Shell higher olefin processThe Shell higher olefin process (SHOP) is a chemical process for the production of linear alpha olefins via ethylene oligomerization and olefin metathesis invented and exploited by Royal Dutch Shell. The olefin products are converted to fatty aldehydes and then to fatty alcohols, which are precursors plasticizers and detergents. The annual global production of olefines through this method is over one million tonnes. The process was discovered by chemists at Shell Development Emeryville in 1968.
Abiogenic petroleum originThe abiogenic petroleum origin hypothesis proposes that most of earth's petroleum and natural gas deposits were formed inorganically. Scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports a biogenic origin for most of the world's petroleum deposits. Mainstream theories about the formation of hydrocarbons on earth point to an origin from the decomposition of long-dead organisms, though the existence of hydrocarbons on extraterrestrial bodies like Saturn's moon Titan indicates that hydrocarbons are sometimes naturally produced by inorganic means.
CyclopropaneCyclopropane is the cycloalkane with the molecular formula (CH2)3, consisting of three methylene groups (CH2) linked to each other to form a ring. The small size of the ring creates substantial ring strain in the structure. Cyclopropane itself is mainly of theoretical interest but many of its derivatives are of commercial or biological significance. Despite its explosive nature, cyclopropane was used as a clinical anesthetic from the 1930s through the 1980s.
CatenationIn chemistry, catenation is the bonding of atoms of the same element into a series, called a chain. A chain or a ring shape may be open if its ends are not bonded to each other (an open-chain compound), or closed if they are bonded in a ring (a cyclic compound). The words to catenate and catenation reflect the Latin root catena, "chain". Catenation occurs most readily with carbon, which forms covalent bonds with other carbon atoms to form longer chains and structures.
Homology (chemistry)In chemistry, homology is the appearance of homologues. A homologue (also spelled as homolog) is a compound belonging to a series of compounds differing from each other by a repeating unit, such as a methylene bridge −CH2−, a peptide residue, etc. A homolog is a special case of an analog. Examples are alkanes and compounds with alkyl side chains of different length (the repeating unit being a methylene group -CH2-). On the periodic table, homologous elements share many electrochemical properties and appear in the same group (column) of the table.
Free-radical reactionA free-radical reaction is any chemical reaction involving free radicals. This reaction type is abundant in organic reactions. Two pioneering studies into free radical reactions have been the discovery of the triphenylmethyl radical by Moses Gomberg (1900) and the lead-mirror experiment described by Friedrich Paneth in 1927. In this last experiment tetramethyllead is decomposed at elevated temperatures to methyl radicals and elemental lead in a quartz tube.
1,5-CyclooctadieneCycloocta-1,5-diene is a cyclic hydrocarbon with the chemical formula , specifically . There are three configurational isomers with this structure, that differ by the arrangement of the four C–C single bonds adjacent to the double bonds. Each pair of single bonds can be on the same side () or on opposite sides () of the double bond's plane; the three possibilities are denoted , , and chem name|cis,trans; or (), (), and (). (Because of overall symmetry, is the same configuration as .
