HEXAMETHYLENETETRAMINE
Description and uses.
Hexamethylenetetramine is a white crystalline powder made by the interaction of formaldehyde and ammonia. It is used in tar-acid resins to replace formaldehyde, though its higher cost has limited its use to small proportions as a finishing or hardening agent. Other uses are as an internal antiseptic in medicine (marketed under trade names such as Urotropin, Cystogen, Aminoform, Urisol, and Cystamin), as an accelerator in the vulcanization of rubber (a declining use), and in artificial cork. During the World War it was used in gas masks as an absorbent for phosgene.
United States production.
The domestic production of hexamethylenetetramine declined during the depression, but has been increasing in the last few years. Production in 1937, however, was still below that of 1929. Statistics of production are shown in table [86].
Table 86.—Hexamethylenetetramine: United States production and sales, 1923, and 1925-37
| Year | Production (quantity) | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Value | Unit value | ||
| Pounds | Pounds | |||
| 1923 | 1,381,073 | 1,155,083 | $974,877 | $0.84 |
| 1925 | 1,657,993 | 1,506,286 | 994,458 | .66 |
| 1926 | 1,495,220 | (1) | (1) | |
| 1927 | 1,315,213 | (1) | (1) | |
| 1928 | 1,661,645 | (1) | (1) | |
| 1929 | 2,368,020 | (1) | (1) | |
| 1930 | 1,871,690 | (1) | (1) | |
| 1931 | (2) | (2) | ||
| 1932 | (2) | (2) | ||
| 1933-37 | (1) | (1) | ||
1 Not publishable; figures would disclose operations of individual firms.
2 Not available.