1. The application for which you want to use a chemical commodity
2. Type of the commodity chemical
3. The shelf life of the required commodity chemical
4. The quantity of the chemical commodity you require
5. The commodity chemical pricing

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers from reputable commodity chemicals suppliers

You can check out the product lines of reputable commodity chemicals suppliers to buy nitrogen or phosphate fertilizers for gardening or agricultural purposes.

I recommend: Sunniland Corporation is a leading supplier of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. You can buy fertilizers at Refractory Minerals, a reputable supplier of magnesium phosphate fertilizers (powder form) and aluminum phosphate fertilizers (solution). Another leading supplier of nitrogen-based fertilizers is Terra Industries. In addition, you can also check out the product line of Carroll Gardens, a reputable provider of a wide range of fertilizers including nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers.

Buy petrochemicals from reputable commodity chemicals suppliers

Petrochemicals form a big share of commodity chemicals industry. You can buy petrochemicals from leading petrochemical suppliers.

I recommend: Advance Scientific and Chemical is a reputable supplier of petrochemicals that provides a wide range of products including petroleum ethers, petroselinic acid and petroleum waxes. Commodity Chemicals is another leading supplier of commodity chemicals that offers a variety of petrochemicals along with other commodity chemicals. In addition, you can also buy petrochemicals at ConocoPhillips Company, another reputable petroleum product manufacturer.

Buy other industrial organic chemical commodities from reputable suppliers

There are wide ranges of industrial organic chemicals that come under the title commodity chemicals. You can buy these commodities from reputable suppliers. You can also compare commodity chemical prices and features on the websites of reputable distributors.

I recommend: You can buy a range of industrial organic commodity chemicals at Astro Chemicals, a reputable distributor of organic chemicals including food grade chemicals and plating industry chemicals. You can also check out a very wide range of organic commodity chemicals at Del Amo Chemical Company, another reputable distributor of industrial chemicals. In addition, you can also buy industrial organic commodity chemicals at INEOS Phenol, a reputable manufacturer that specializes in phenol and acetone.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be careful while handling organic commodity chemicals and petrochemicals, as many of these chemicals are highly inflammable.
• •  Take appropriate safety measures while storing chemical commodities as some of these chemicals are toxic.
• •  Avoid inhaling the fumes of petrochemicals as these fumes can be carcinogenic.

Action Steps
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Find a commodity chemicals business that manufactures the right materials

Buy the necessary chemicals that you will need to develop your project or product.

I recommend: Colonial Chemical specializes in liquid chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and lithium chloride. ASAS/Tysol manufactures solvents and specialty chemicals for industrial and technical applications. Both organic and inorganic chemicals can be ordered from Hydrite Chemical.

Supply your facility with chemical commodity processing equipment

Stock your workplace with enough equipment to manufacture the chemical commodities.

I recommend: Buflovak designs processing equipment for chemical commodities such as distillation and evaporating systems, valves and dryers. Precision Custom Components distributes chemical commodity processing equipment such as reactors, casks and pressure vessels. Santa Barbara Control Systems manufactures commodity chemicals processing equipment for industrial plants.

Set up packaging and delivery services for your commodity chem items

Look for services that specialize in storage, packaging and delivery services of chemical commodities.

I recommend: Contrapac provides contract assembling, packaging and warehousing services for chemical commodities. Find just-in-time delivery services as well as packaging and storing solutions at PurePak Technology.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Commodity chemical manufacturers are required to produce high quantities of materials and products while remaining energy efficient. Since these chemical processing plants tend to run continuously, companies continue to seek innovative ways to improve heating, cooling, water and power use.

Action Steps
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Earn a degree in chemistry to work with chemical commodities

Creating commodity chemicals takes extensive knowledge of chemistry and chemical compounds. Because many of these chemicals end up in consumer products, a majority of time creating the chemicals will be spent in the lab testing reactions and safety of the materials.

I recommend: The University of Central Missouri offers several options for studies in chemistry, including a bachelor's of science that allows for further graduate studies. A graduate degree in chemistry from the University of Nevada will provide you with the skills necessary to work with commodity chemicals.

Take courses in analytical chemistry to work in the commodity chemistry industry

While a general chemistry education can open doors for you in the chemical commodities industry, a concentration in analytical chemistry is desired. Analytical chemistry focuses on the creation of new chemicals and working with new compounds of existing chemicals to make a better product.

I recommend: Tennessee Tech University offers chemistry majors a program of courses designed to teach all the major topics and skills needed in analytical chemistry. Cornell University offers a graduate study program in analytical chemistry that focuses a student's studies on the creation of chemicals.

Attend seminars to learn the economic side of a commodity chemicals business

To understand the economic impact of commodity chemicals, workshops and seminars are held to explain the market, how it affects prices, and what technology is coming to the lab. Many of these sessions are for those selling commodities in chemicals, but can also be useful for chemists to learn more about the market itself.

I recommend: Sales Training America provides introductory seminars that cover the economic side of commodity chemicals which can be useful knowledge for all working with these chemicals. ICIS Training provides seminars on the outlook of the commodities market and what affects changes in the market.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For training in chemical commodities prices, basic economics and market courses can be taken.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Aromatics

Aromatics get their name from having a distinct smell. They come from crude oil and are primarily used as the starting base for a number of consumer goods, such as dyes, fibers and film.

I recommend: Visit Aromatics Online to learn more about aromatics. Click on their additional links for even more details.

Olefins

Olefins, or alkenes, are a chemical compound that is often used to make rubber and plastics. They have at lease one carbon to carbon bond. The term 'olefin' is primarily used by those in the petrochemical industry, while other industries use alkenes.

I recommend: Learn more about olefins from Shell.

Plastics

Plastics are a synthetic compound that can be molded into any shape. Creating plastics is one of the biggest uses of commodity chemicals.

I recommend: Read more about plastics at EcologyCenter.org.

Solvents

Solvents are a medium into which chemicals will dissolve. Water is a popular example of a solvent, because it will dissolve many types of chemicals. Solvents are present in a variety of products, including cleaning, food, and personal care products.

I recommend: American Chemistry discusses some of the uses of solvents. To learn more, make a selection from the drop-down menu under "Learn more about solvent applications."

Petrochemicals

Essentially, petrochemicals are chemicals that are created from natural gas or petroleum. Petrochemicals are used in the making of fertilizers, plastics, rubbers and paints. The wide variety of uses make this a popular commodity chemical.

I recommend: Visit the Thomko Petro Chemical blog for more details about petrochemicals. To further your understanding, click on the links at the bottom of the page.

Chemical containers

Chemical containers are essential for the safety of your workers. Many chemicals are corrosive or can harm workers if not stored properly. Chemical containers are specially designed to hold chemicals. You can be sure that they will not spill or leak, creating a safer work environment.

I recommend: View some samples of chemical containers from the PurePak Technology.