[carmen77]

Hey guys this is my first post!  My dad owns a chemical business but doesn't manufacture anything at his facility, only a distributor.   My question is what kind of equipmeent and knowledge is necessary to go about manufacturing a chemical such as IPA or sulfuric acid?  How does company like my dad's transition into manufacturing its own product?  Any information or direction to other resources is always appericiated, thhanks!

[Arkcon]

You've mentioned two common chemical feedstock chemicals.  These are typically produced in large bulk quantities by massive manufacturing facilities.  You will never be able to compete with them for production, unless you are as big.  You might be able to work out a living, if you can make a small quantities of something that's likewise needed in small quantities.  Or if you can take a bulk commodity and purify it to a specific level some people need, for less than others will charge.  But it seems unlikely to me that that will really happen.

[carmen77]

Wow, thanks for the feedback.  So only a few large companies produce these 'feedstock' chemicals in bulk and the barrier to compete is very high.  What are some other options and directions that could be fruitful.  This is the company website to give you an idea of the scale and inventory http://alliancechemical.com/

[Enthalpy]

Don't even dream of competing against the giants on mass-produced chemicals. If you really want to produce by yourself, find niches too small for the big companies.

Could deuteriated products be a niche small enough? Standard suppliers already propose them, but maybe some compounds are missing?

Chiral compounds? If I get it properly, a few acids, amines and chromatography solids serve to purify the varied produced compounds (=drugs). Maybe the users here could tell if they want some such ones and don't find them, or not pure enough, or with too long delivery times?

I suggested here a possible hypothetic method to separate enantiomers
http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=65386.0
and shorter there hence quickly read but without ChemicalForum's precious comments
http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/79159-adapt-czochralski-to-chiral-separation/
but beware it's not tried, needs developments, and of course is doubtful as anything new.

Cooling liquids for the electronics industry. They must insulate, be thin, noncorrosive and nontoxic, preferably nonflammable, and if they cool it's better. Presently fluorocarbons made by big companies, but fluorocarbons will be banned. I suppose  branched alkanes can replace them. Maybe one can purify Diesel oil very much, more so than to obtain RP-1, but my guess is that a synthetic compound will be preferred, something like farnesane or phytane if one can produce them in significant amounts.

Better transformer oil? Presently a very purified mineral oil, but a synthetic compound may improve, again like farnesane or phytane (free of pristane!). Purity could extend its life expectancy or its insulating capability. Less easy than the cooling liquid, as it must be cheaper.

Greases and oils for ultrahigh vacuum? Presently they're silicones and fluorosilicones, for the low vapour pressure; maybe some alkane suits better. Again like phytane, or an even heavier one. Kilogram price isn't a worry there. A frew branched C₄₀ and even heavier are liquid at room temperature; that promises a low vapour pressure.

I've put my thoughts about low-freezing alkanes there
http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=56069
beware that all I imagined about their synthesis is probably nonsense (and forget about the amines in these uses!). I trust the melting, flash, boiling points there.

[Enthalpy]

Among deuteriated compounds at Sigma Aldrich and Merck, I've found things like n-heptane, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, but no:
isopentane, tetramethylsilane, hexamethyl-disilane
whose equivalent deuterium atoms may simplify NMR and IR spectra. Chemists here may tell you better if these would be useful, since benzene must be a better solvent.