Alliance Chemical Resource Library

Chemical & Product GuidesAug 17, 202614 min read

Who Discovered Ammonia? The Salt of Ammon and a 1,900-Year-Old Naming Mistake

Ammonia is a nitrogen-hydrogen compound with the formula NH3 and CAS number 7664-41-7. It was first isolated as a gas by Joseph Priestley in 1774, named...

Chemical & Product GuidesJul 6, 202614 min read

Castor Oil: The Complete Guide to Grades, Chemistry, Uses & Buying (USP vs. ACS vs. Technical)

Castor oil is a pale-yellow vegetable oil pressed from the seeds of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), with CAS number 8001-79-1. It is chemically unique...

Water & EnvironmentalJun 19, 202615 min read

Sodium Hydroxide in Direct Air Capture: How Caustic Soda Pulls CO₂ From the Sky

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH, CAS 1310-73-2) is the low-cost, most-studied alkaline absorbent for liquid direct air capture (DAC). It pulls carbon dioxide straight out of ambient air...

Emerging TechnologyJun 17, 202615 min read

Acetone in Carbon Fiber & Composite Manufacturing: Surface Prep, Cleanup, Grades & Recycling

Acetone (C3H6O, CAS 67-64-1) is the workhorse solvent of carbon-fiber and advanced-composite fabrication. It is used to degrease molds and tooling, clean and prep cured laminate...

Safety & HandlingMay 26, 202616 min read

Ammonium Bifluoride (NH₄HF₂): The Complete Guide to Flakes, ACS Grade, Aluminum Brightening & Glass Etching

Ammonium bifluoride is the solid acid salt NH₄HF₂ (CAS 1341-49-7), a white crystalline flake material that releases hydrofluoric acid in situ when dissolved in water. It...

Emerging TechnologyMay 22, 202613 min read

Perchloroethylene (PCE): The Complete B2B Guide to Vapor Degreasing, Grades, Safety & Post-TSCA Sourcing

Compliance update. The WCPP dates in this guide have moved: EPA extends the PCE and carbon tetrachloride compliance dates to 2027 — published July 28, 2026,...

Chemical & Product GuidesMay 19, 202618 min read

Sulfuric Acid 96% ACS Grade: The Definitive Reference to H₂SO₄ Properties, Lab Uses & Safety

Sulfuric acid 96% ACS Grade is concentrated H2SO4 (CAS 7664-93-9) certified to the American Chemical Society analytical reagent specification — assay 96.0–98.0%, residue on ignition ≤0.0005%,...

Chemical & Product GuidesMay 18, 202617 min read

Nitric Acid Fed Half the World, Powered Apollo, and Cracked Dynamite Wide Open

Nitric acid (HNO3, CAS 7697-37-2) is a strong mineral acid responsible for roughly 80% of the world's synthetic nitrogen fertilizer via ammonium nitrate — chemistry that...

Safety & HandlingMay 7, 202617 min read

Ammonium Hydroxide 29%: The Complete Guide to NH₄OH Uses, Grades & Safety

Ammonium hydroxide 29% is an aqueous solution of ammonia gas (NH₃) in water, existing in dynamic equilibrium with a small fraction ionized, and is commonly labeled...

Emerging TechnologyMar 16, 202611 min read

From Silicon to Space: The Complete Guide to Chemicals Powering Modern Technology

High-tech manufacturing chemicals are specialized substances essential for processes such as semiconductor wafer fabrication, PCB manufacturing, solar cell production, EV battery assembly, data center cooling, and...

Chemical & Product GuidesFeb 11, 20269 min read

The Complete Guide to Xylene: Properties, Uses, Safety & How It Compares

Xylene is a mixture of three isomers of dimethylbenzene (C8H10) plus ethylbenzene, widely used as a clearing agent in histopathology laboratories. Its refractive index (1.494) closely...

Industrial ApplicationsNov 4, 202514 min read

How to Read a Chemical Certificate of Analysis (COA)

Master the art of reading and interpreting chemical Certificates of Analysis (COA) with this comprehensive educational guide. Learn what each section means, how to understand test...

Articles

Request Certificate of Analysis

Safety Data Sheet Library