The cresols.—There is large production of cresol, metaparacresol, and orthocresol in the United States. Commercial production of paracresol was reported for the first time in 1934, and of metacresol in 1935.
Statistics of domestic production and sales are publishable only for the year 1934 because of the small number of producers. The output in that year is shown in table [67]. Production has increased appreciably since then.
Table 67.—Meta, ortho, and para cresols: United States production and sales, 1934
| Type | Production | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Value | Unit value | ||
| Pounds | Pounds | |||
| Cresol | 8,929,836 | 8,559,048 | $572,738 | $0.07 |
| Metaparacresol | 2,033,424 | 1,692,149 | 101,324 | .06 |
| Orthocresol | 835,016 | (1) | (1) | |
| Paracresol | (1) | (1) | (1) | |
1 Not publishable; figures would reveal operations of individual firms.
Source: Dyes and Other Synthetic Organic Chemicals in the United States. U. S. Tariff Commission.
The trend of domestic production of the several cresols is upward. In 1937 the output of all grades and types of cresols was 13,745,271 pounds with sales of 13,251,345 pounds, valued at $1,071,965. The practice of topping coal tar will greatly increase the output of the cresols as well as of other tar acids and naphthalene.
There are five domestic producers of cresol, three each of orthocresol and metaparacresol, and two of metacresol and paracresol. All except one of these makers recover natural phenol, cresylic acids, and other tar acids. Refining plants are located at Pittsburgh, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., Indianapolis, Ind., and Follansbee, W. Va. Domestic production of synthetic paracresol was first announced in 1938.
The xylenols.—There has been a large domestic production of mixed xylenols in recent years. These mixtures, containing from 50 to 80 percent xylenols, are marketed as cresylic acid. Statistics of domestic production, and sales are therefore included in table [68]. It is estimated that the output of xylenols and xylenol mixtures in 1935 exceeded 750,000 pounds and exceeded 1,250,000 pounds in 1937. At least one of the separated xylenols (1: 3: 5) has been produced commercially in the United States since 1935, but statistics of its production are not publishable.
Other high-boiling tar acids.—There was no reported domestic production of the other high-boiling acids prior to 1935 and the data obtained for that year are probably incomplete. Estimated output was 200,000 pounds in 1935, 250,000 pounds in 1936, and 300,000 pounds in 1937. These estimates are based on production of mixtures of high-boiling acids.