Encyclopedic Dictionary of Named Processes in Chemical Technology

From WolfWikis

Available online (PDF file) through NCSU Libraries.

Print: TP155.7 .C664 in reference material - DH Hill Library. Older editions available on the 9th floor, same call number.

• Handy quick reference for chemical terminology, along with the Hawley's.

From the introduction to the 1st edition: "The purpose of this dictionary is to provide concise descriptions of those processes in chemical technology which are known by special names which are not self-explanatory. The chemical industry is notoriously difficult to define. In addition to its obvious role as a producer of ‘chemicals’ such as sulphuric acid, it may be said to embrace all those industries in which chemical processes are conducted. There is no generally agreed list of such industries, but obvious industries include extractive metallurgy, plastics, paper, ceramics, sewage treatment, and now even electronics. It is this broad spectrum of ‘chemical technology’ that is addressed in this book. It thus includes the gigantic Bessemer process for making steel, and the microscopic Manesevit process for applying circuits to silicon chips. The only deliberate omission is food chemistry. The aim has been to include all those processes that are known by special names, of whatever origin. Of course, only a minority of industrial chemical processes are distinguished by the possession of special names, so this book does not attempt to include all of even the more important processes. Overviews of the industry are provided by other books, notably the encyclopædias listed below. Many named processes are included in such works, but only a fraction of the names in the present compilation are to be found in them. The names are a heterogeneous collection—inventors, companies, institutions, places, acronyms, abbreviations, and obvious corruptions of the chemical nomenclature. Derivations, where known, are indicated in square brackets [ ]. The names of chemicals used in the entries are the traditional names commonly used in industry today."