Editing Chemical industry (section)

==Products==
Polymers and plastics such as [[polyethylene]], [[polypropylene]], [[polyvinyl chloride]], [[polyethylene terephthalate]], [[polystyrene]] and [[polycarbonate]] comprise about 80% of the industry's output worldwide.<ref name=Chemistry>{{cite book|title=Chemistry in Daily Life|last=Singh|first=Kirpal|publisher=PHI Learning Private Limited|isbn=978-81-203-4617-8|date=July 2012|page=132|chapter=17.2}}</ref> Chemicals are used in many different consumer goods, and are also used in many different sectors. This includes agriculture manufacturing, construction, and service industries.<ref name=Chemistry /> Major industrial customers include rubber and [[plastic]] products, [[textile]]s, apparel, petroleum refining, [[paper chemicals|pulp and paper]], and primary metals. Chemicals are nearly a $5 trillion global enterprise, and the EU and U.S. chemical companies are the world's largest producers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chemicals Market Size, Trends and Global Forecast To 2032 |url=https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/chemicals-global-market-report |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com}}</ref>

Sales of the chemical business can be divided into a few broad categories, including basic chemicals (about 35% – 37% of dollar output), life sciences (30%), specialty chemicals (20% – 25%) and consumer products (about 10%).<ref name=":0">{{cite web|publisher=Technofunc|title=Sectors of Chemical Industry|url=http://www.technofunc.com/index.php/domain-knowledge/chemicals-industry/item/sectors-of-chemical-industry|access-date=16 September 2013}}</ref>

===Overview===
[[File:Slovnaft - new polypropylene plant PP3.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|New polypropylene plant PP3 in the [[Slovnaft]] oil refinery ([[Bratislava]], Slovakia)]]
Basic chemicals, or "commodity chemicals" are a broad chemical category including polymers, bulk petrochemicals and intermediates, other derivatives and basic industrials, [[inorganic chemistry|inorganic chemicals]], and [[fertilizer]]s.

'''Polymers''' are the largest revenue segment and includes all categories of [[plastics industry|plastics]] and human-made fibers. The major markets for plastics are [[packaging]], followed by home construction, containers, appliances, pipe, transportation, toys, and games. 
* The largest-volume polymer product, [[polyethylene]] (PE), is used mainly in packaging films and other markets such as milk bottles, containers, and pipe.
* [[Polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC), another large-volume product, is principally used to make piping for construction markets as well as siding and, to a much smaller extent, transportation and packaging materials.
* [[Polypropylene]] (PP), similar in volume to PVC, is used in markets ranging from packaging, appliances, and containers to clothing and carpeting.
* [[Polystyrene]] (PS), another large-volume plastic, is used principally for appliances and packaging as well as toys and recreation.
* The leading [[synthetic fiber|human-made fibers]] include [[polyester]], [[nylon]], polypropylene, and [[Acrylic fiber|acrylics]], with applications including apparel, home furnishings, and other industrial and consumer use.
Principal raw materials for polymers are bulk petrochemicals like ethylene, propylene and benzene.

[[Petrochemicals]] and intermediate chemicals are primarily made from [[liquefied petroleum gas]] (LPG), [[natural gas]] and [[crude oil]] fractions. Large volume products include [[ethylene]], [[propylene]], [[benzene]], [[toluene]], [[xylenes]], [[methanol]], [[vinyl chloride monomer]] (VCM), [[styrene]], [[butadiene]], and [[ethylene oxide]]. These basic or commodity chemicals are the starting materials used to manufacture many [[polymer]]s and other more complex organic chemicals particularly those that are made for use in the [[specialty chemicals]] category.

'''Other derivatives''' and basic industrials include [[synthetic rubber]], [[surfactant]]s, [[dye]]s and [[pigment]]s, [[turpentine]], [[resin]]s, [[carbon black]], [[explosive]]s, and rubber products and contribute about 20 percent of the basic chemicals' external sales.

'''[[inorganic chemistry|Inorganic chemicals]]''' (about 12% of the revenue output) make up the oldest of the chemical categories. Products include [[salt]], [[chlorine]], [[caustic soda]], [[soda ash]], acids (such as [[nitric acid]], [[phosphoric acid]], and [[sulfuric acid]]), [[titanium dioxide]], and [[hydrogen peroxide]].

'''[[Fertilizers]]''' are the smallest category (about 6 percent) and include [[phosphate]]s, [[ammonia]], and [[potash]] chemicals.

===Life sciences===
Life sciences (about 30% of the dollar output of the chemistry business) include differentiated chemical and biological substances, [[pharmaceutical]]s, diagnostics, [[veterinary medicine|animal health products]], [[vitamin]]s, and [[pesticides]]. While much smaller in volume than other chemical sectors, their products tend to have high prices – over ten dollars per pound – growth rates of 1.5 to 6 times [[GDP]], and research and development spending at 15 to 25% of sales. Life science products are usually produced with high specifications and are closely scrutinized by government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration. Pesticides, also called "crop protection chemicals", are about 10% of this category and include [[herbicides]], [[insecticide]]s, and [[fungicide]]s.<ref name=":0" />

===Specialty chemicals===
[[Specialty chemicals]] are a category of relatively high-valued, rapidly growing chemicals with diverse end product markets. Typical growth rates are one to three times GDP with prices over a dollar per pound. They are generally characterized by their innovative aspects. Products are sold for what they can do rather than for what chemicals they contain. Products include electronic chemicals, [[industrial gas]]es, adhesives and sealants as well as coatings, industrial and institutional cleaning chemicals, and catalysts. In 2012, excluding fine chemicals, the $546 billion global specialty chemical market was 33% Paints, Coating and Surface Treatments, 27% Advanced Polymer, 14% Adhesives and Sealants, 13% additives, and 13% pigments and inks.<ref name="2012e">{{cite report|publisher=Marketline|title="Global Specialty Chemicals" |via=2012e.igem.org |url=http://2012e.igem.org/wiki/images/f/fb/Global_Specialty_Chemicals_Profile.pdf|date=May 2012|access-date=16 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115071331/http://2012e.igem.org/wiki/images/f/fb/Global_Specialty_Chemicals_Profile.pdf|archive-date=15 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[Speciality chemicals]] are sold as effect or performance chemicals. Sometimes they are mixtures of formulations, unlike "[[fine chemicals]]", which are almost always single-molecule products.

===Consumer products===
Consumer products include direct product sales of chemicals such as [[soap]]s, [[detergent]]s, and [[cosmetics]]. Typical growth rates are 0.8 to 1.0 times GDP.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Consumers rarely come into contact with basic chemicals. Polymers and specialty chemicals are materials that they encounter everywhere daily. Examples are plastics, cleaning materials, cosmetics, paints and coatings, electronics, automobiles and the materials used in home construction.<ref name="2012e"/> These specialty products are marketed by chemical companies to the downstream manufacturing industries as [[pesticides]], [[Polymers|specialty polymers]], electronic chemicals, [[surfactants]], construction chemicals, industrial cleaners, [[Flavoring|flavours]] and [[fragrances]], specialty coatings, printing inks, water-soluble polymers, [[food additives]], [[paper chemicals]], oil field chemicals, plastic adhesives, [[adhesives]] and [[sealants]], [[Cosmetic ingredients|cosmetic chemicals]], [[Water treatment|water management chemicals]], [[catalysts]], and textile chemicals. Chemical companies rarely supply these products directly to the consumer.

Annually the [[American Chemistry Council]] tabulates the US production volume of the top 100 chemicals. In 2000, the aggregate production volume of the top 100 chemicals totaled 502 million tons, up from 397 million tons in 1990. Inorganic chemicals tend to be the largest volume but much smaller in dollar revenue due to their low prices. The top 11 of the 100 chemicals in 2000 were [[sulfuric acid]] (44 million tons), [[nitrogen]] (34), [[ethylene]] (28), [[oxygen]] (27), [[Lime (material)|lime]] (22), [[ammonia]] (17), [[propylene]] (16), [[polyethylene]] (15), [[chlorine]] (13), [[phosphoric acid]] (13) and [[diammonium phosphate]]s (12).{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}