Zinc Borate – in Things that Saves Life, Saves Property and Protects Our World

Fire, when erupts and spread uncontrolled causes severe losses of lives and properties. Be it the nature or things that surround us, fire damages and turn to ashes whatever comes in between. Since ages, people have been continuously working to find ways to control the fire and developing materials that are fire resistant. We often see, when the fire break out, there are fire-fighters trying to control it and suppress it with variety of methods, tools and compounds. Among those, a chemical known for its unique properties and is widely used in equipments meant for flame retarding and suppressing of smoke is Zinc Borate.

Zinc borate (or Zinc Salt, Boron Zinc Oxide, Firebreak ZB or Boric Acid), a non-halogen flame retardant, accredited by Environmental Protection Agency is an inorganic and low toxicity amalgam. It is a vital additive to help achieve brilliant resistance in rubber products. It is a free-flowing white powder, which dissolves easily and swiftly. This chemical can be added to any flame retardant mechanism and it will boost test results with minimum effect on the compound properties. For this purpose, they is used in combination with chemicals like red phosphorus and magnesium hydroxide.

So when we talk about its uses in our everyday life, this Boron-based chemical is used to serve the needs of various products and objects that are manufactured in the industries. As in most of the polymer compounds like canvas tents, Zinc Borate diffuses water of hydration at temperatures above 554 degrees Fahrenheit to restrict fire and suppress smoke. It is also used in the production of paints, adhesives, as well as pigments.

In furniture industry, it serves as an excellent chemical for the treatment and protection against termites and other corrosive insects in lumber, wood, hardwood and plywood. Thus constitutes in the longer life of wood due to its preservative properties. At the present time, borates based chemicals have become an important ingredient in different kinds of ceramic tiles and enamel glazes to enhance durability and improve luster.

It must be noted that the utilization of Zinc salt can improve elongation properties of polyolefins as well. Zinc Borate also holds an important place as a flux agent that is used in the manufacturing of electrical insulators in ceramic industry. Apart from the above mentioned uses, borates of Zinc are used as a wide spectrum fungicide (chemicals with antifungal activity for a vast variety of species), used in the protection of wood and plastics. Another major use is as an anti-dripping agent as it suppresses the afterglow in electrical components.

The combination of zinc plus borate moieties renders inimitable functionalities. In addition, the chemical compound performs as synergists along with brominated fire retardants to tailor FR characteristics and CTI. This compound can be utilized in regrinding procedures without any sort of reduction in the original CTI values as well.

Its optimum performance is as a Biocide (fungicide and preservative) and corrosion inhibitor and this is obtained when our product is uniformly dispersed in a coating or composite. With a coating it should be incorporated during the pigment dispersion cycle in the coating preparation process. Zinc Borate is used in conjunction with antimony oxide, while in halogen-free systems, it is normally used in conjunction with alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, or red phosphorus. In some particular applications Zinc Borate can be used alone.

The above mentioned information gives you a brief idea about the commercially most important chemical compound in the field of organic chemistry. This compound is looked as very useful product in various industrial processes. This inorganic compound is highly in demand amongst various commercial manufacturers because of the various useful properties that it offers.

Different Aspects of a Solvent Dye

However, not most of us would've ever given a thought to where these different colors come from. We know there is someone and something responsible for coloring everything around us, but have never spared a thought to the complexity of the nature of work of that person or thing.
Chemicals that can easily dissolve in other chemicals and form a solution are called solvents. They cannot, however, be dissolved in water. Solvent dyes are completely soluble in organic solvents, which mean they will not form a separate layer or residue. The ability of the dye to completely dissolve is important to achieve a consistent color.
A solvent dye is a dye soluble in organic solvents. It is usually used as a solution in an organic solvent. Solvent dyes are used to color organic solvents, hydrocarbon fuels, waxes, lubricants, plastics, and other hydrocarbon-based non-polar materials. Fuel dyes are one use of solvent dyes. Their molecules are typically non-polar or little polar, and they do not undergo ionization. They are insoluble in water. They form a colloidal solution in solvents. They have poor (basic dyes) to good (metal complex based) light fastness. The naming system for these dyes use a color index, following a classification system: solvent + color + number; solvent blue 35. This system is based strictly on color, and not the chemicals used in each of the different dyes. Solvent dyes are used for gold imitation (and other transparent metallic effects) of metalized polyester films. Also used in marking inks, inkjet inks, glass coloration, and so on.
A solvent dye is generally introduced in the form of a solution that is dissolved in an organic solvent. A large number of solvent dyes are basically azo dyes, which have been molecularly re-arranged to get rid of their ionizing capability. The molecular re-arrangement also enables these dyes to become soluble in non-polar solutions such as triglycerides. Some other common solvents for solvent dyes include alcohols, ethers, ketones, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, oils, fats, waxes and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Although, being soluble in an organic solvent is a basic physical characteristic of a solvent dye, there are some important applications, where the dyes need to be applied directly instead of first dissolving them in a solvent.

The solvent dyes are an extremely versatile finishing tool. All of the colors are transparent except the white. The dyes are commonly used to apply color to a difficult material (glass, resin, etc.), change the existing color of a finish, or repair a damaged finish. In addition, the Solvent Dyes may be added to lacquer, epoxy, resin, or any other solvent product. They may be blended to create different shades and diluted using the Dye Thinner. The Dye Thinner should always be used to dilute solvent dyes because they are very concentrated. When the thinner is added, the dyes will become more transparent.

The chemical activities of these colorings are important as they can dissolve in non-polar chemicals. Common non-polar compounds are oils, fats and fuels. Solvent dyes are used extensively to color plastics. The color in pen inks, candles and printing ink are made of these colored dyes.

Different companies have ties with firms providing these colors and solvent dyes in order to get their products colored, and manufactured into beautiful packages later. This means that the coloring industry is one of the major parts of many sectors. From simple things like beverage and tinned food companies to the printing ink that is essential for newspapers and magazines. There is need for the companies to have a close check on the sort of coloring and dyeing that is being done in their concern, so that the product comes out to be flawless. There are scientific uses for these dyes, as they are used in solutions that stain the different structures found in cells.

These stains are used in research as well as medical diagnostics. Dyes can even be customized for specific processes.
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Get to Know About Sodium Hydrosulfite

In the field of organic chemistry, Sodium Hydrosulfite is recognized as a highly useful reducing agent which is used in a number of chemical reactions. At the same time, the compound is also popular as a useful chemical for a number of industrial processes as well.
Only a few chemical compounds in the field of organic chemistry can match with the Sodium Hydrosulfite when it comes to industrial applications. The fact that it is a highly versatile compound, playing a number of roles in various industrial processes, has made it one of the most popular chemicals around at present times. Sodium hydrosulfite (also known as sodium dithionite) is a white crystalline powder with a weak sulfurous odor. It is a sodium salt of dithionous acid. Although it is stable under most conditions, it will decompose in hot water and in acid solutions.
Sodium hydrosulfite is an important auxiliary agent in textile industry, paper industry, dye and gasoline:

1. It is widely used in textile industry for vat dyeing, reduction cleaning, printing and stripping, textile bleaching.
2. It is also used in bleaching paper pulps, especially mechanical pulps.
3. It is used in bleaching kaolin clay, fur bleaching and reductive whitening, bleaching of bamboo products and straw products.
4. It is used in mineral, the compound of thiourea and other sulphides. 
5. It is used as reducing agent in chemical industry.
6. Sodium hydrosulfite food additive grade is used in foodstuffs, as bleaching agent and preservative dried fruits, dried vegetable, vermicelli, glucose, sugar, rock sugar, caramel, candy, liquid glucose, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and canned mushrooms.

Because of its water soluble nature is one of the preferred chemicals to be used in fabric dying industries, where if any water insoluble dye, if used, can be reduced to a water-soluble alkali metal salt. The reducing nature also makes it a useful compound to be used in processes like water cleaning, gas purification to name a few.
Sodium dithionite is a powerful, inexpensive, safe and readily available reducing agent. It has been used for more than 70 years in the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds, diazonium salts, a variety of pyridinium compounds, some complex oximes and other nitrogen-containing functional groups.
The best thing about the chemical is the fact that it has a very low toxicity range, and hence is not harmful as compared to other chemicals that are used for similar purposes making Sodium Hydrosulfite such a useful and versatile compound. Read more...

Indispensable Catalyst for Epoxy Resin – REACTIVE DILUENTS

There are a number of chemical procedures that require catalysts for the reactions to be completed. These are responsible for the proper functioning of the chemical reactions, so that the desired results can be achieved. Reactive Diluents are one of these catalysts which are widely used in different ways and forms to get the most useful results with the help of the same. The use of epoxy resin in different forms can be done only with the help of adding the right amount of diluent in it.

Reactive diluents are important. They surely are. Available as clear, colorless, and low-viscosity, reactive diluents are mixed with epoxy resins in a bid to improve cure. And these diluents are used in various applications and industries, such as coatings, civil engineering, and structural composites. And when compared to many other typical curing techniques available, reactive diluents allow the epoxy resin to be less viscous. And this certainly makes the things work smoothly. And this is the reason, why they are so much in demand across various industries.

Reactive Diluents are low viscosity co reactants that are developed specifically to diminish VOCs with the help of a reaction with the polymer matrix. They are similar to solvents as they reduce polymer viscosity, but they do so without augmenting VOCs. Reactive diluents generally take the form of blocked or delayed sources of active hydrogen. For example – Aldimines and ketimines are block amino compounds. Oxazolidines are also a part of blocked amino alcohols.
Reactive diluents result in higher solids and lower viscosity. This quality often goes well for error-free applications of higher-solids coatings. A possible new light for reactive diluents is the use of different functional moieties to effect cure of coatings. Today, high solids coatings mainly rely on the chemistry of hydroxyl functional groups.

Flooring-While creating seamless floors for homes, this strong form of adhesive is used because it one of the most strong and long-staying adhesive that can be counted upon to stay put for a long time.
Another form of application epoxies with diluents is in the leather industry. Each product is careful coated with an efficient layer of epoxy because it helps to render properties such as water resistance, shine, and a finished and smooth look.

The next advantage of it is that the vapor they produce resultantly has a low content of pressure. Another great feature of these reactive diluents is that they tend to reduce the substance and the wetting capability of the fillers that are made for using these adhesive joints. It helps the agent become water and chemical resistant as well and they cannot tend to have harmful effects on it through their set of reactions.

They are used to form adhesive bonds that are strong and even unbreakable at times. It’s essential you understand the specific characteristics of diluents so that you know mixing them in what proportion is going to get you what sort of results.

Dyeing, Renovating, Recycling and Re-using Goods with the help of Plastic Colorants

There must have been many times you have put on a garage sale your faded items and have done away with some of your favorite things, just because they are faded and discolored. It might be your favorite leather jacket or grunge shoes, or your golf clubs, or your car seat covers, or furniture made of plastic, leather and wood. Well now the good news is, you do not need to throw away with things you love, just because they are not in the right color anymore. You can easily color them to make them new all over again.

There are so many different types of dyes and colors that you can choose from, when it comes to coloring your plastic articles such as furniture, PVC shoes and accessories, as well as parts of your cars or boats. Simply coloring these things with an ideal plastic colorant will restore the class, color, shine and gloss of the product and then becomes re-usable, with the new-like feel again. You would not have to discard it just due to the color anymore. This will not only solve your purpose but also help in saving the world from a lot of pollution.

Ask most industry advocates about the benefits of plastic materials and one of the advantages that will certainly come up early in the conversation is that of molded-in color. The ability to avoid painting is an obvious benefit not only in reduced cost and shortened delivery cycles, but also from the standpoint of regulatory concerns.

It is the best solvent dye having good solubility properties with organic and polar solvents. These are rated low on toxicity for solvents and have good heat and light fastening option. The plastic dyes possess durable colour fastness property resulting in making it automobiles-friendly for coloration. Besides this, plastic dye stimulates the working of the photovoltaic cells making it the revolutionizing product of the electricity section.

We usually associate “decoration” with secondary processes such as painting or affixing a decal or label. But the underlying color is important for several reasons. First, it is an integral part of the design and can greatly affect the final appearance. Also, special effect colorants are decorative in their own right. Sometimes they eliminate the need for secondary processes to yield an eye-catching product. More often, they are used in combination with secondary decoration processes to produce unique visual effects. Plastic Colorants are the largest group of a broad range of additives and masterbatches available to alter appearance, functionality, performance, safety, cost effectiveness, and processing efficiency of resins.

Color is such an integral part of the plastic, without which the attractiveness of plastic is completely lost, the process of giving the plastic a color must be dealt with very carefully. And that is the only reason why industries spend millions of dollars in their research and development departments to select the best combination of polymers and colorant.

So why waste and pollute the environment when you can preserve, recycle and reuse in new form? It’s not just a great deal of money saving and your pocket with thank you for it, it shall mean that you will actually contribute your bit towards saving the environment. Read more...