Carbazole & co.
In the 19th. century the so called tar dyes, both hard coal constituents carbazole and anthracene, became the focus of research and economic attention. Today both precursor chemicals are important synthesis building blocks in the chemical processing industry.
The business line Aromatic Chemicals at the Castrop-Rauxel site operates a state-of-the-art plant. It runs a highly innovative solvent-free production process to make pure anthracene and carbazole from hard coal tar using the high temperature melt crystallisation method. It is unique in the world.
Carbazole and anthracene belong to the polycyclic aromatics group, which (in addition to uneconomical synthesis routes) can practically only be obtained from hard coal tar. Anthracene is needed for the production of anthraquinone, which is used by the paper industry as a bleaching agent for cellulose and in the dye industry as an intermediate product for dyes. Carbazole is a key raw material for the high-performance pigment Violet 23 and for the jean dye hydron blue, which has many uses in car paints, repair paints, printing dyes, textiles and polymers.
A substance with history
Hard coal tar contains up to about 1.3 % anthracene and approx. 0.9% carbazole. Both substances are enriched with anthracene oil after the tar distillation. In 1832, anthracene was isolated from tar by Auguste Laurent and Jean Dumas for the first time. It crystallises in colourless to yellowish flakes, which fluoresce violet and easily sublime. In 1872, carbazole was discovered and identified in hard coal tar by Carl Graebe and Carl Glaser . Carbazole is a yellowish solid, which also sublimes easily.
So that we can optimally respond to our customers and the needs of the market, RÜTGERS is subdivided into seven lines of business: Basic Aromatics, BTX/PA, Handy Chemicals, Resins & Modifiers, Aromatic Chemicals, Trading and InfraTec.
Find out more about the business line: Aromatic Chemicals
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