Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 266 Study Visit
Although it was the first time Song Zhiyuan and Chen Jian had met, they got along very well because they were in the same field.

Song Zhiyuan had been to university for a year and studied very hard. His understanding of chemistry was a hundred times deeper than Yan Hui's, and Yan Hui couldn't understand the questions he asked.

For example, why the electron shell of a certain atom migrates at a certain temperature, or the working mechanism of a catalyst—Yan Hui listened as if to gibberish.

At that moment, Yan Hui suddenly realized something. Chen Jian had never talked to him about these things before!

Yan Hui felt increasingly ashamed as he listened. After getting to know Chen Jian better, he sometimes thought that "chemistry wasn't difficult," but after listening today, he realized that Chen Jian simply didn't talk to him about these things normally.

"Brother Jian, when we were in school, our teacher talked about the halogenation and nitration reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons. What exactly is the mechanism of the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction? The teacher just talked about this a while ago and told us to look it up ourselves. He also said that this reaction is very important in industrial production." Song Zhiyuan asked.

"It is indeed very important, as this reaction can introduce alkyl groups onto aromatic hydrocarbons. This process requires alkylating agents such as haloalkanes and Lewis acid catalysts, such as aluminum trichlorotrifluorohydride and trifluorohydrogen. In this reaction, haloalkanes and aluminum trichlorotrifluorohydride form a complex, generating an active intermediate, namely a carbocation," Chen Jian began his explanation.

Yan Hui was completely confused by the terms "electrophilic attack" and "polyalkylation phenomenon."

"For example, alkylating isobutylene onto the benzene ring can increase the octane rating of gasoline, which can reduce the possibility of knocking in car engines," Chen Jian said, referring to industrial applications.

Later, they talked about the oxidation reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons under extreme conditions.
In short, the meal lasted three hours, and the two of them only talked about aromatic hydrocarbons, yet they still felt they hadn't had enough.

While they were talking about photochemical reactions, the waiters came over to ask when they were leaving.

"Don't rush back tomorrow. I'll explain this photochemical reaction to you. You'll probably be learning about this soon." Chen Jian continued explaining, still feeling like he hadn't had enough.

"Then you two don't go anywhere else. Come to my place. There are all sorts of small shops in front of my house. I'll get some kebabs and we can have some beer?" Yan Hui was also intrigued.

“Sure!” The two men’s eyes lit up.

Chen Jian has been in Jinan for so long, but he doesn't know many people because he can't communicate with most of them.

He communicated more with Yan Hui, but Yan Hui wasn't a chemistry major, and the questions he asked were mostly general science questions and superficial issues, which were very amateurish, so they couldn't have a conversation like they did today.

Song Zhiyuan had a solid foundation and was very eager to learn. Especially after hearing about Song Zhiyuan's experiences and how he met Yan Hui, Chen Jian immediately felt that he should help him more.

Sometimes, the help between intellectuals is just that simple—passing on some knowledge.

After Yan Hui paid the bill, he took the two of them to the warehouse.

It was still a bit chilly at night, so Yan Hui called the two of them into the warehouse, turned on the lights, set up a table and chairs, and bought some barbecue at the entrance.

The two chatted freely, while Yan Hui stood to the side, listening and petting the dog.

They chatted until midnight, and Lingling was sleepy before they finally finished. Yan Hui called a taxi for Chen Jian to go back and arranged for Song Zhiyuan to stay there for the night.

Over the next two days, Yan Hui took Song Zhiyuan around Jinan and encouraged him before Song Zhiyuan returned home.

Watching Song Zhiyuan enter the station, Yan Hui waved and got on his motorcycle alone.

He doesn't have an assistant yet, and he's been discussing business with Song Zhiyuan these past two days. Song is actually very interested in business, but his studies are also important, so he has to focus on his education for now. He needs to graduate with his bachelor's degree no matter what. The two days spent together have given Yan Hui a much better understanding of chemistry, and he's developed a strong interest in it.

Chemistry is a means of creating new substances! The entire processing of wood, such as felling, splitting into boards, drying, etc., is a physical process and does not create new substances.

Yan Hui doesn't know much about the chemical industry, and he doesn't think he can get involved right now, but he wants to see how it goes.

He has always been very curious. When he had 200 million yuan, he wanted to become a primary agent for steel products. Now that he has less than 20 yuan, he is thinking of opening a chemical plant!
After much thought, Yan Hui realized that he didn't know anyone in the chemical industry, and going directly to investigate would yield nothing.

Um.
The only option is to contact the factory manager.

To produce plywood for the factory manager, a large amount of glue would naturally be needed, so he must know someone at the chemical plant.

After finding Factory Manager Xiang, Yan Hui inquired about the glue.

"The chemical industry? You're right. We buy our glue directly from chemical plants, since we need a large quantity." The factory manager nodded.

Right now, Yan Hui alone needs 1500 sheets of plywood every week. His plywood production line has already taken up half of the production capacity.

"What's the name of the glue we use here again? I remember you told me."

"Urea-formaldehyde resin." The factory manager looked at Yan Hui. "What, Mr. Yan, do you need to buy glue?"

"No, that's not it. I have a friend who's a PhD in chemistry. A boss wants to invest in him to set up a chemical plant, so I thought I'd look into it," Yan Hui could only say.

“No problem. I’m familiar with this factory; I’m a long-term customer. Here’s what we’ll do: I’m going to pick up a batch of glue tomorrow, and you can come with me. Their boss will definitely give me face.” The factory manager nodded.

"Okay, thank you, Director Xiang." Yan Hui nodded, inspected the plywood production line, and left.

In this era, adhesives, especially those used in construction plywood, were not environmentally friendly. The urea-formaldehyde resin (UF) used was primarily made from urea and formaldehyde. Another commonly used adhesive, phenolic resin (PF), was synthesized from phenol and formaldehyde.

In other words, formaldehyde is one of the main ingredients in these adhesives.

In contrast, Wanhua's polyurethane adhesives produce no formaldehyde during the production process, making them far more environmentally friendly. If Yan Hui were to get involved, he would definitely want to work with polyurethane, but for now it's just a thought; he can't even put UF and PF into production yet.

The next day, Yan Hui went to the processing plant again and toured the glue production plant with the factory manager.

The production of urea-formaldehyde resin is not too complicated, but it still involves seven or eight steps. When Yan Hui entered the chemical plant, the smell was even stronger than in the plywood processing workshop. Although the factory had implemented some environmental protection measures, it was still necessary to wear a gas mask.

The processing involves nucleophilic addition, condensation, and then the addition of catalysts, as well as the adjustment of pH and temperature.
Yan Hui toured the entire place, inquired about the investment amount, and left with Factory Director Xiang.

After studying and visiting, Yan Hui came to the final conclusion: it couldn't be done.

(End of this chapter)