The production of basic chemicals is addressed. In the first part of the course, an overview of the chemical industry is given. A second part of the course addresses the various unit operations typically encountered in a chemical process. Basic models for the design of chemical reactors are described in the third part of the course. Finally, some key processes are covered in detail, includingflow-sheets and aspects of reaction kinetics/catalysis, reactor design, separation and purification of reactants and products, energy needs and environmental impact and safety.