Thursday, 1 November 2012

Sodium Hydrosulfite, The Chemical Workhorse!



Sodium Hydrosulfite, which also referred to as Sodium Dithionate, is crystalline compound that is white in color and has sulfurous odor because of the sulfur content in it. Chemically it is a sodium salt of dithionous acid, and hence the name Sodium Dithionate. The name Sodium Hydrosulfite is in fact a commercial name for products that have Sodium Dithionate, Na2S2O4, as a chemically active ingredient. Pertaining to its versatile chemical properties, the chemical finds wide application in various industries. Paper, textile, leather goods, metal recoveries, wine industry, are a few that can be named where Sodium Hydrosulfite is used.

If we talk about the chemical properties of the compound, then it is a water-soluble chemical and can be used as a reducing agent in aqueous form because of its electron donating nature (a compound is said to be reducing if it donates an electron). What makes it even more effective is the fact that because of its reducing nature, it eliminates any excess dye, unwanted pigments as well as any residual oxide, thus improving the overall quality of the textile color.

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.

When used in any chemical reaction, Sodium Hydrosulfite has this tendency to lose its sulfur and add it to the other compound in the reaction. So, it is used as a sulfonating agent in chemical industries.

The compound is also used in iron extraction processes. As dithionate ion has a strong affinity as a chelating agent for bi and trivalent cations, therefore when used in extraction process it increases the solubility of iron. Because of which the extracted iron is free of impurities and is called as “Free Iron”.

Acting as a cation source, i.e. someone who donates a positive ion (which in this case is sodium), Sodium Hydrosulfite is used as chemical agent for environmental improvement, water treatment and gas purification processes.
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.
Royce international has been a renowned chemical supplier for various chemical industries.

Monday, 22 October 2012

You Name It, It Colors It – The Amazing Plastic Dye


Color, the most important part of the lives of humans since generations and ages is once such thing that gives meaning, existence and separation of one thing from another. Nothing in this world can be called as beautiful and attractive without the presence of colors, be it the nature, living beings, objects or things, color imparts distinctiveness to feel their existence or presence around us. Same lies true when we color our world with paints or apply color to different things through man-made, industrial methods and resources.

Earlier,
application of paints to make an object attractive has been done from several years in conventional methods and procedures, which includes stages like sanding, priming and then coating the surface with the respective coloring agent. However, the drawback of using these coloring methods and colorants on plastic products deteriorates plastic under the favorable conditions. To overcome such disadvantages, one such resource is plastic dye that is used to impart color to several different things that are commercially manufactured for our use.

In
the fast developing technological world, dyes and pigments are the two revolutionary colorants that had been discovered to render excellent finish and luster to all kinds of materials. These dyes are predominantly used in the plastic industry all across the world because of their exclusive benefits like durability, heat resistance and transparent capability.

These
types of colorants are followed by amalgamation and dispersion processes in order to yield bright and lustrous appearance to the respective objects. In number of industries and numerous applications, these dyes are used for coloring wide range of materials like nylon, polyester, acrylics, acrylics, polystyrene, styrene monomers, PVC, PETP as well as PMMA. For coloring plastics, the most commonly used dye is plastic dye.

The
unique advantage of plastic dyes is that the color seeps deep into the layers of the material, providing uniform coloring to it from within. As a result, it gives long life to the color aspect that cannot be scratched or peeled away.

In
order to achieve desired results, there are steps to be followed while selecting on the type of colorant to be used with the product, such as -

  • The surface is cleaned properly with soap and warm water, sanding and priming in not required
  • The dye is tested on a small piece of object that has to be colored to ensure the quantity of application
  • The colorant is sprayed in a well-lit and sufficiently ventilated area
  • While using these coloring dyes, appropriately filtered facemask and safety gloves are always used


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Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Epoxy resins- A Brief Introduction



Epoxy resins were developed for use in aerospace industry, but over the years have gained popularity for various other purposes such as domestic and industrial flooring materials to name a few.

Epoxy resins are a two-component mixture. The ratio in which the two components are mixed determines the properties of the resin. The mixtures are available in the market generally for the use of common people, but there are set standards in various companies as to what extent the ratio of mixture may vary to get desired properties like strength and bonding. The components are in a liquid form, which can be cast into desired shape and solidified.

If we talk about the properties of these resins, then it can be said that they are versatile, have excellent physical strength and possess excellent bonding strength as well. They are also non-sticky and provide excellent finish as a flooring material.


A number of additives are also used to enhance their properties. There are hardeners that are used to increase the strength of these resins. With the addition of materials such as glass or carbon fibers, they gain unmatched strength. Apart from that, various other chemicals are used to alter properties such as color, texture, bonding characteristics to name a few. Thus, these are considered as a highly adaptive material whose properties can be altered according to need.

The best part about these resins is that you can customize their design according to your choice, which you are not going to get with any other material. From color to texture, you can get anything you want.

The cost effectiveness and aesthetic beauty that these resins bring to the floor have made them the first choice of industry people. With a low wear and tear, epoxy floorings are a long-term investment. In addition, when it comes to domestic buildings you can eventually get a combination of style and strength in the form of epoxy floors, thus making them a common site in most of the modern day homes. You can eventually save a lot by getting epoxy flooring for your abodes, considering the fact they need less maintenance as compared to other materials and come at a much affordable price as well.

Not only flooring but these resins have found their application in other fields such as water proof products, leather industry to mention a few.

Therefore, epoxy resins can be considered, as an effective material, isn’t it!
Just go to www.royceintl.com and find out a range of products from epoxy resins to diluents and dying agents.With more than 8 decades in the industry, you can surely rely on them for best quality.


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