General: The organic chemical manufacturing capabilities of GFS Chemicals reside in a 14,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, indoor production facility. This new facility demonstrates GFS Chemicals' long term commitment to the specialty organic chemical business, which it has been engaged in since the 1940's. GFS Chemicals has retained ISO 9002 certification since 1997. Reaction temperature handling from ��o to 140oC, and pressure from full vacuum to 150 psi.

Types of Chemistry performed: Liquid ammonia/alkali metal chemistry for the production of alkynes (acetylenes) and olefins; Halogenation/Dehydrohalogenation; Grignard chemistry; Alkylation; Amination; Bromination, Chlorination, Birch reductions, Esterification; Epoxidation; Skraup quinoline syntheses; Low pressure hydrogenation; other.

Batch Unit Operations performed: Include batch reactions; non-reactive mixing; extraction; filtration; centrifugation; crystallization and drying (tray and rotary vacuum); Distillation and stripping; sublimation (kilo lab scale).

Bulk Chemicals Routinely handled: Include anhydrous liquid ammonia; destabilized acetylene; Sodium/Lithium and corresponding amides; Bromine; Iodine; ethylene oxide; thionyl chloride; sulfuryl chloride; chlorosulfonic acid; hydrogen sulfide; sodium cyanide; liquid Nitrogen; trimethylchlorosilane and other organosilanes, Carbon Disulfide

Core Product Base: Acetylenics, olefins, silanes, bipyridines, phenanthrolines, other heteroaromatic ligands, precious metal catalysts (heterogenous and homogenous), quaternary ammonium compounds, grignards

Equipment List: Kilo lab: Glassware up to 75LT. Processing is carried out in walk-in lab hoods and benchtop hoods. Distillation columns from 1” x 1' to 2.5” x 6'.

Production Plant:

Reactor Capacity:

• Glass lined steel: 10, 25, 30, 50, 100, and 500 gal
• 316L stainless steel: 50 LT; 50 and 200 gal (Pressure to 150psi)
• Hastelloy C: 500 gal
• All reactors equipped with 75 psi steam/refrigerated PG/well water (jacket) and well water/refrigerated PG (condensor)

Distillation Equipment (all capable of full vacuum operation):

• 30 gal glass-lined pot/4” x 4' column w/receiver (column internals: structured glass packing)
• 50 gal glass-lined pot/4” x 8' column w/receiver (column internals: structured glass packing)
• 50 gal glass-lined pot/4” x 10' column w/receiver (column internals: 316L SS random packing)
• 100 gal 316L SS pot/50 theoretical plate (expected start-up 1Q03) (column internals: 316L SS random packing)
• Pope 4” Wiped Film Still w/feed tank & receiver

Other Plant Equipment:

• 30” x 18” 316 SS Tolhurst basket centrifuge
• Glass-lined and 316 SS rotary vacuum dryers (5 cu. ft. - 110 cu. ft)
• Three Celicote Engineering vent scrubbers (3000 cfm – 9000 cfm) for the removal of sulfide-laden vent streams, chloride/acid gas and ammonia-laden vent streams
• AGA Gas Cumulus PX-20 heat transfer system for near-cryogenic cooling capability (for stainless steel reactors only)
• Emergency vent and containment system designed by Fauske and Associates
• Bulk acetylene, liquid Nitrogen and anhydrous ammonia storage and handling

QC/Analytical Capabilities:
Includes GC (two Hewlett Packard 5890); GC/MS; HPLC; FT-IR; UV-Vis; Fluorescence Spectrophotometry; Polarography; Karl Fischer; Melting poing; ICP, AAGF, Ion Chromatography