Specialty chemicals can be material additives that enhance performance, ingredients in a formulation or mixture or intermediates, which are compounds used to make other chemicals.
Materials Additives
- Enhances performance of materials
- to make nylon strong enough for seatbelts
- to make plastic soft and pliable
Ingredients
- Components in a formulation or mixture
- active ingredient in a medicine
- to allow soap to dissolve grease in water
Intermediates
- Compounds used to make other chemicals; Often used in multi-step synthesis
- The result of each step is considered an intermediate, until the last step
- The last step yields the desired compound
- Generally, the public does not come into contact with intermediates