Chemical process industries date back to pre-historic times and involve using chemical, biochemical, and physical changes to transform raw materials into products. The industries grew over two periods: a pre-scientific period where progress was slow due to lack of understanding of chemistry, and a scientific period starting in the late 1700s where understanding of science led to phenomenal growth. Key developments included the discovery of oxygen in the 1770s, establishing chemistry on a quantitative basis, developing atomic theory in the early 1800s, and discoveries that enabled new organic chemical industries after 1850.
Chemical process industries date back to pre-historic times and involve using chemical, biochemical, and physical changes to transform raw materials into products. The industries grew over two periods: a pre-scientific period where progress was slow due to lack of understanding of chemistry, and a scientific period starting in the late 1700s where understanding of science led to phenomenal growth. Key developments included the discovery of oxygen in the 1770s, establishing chemistry on a quantitative basis, developing atomic theory in the early 1800s, and discoveries that enabled new organic chemical industries after 1850.
Chemical process industries date back to pre-historic times and involve using chemical, biochemical, and physical changes to transform raw materials into products. The industries grew over two periods: a pre-scientific period where progress was slow due to lack of understanding of chemistry, and a scientific period starting in the late 1700s where understanding of science led to phenomenal growth. Key developments included the discovery of oxygen in the 1770s, establishing chemistry on a quantitative basis, developing atomic theory in the early 1800s, and discoveries that enabled new organic chemical industries after 1850.
Chemical process industries date back to pre-historic times and involve using chemical, biochemical, and physical changes to transform raw materials into products. The industries grew over two periods: a pre-scientific period where progress was slow due to lack of understanding of chemistry, and a scientific period starting in the late 1700s where understanding of science led to phenomenal growth. Key developments included the discovery of oxygen in the 1770s, establishing chemistry on a quantitative basis, developing atomic theory in the early 1800s, and discoveries that enabled new organic chemical industries after 1850.
Definition: Any definition and description of the chemical process industries is bound to be incomplete. Most processes in the chemical industries involve a chemical change. The term chemical change should be interpreted to include not only chemical reactions but also biochemical reactions and physicochemical changes, as the separation and purification of the components of a mixture like petroleum crude in the refinery. Purely mechanical changes are usually not considered part of the chemical process, unless they are essential to later chemical/biochemical changes. Perhaps a satisfactory definition of a chemical process industry is an industry whose principal products are manufactured by processes based upon the chemical/biochemical and physical principles included in the field of chemical engineering. Basic purpose of chemical process industries is to start from an ore/raw material and end up with a product through a series of chemical/ biochemical and physical changes. Origin and growth: The chemical process industries date back to pre-historic period when man first attempted to control and modify his environment. Its growth can be divided into two periods. Pre-scientific period which extended to the end of the eighteenth century which was largely empirical, with little understanding of the basic chemistry. In the scientific period of the last 200 years, the chemical process industries have made phenomenal growth based upon the sound and organized knowledge of chemical, biological and physical sciences. Pre-scientific Chemical Industries:
Chemical process industries developed as any trade or craft.
Those who practiced the crafts were not of literate or learned class, so none of the few remaining reports of early chemical process industries was written by people actually involved in the craft. More adequate reports are available from the beginning of the sixteenth century. No means of chemical analysis were available so the early craftsman had to rely on previous art and superstitions. Progress was slow and confusion great. In the sixteenth century Oil of Vitriol was made from blue/green vitriol (now known as cupric or ferrous sulfate). In the same century, Oil of Sulfur was made by burning sulfur which was initially much expensive than the former. Probably the oldest chemical process industry is fermentation, although in its earliest times it was more a folkcraft than an industry. Ale, a type of beer used by Egyptians 3000 B.C. is the oldest fermented liquor. Distillation began in the first century A.D., and by the 13th century its application was a common place in Europe for distillation of fermented liquor. Recovery and use of metals began before 4000 B.C. the first metals found were gold and silver.
The first metal extracted from its ore was copper in Egypt and Mesopotamia about 3500 B.C. Vinegar( dilute acetic acid) was the earliest known acid formed on the oxidation of fermented liquor Nitric acid was made from saltpeter (KNO3) and ferrous sulfate by heating the mixture and condensing the the distilled nitric acid. Alkali found in ash was used as cleansing agent. Soap was probably made by boiling ashes with a natural oil or fat.
Scientific Chemical Industries:
In late eighteenth-century, Europe interest in the scientific principles of chemistry increased and there was great progress in the development of the industries.
In 1770-1773 oxygen was discovered by Swedish pharmacist independently and
by English Minister Joseph Priestley in 1774-1775. At the same time French chemist Antone Lavoisier clarified the role of oxygen in combustion. Lavoisiers careful work in oxidation and other chemical fields did much to establish chemistry on a sound quantitative basis. During the year 1803-1808 John Dolton in England developed a workable atomic theory which helped to explain how elements combined into molecules. Thereby making it possible to consider chemical reactions on a quantitative basis. The increased understanding of chemical sciences led to improvements and new developments in chemical processing. The principal chemical industries in the early nineteenth century manufactured alkalies, acids, and metals. The organic chemical industries began to develop after 1850. Cellulose was treated with nitric acid to produce nitrocellulose explosive. Rubber was introduced in the early nineteenth century and was first vulcanized the 1840s. Ether and chloroform were made on a small scale for use as anesthetics. Synthetic organic chemistry may be considered to date from 1828. Wohler in Germany synthesized natural organic product urea from inorganic ammonium cyanate. The work of many great German chemists and William Perkin in England led to the development of aniline dye industry. In the mid of the nineteenth century (1857), the French Chemist Louis Pasteur discovered role of microorganism in fermentation which played significant role in the development of fermentation industries. Now the industries are well-established and computerized and moving towards further development.
A Cultural History of Chemistry in The Eighteenth Century - Matthew Eddy (Editor), Ursula Klein (Editor) - 2023 - Bloomsbury Academic - 9781474294652 - Anna's Archive
