Book excerpt: This reference provides concise descriptions of those chemical processes that are known by special names which are not obvious or self-explanatory. Containing 2,600 entries, this second edition includes information on the many new processes developed and commercialized, as well as new information on old processes. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Named Processes in Chemical Technology presents a heterogeneous collection of names- inventors, companies, institutions, places, acronyms, abbreviations, and obvious corruptions-of the chemical nomenclature. The author has tailored the entries to reflect importance and topicality. Generally, the processes in current use have the longest entries, however, he also devotes more space to some obsolete processes that hold particular technical interest or historical significance. The appendix is an index to product names, enabling readers to identify processes used for making particular products.