The Digital Implementation of What We Have Learned about Learning in General Chemistry

Most polymers contain many non-polymeric components intended to stabilize, toughen, color and lubricate the final product. Certain classes of these additives are capable of migrating to the surface. This additive migration can create a surface that has a composition very different from the bulk of the polymer. If the manufacturing process includes an interface between the polymer and an adhesive or paint, or in the case of a medical device, contact with human tissues, additive migration to the surface (blooming) can have serious consequences.

In the age of increasingly expensive and complex carbon-capture and sequestration technologies, can low-tech, legacy solutions still play a pivotal role in reducing the emission of VOCs and greenhouse gasses?

The last REACH registration deadline for chemicals placed on the European market is May 31, 2018 – only two months away. Data sharing and joint submission of data are mandatory requirements through which companies or groups of companies can reduce the costs of registration, make the most of their Lead Registrant position, and avoid unnecessary testing. Negotiations are currently placed under significant pressure as the deadline approaches, many substances remain to be registered and new implementing rules and guidance have to be considered compared to the 2010 and 2013 deadlines.

The new product-oriented chemical industry has three categories of products with different key characteristics. The first and most obvious category is commodities, the same products that used to dominate the chemical enterprise. The key for producing these products is their cost. The second and third categories of products may be less familiar. The second category involves molecules with molecular weights of 500 to 700 and with specific social benefits. The most obvious examples are pharmaceuticals. The key to their production is their time to market, i.e., the speed of their discovery and production. The third category includes products where the value is added by a specific microstructure. The key to these products is their function. For example, I don’t care why my shoes shine after I have applied polish; I only care that they do shine. Customers pay a premium for such a function.