Publisher's Synopsis
It is beyond any doubt that chemistry has provided countless products which have improved the quality of human life in practically all areas. Unfortunately, some of the products have proven to be hard to dispose of, being non-biodegradable or toxic. Recently, much care has been taken to ensure that chemical products should be first of all safe for humans. According to one of the approaches, the cosmetic/pharmaceutical products used should be based on natural raw materials. With the use of physical, chemical, and biochemical processes, these raw materials can be transformed into intermediates that are later used to produce high-value chemicals, polymers, lubricants, solvents or surfactants, and special products, which, until now, have been obtained using fossil fuels.
