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Chemicals, Industrial Organic
SIC 2860NAICS 325The organic chemical industry manufactures a large number of compounds for commercial and industrial uses. Important industry products include non-cyclic organic chemicals and their metallic salts; solvents; polyhydric alcohols and fatty acids; synthetic perfumes and flavoring materials; rubber processing chemicals; plasticizers; synthetic tanning agents; chemical warfare gases; cyclic crudes; dyes and organic pigments; and natural gum and wood chemicals.Many industry firms also produce inorganic chemicals. For more detailed coverage of these businesses, see Chemicals, Industrial Inorganic.INDUSTRY SNAPSHOTOrganic chemistry emerged during the middle and late nineteenth century, largely as a result of the efforts of French, English, and German scientists. Not until the early twentieth century, though, were organic chemicals manufactured on a commercial scale. A shortage of natural materials during World War II prompted intense research and development efforts related to synthetic materials, particularly in the United States.By the mid-1900s, the United States had assumed a commanding lead in the global organic chemical industry. Its dominance was challenged during the late 1900s as Western Europe and Japan vied for world market share. By the mid-2000s, global output was expected to rise by more than 30 percent, but most of the increase was projected to be in Asia, largely due to China's exploding market. In fact, while consumers worldwide were expected to double in number by 2015, the number of chemical consumers in China was predicted to grow tenfold.Organic chemicals represent a significant segment of the global chemical industry, which reached US$1.79 trillion in 2003. For the fourth quarter of 2003 alone, worldwide revenues hit nearly US$1.6 billion. International trade accounted for a large portion of revenues: for 2003, 30 percent of all global chemical...See the full content of this document
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