrade (high purity) isobutylene.
Rubber Chemicals Siack Total U. S. output of rubber process ing chemicals in 1958 was 169 million pounds—down 9r/c from 1957. Why the drop? U . S. Tariff Commission, in its preliminary report on rubber proc essing chemicals, says it was mostly due to reduced production of cyclic ac celerators and antioxidants in 1958. Sales of rubber processing chemicals in 1958 totaled 123 million pounds, valued at 880 million. In 1957, sales totaled 132 million pounds, valued at $85 million, states the commission's re port. Output of cyclic rubber processing chemicals last year dropped 8r< from 1957 to 144 million pounds. Sales of these compounds (mostly accelerators and antioxidants) in 1958 came to 103 million pounds, valued at $67 million. Sales in 1957 were 110 million pounds, valued at $70 million. Production of acyclic rubber process ing chemicals, states the report, reached 2 5 million pounds in 1958—off 17f,r polypropylene film. The best the experts could come up with is "highly indeterminate." Admittedly, this consensus is based mainly on spec ulation. • Sales Rising. Tremendous markets have been built up for polyethylene and other packaging films. Spencer's J. M. Jordan says polyethylene sales should top 1 billion pounds in 1959. Film for packaging will hit 190 million pounds— packaging applications account for 75' * of all polyethylene film made toclav— with fresh produce outlets representing close to 40'.; of the market. And pack aging film consumes 180 million out of 237 million pounds of resin going into sheet and film. By 1964, use of polyethylene film for packaging could hit 380 million pounds, says Spencer, with chill roll film leading the way. Until now, limited clarity has been a hurdle in the path of polyethylene film. The blown film process used today seems to b e limited in clarity and gloss at tainable with a given resin density. While the chill roll casting approach isn't new, the bugs have been worked out, says Spencer, and the sales curve should climb. • Competition in Textiles. Poly ethylene film and cellophane dominate the textile packaging field. Other prod ucts in the field include Vitafilm and Mylar.
Cellophane has been able to capture a large part of t h e market due to lowcost (relative to most of its competi t o r s ) , heat sealability, transparency, a n d excellent printability. Also, cello p h a n e works out fine in high rate, auto matic packaging machinery used for textiles. And polvethvlene's advan tages for long shelf life products aren't a real plus for textiles, where shelf life isn't a big factor. But cellophane has been around for some 30 years, has reached such a height of efficiency that further econo mies are unlikely. O n the other hand, cost of relative newcomer polyethylene is still dropping—today it sells for ap proximately 9 cents a pound less than cellophane. Result: Polyethylene, with lower cost, greater strength, and longer serv ice life, is moving in on cellophane's traditional markets. And new machin ery developed to handle polyethylene film in completely automatic overwrap applications should boost polvethvlene's stock still further. • Polypropylene Picture. "Con servative" best describes the experts' view of polypropylene as a packaging film. Market research studies to date, says Spencer's J. L. Craig, indicate the potential of polypropylene film is hard to peg. Film extruders and end users have done relatively little work with it. [Spencer Chemical has an arrangement with Standard Oil Co. (N. J.) which entitles it to 50'ν of the polypropylene to be made annuallv at the new Humble Oil plant at Bavtown, Tex.; AviSun plans a 10 million pouncl-per-year polypropvlene film plant near New Castle, Del.] Right now, polypropylene's high price is a big factor in slowing its mar ket growth. Plastics people feel that polypropylene film's premium proper ties—high heat a n d grease resistancewill command only relatively small mar kets until t h e material is priced com petitively with otïïer big film materials. And the general feeling in the trade is that lots more development work remains before polypropylene film becomes an important commercial item. • JUNE
2 9,
1959
C&EN
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