LATEST:- SODIUM

History

(English, soda; Medieval Latin, sodanum: a headache remedy) Long recognized in compounds, sodium was first isolated by Davy in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic soda.

Sources

Sodium is present in fair abundance in the sun and stars. The D lines of sodium are among the most prominent in the solar spectrum. Sodium is the fourth most abundant element on earth, comprising about 2.6% of the earth's crust; it is the most abundant of the alkali group of metals.

It is now obtained commercially by the electrolysis of absolutely dry fused sodium chloride. This method is much cheaper than that of electrolyzing sodium hydroxide, as was used several years ago.

Compounds

The most common compound is sodium chloride (table salt), but it occurs in many other minerals, such as soda niter, cryolite, amphibole, zeolite, etc.

Properties

Sodium, like every reactive element, is never found free in nature. Sodium is a soft, bright, silvery metal which floats on water. Decomposition in water results in the evolution of hydrogen and the formation of the hydroxide. It may or may not ignite spontaneously on water, depending on the amount of oxide and metal exposed to the water. It normally does not ignite in air at temperatures below 115oC.

Uses

Metallic sodium is vital in the manufacture of esters and in the preparation of organic compounds. The metal may be used to improve the structure of certain alloys, descale metal, and purify molten metals.

An alloy of sodium with potassium, NaK, is an important heat transfer agent.

Compounds

Sodium compounds are important to the paper, glass, soap, textile, petroleum, chemical, and metal industries. Soap is generally a sodium salt of certain fatty acids. The importance of common salt to animal nutrition has been recognized since prehistoric times.

Among the many compounds that are of the greatest industrial importance are common salt (NaCl), soda ash (Na2CO3), baking soda (NaHCO3), caustic soda (NaOH), Chile saltpeter (NaNO3), di- and tri-sodium phosphates, sodium thiosulfate (hypo, Na2S2O3 . 5H2O), and borax (Na2B4O7 . 10H2O).

Isotopes

Thirteen isotopes of sodium are recognized.

Cost

Metallic sodium is priced at about 15 to 20 cents/lb in quantity. Reagent grade (ACS) sodium in January 1990 cost about $35/lb. On a volume basis, it is the cheapest of all metals.

Handling

Sodium metal should be handled with great care. It cannot be maintained in an inert atmosphere and contact with water and other substances with which sodium reacts should be avoided.

LATEST:- MEILIAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Meilian Chemical is a manufacturer specialized in PE-based masterbatch. With 8 state-of-the-art masterbatch production lines, it has a capacity of 20000 tons per year. Located in the beautiful seashore city – Shantou, the facilities cover a land of 20 thousand square meters.

Meilian Chemical currently focuses on four ranges of PE masterbatch comprising black, white color and additive masterbatch, which are for use in a wide range of film, molding, tubing, sheet applications, and much more.

Meilian Chemical is growing into a leading Chinese masterbatch producers and exporters. Competitive price, consistent quality and commitment to outstanding service make Meilian Chemical a preferred partner for its customers home and abroad. Domestic buyers are mainly from the South, the East and the North of China, which are relatively developed industrial areas. On the international market, it has business partners from Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Meilian Chemical has membership in the Masterbatch Committee of China’s Dyestuff Industry Association and has been a major supporting unit for the Annual Convention organized by the Committee for consecutive years. Registered with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), it is accessible to the service of CCPIT.

Based on the industry know-how and the ability to identify customer needs, in addition to striving for excellence in the field of masterbatch, Meilian Chemical has been experiencing in the service of coloration and modification of a broad range of copolymers for its domestic and international customers.

Commitment to ensuring consistent quality and enhancing management efficiency remains one of the most important criteria of the company’s success. Meilian Chemical is striving for sustainable development together with its extensive customers by playing a key role in their success, and is dedicated to contributing to the growth of the plastic industry.

LATEST:- Chemical Society Cutbacks

Global economic downturn necessitates job and benefit cuts at world's largest scientific society

William G. Schulz

Investment losses, declining ad revenues, and falling institutional print subscriptions to its journals and other publications have forced the American Chemical Society to cut 3% of its workforce and make further reductions to operating expenses and retiree medical benefits. The cost-saving measures were announced on April 28.

Linda Wang/C&EN

The American Chemical Society's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"We were looking for a total package of savings that, in light of the global economic downturn, would help us achieve the goals laid out in our 2009 budget and continue to operate in the black," says ACS Executive Director and CEO Madeleine Jacobs. In addition to job cuts, the society has capped certain retirement health benefits and reduced general expenses across all operating units. "The cuts were strategic, they were not evenly distributed," Jacobs says.

The society's Publications Division took the biggest hit in job cuts. Of a total of 56 ACS employees who were laid off, 40 worked in the ACS Publications Division, including nine members of the C&EN staff and 10 members of C&EN's Journal News & Community Department.

ACS Publications Division Director Brian Crawford says two driving factors were behind the division's cuts: declining ad revenues for C&EN, especially classified job advertising, and cancellation of print subscriptions to ACS journals by institutional subscribers. The switch from print to electronic versions of ACS journals has happened at a much faster pace than anticipated, he says, resulting in a revenue loss.

Nonetheless, Jacobs and Crawford both stress the fundamental financial health of ACS and its revenue-generating units, which include Chemical Abstracts Service, ACS Publications, and Membership & Scientific Advancement. Jacobs notes that although ACS saw the value of its unrestricted reserves fall starting in late 2008, from about $212 million to about $60 million, the society is liquid, with nearly $275 million in cash and investments. She says declines in the capital markets and ACS's obligation to fund its pension benefits led to the dramatic drop in reserves that occurred. By freezing accruals in the society's defined-benefit pension plan and by capping retiree health insurance, she says, ACS has been able to restrain the decline in reserves.

The cuts are "geared to the long term," Crawford says. He notes that the Publications Division remains at the forefront of scientific publishing operations that are gradually shifting to all or mostly electronic formats and that the shifts entail some pain. But "I anticipate that the actions taken will suffice for the remainder of the year and should position the Publications Division for the next three years," he says.

"The staff reductions we made were painful but necessary," C&EN Editor-in-Chief Rudy Baum says. "I remain committed to producing a high-quality, weekly newsmagazine in print and electronic formats that informs ACS members and other readers of important news, events, and trends in the chemical enterprise in a timely, accurate, and balanced fashion. That remains C&EN's mission, and we will continue to fulfill it."