In section C, the definitions of groups of chemical elements are as follows:
Alkali metals: Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr
Alkaline earth metals: Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra
Lanthanides: elements with atomic numbers 57 to 71 inclusive
Rare earths: Sc, Y, Lanthanides
Actinides: elements with atomic numbers 89 to 103 inclusive
Refractory metals: Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W
Halogens: F, Cl, Br, I, At
Noble gases: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn
Platinum group: Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh, Pd
Noble metals: Ag, Au, Platinum group
Light metals: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, Be, Al, Mg
Heavy metals: metals other than light metals
Iron group: Fe, Co, Ni
Non-metals: H, B, C, Si, N, P, O, S, Se, Te, noble gases, halogens
Metals: elements other than non-metals
Transition elements: elements with atomic numbers 21 to 30 inclusive, 39 to 48 inclusive, 57 to 80 inclusive, 89 upwards
Section C covers :
pure chemistry, which covers inorganic compounds, organic compounds, macromolecular compounds, and their methods of preparation;
applied chemistry, which covers compositions containing the above compounds, such as: glass, ceramics, fertilisers, plastics compositions, paints, products of the petroleum industry. It also covers certain compositions on account of their having particular properties rendering them suitable for certain purposes, as in the case of explosives, dyestuffs, adhesives, lubricants, and detergents;
certain marginal industries, such as the manufacture of coke and of solid or gaseous fuels, the production and refining of oils, fats and waxes, the fermentation industry (e.g., brewing and wine-making), the sugar industry;
certain operations or treatments, which are either purely mechanical, e.g., the mechanical treatment of leather and skins, or partly mechanical, e.g., the treatment of water or the prevention of corrosion in general;
metallurgy, ferrous or non-ferrous alloys.
In all sections of the IPC, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, the Periodic System of chemical elements referred to is the one with 8 groups as represented in the table below. For example, group Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C07F 3/00 "Compounds containing elements of the 2nd Group of the Periodic System" refers to the elements of columns IIa and IIb. [2009.01]
In the case of operations, treatments, products or articles having both a chemical and a non-chemical part or aspect, the general rule is that the chemical part or aspect is covered by section C.
In some of these cases, the chemical part or aspect brings with it a non-chemical one, even though purely mechanical, because this latter aspect either is essential to the operation or treatment or constitutes an important element thereof. It has seemed, in fact, more logical not to dissociate the different parts or aspects of a coherent whole. This is the case for applied chemistry and for the industries, operations and treatments mentioned in Notes (1)(c), (d) and (e). For example, furnaces peculiar to the manufacture of glass are covered by class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C03 and not by class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...F27.
There are, however, some exceptions in which the mechanical (or non-chemical) aspect carries with it the chemical aspect, for example:
Photographic materials and processes, in class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G03, and, generally, the chemical treatment of textiles and the production of cellulose or paper, in section D.
In still other cases, the pure chemical aspect is covered by section C and the applied chemical aspect by another section, such as A, B or F, e.g., the use of a substance or composition for:
When the chemical and mechanical aspects are so closely interlocked that a neat and simple division is not possible, or when certain mechanical processes follow as a natural or logical continuation of a chemical treatment, section C may cover, in addition to the chemical aspect, a part only of the mechanical aspect, e.g., after-treatment of artificial stone, covered by class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C04. In this latter case, a note or a reference is usually given to make the position clear, even if sometimes the division is rather arbitrary.
ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON (manufacture or treatment of artificial threads, fibres, bristles or ribbons Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...D01)
C08
Note(s)
Biocidal, pest repellant, pest attractant or plant growth regulatory activity of compounds or preparations is further classified in subclass Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...A01P. [8]
Processes using enzymes or micro-organisms in order to:
liberate, separate or purify a pre-existing compound or composition, or to
treat textiles or clean solid surfaces of materials
In this subclass, the following term is used with the meaning indicated:
"rubber" includes:
natural or conjugated diene rubbers;
rubber in general (for a specific rubber, other than a natural rubber or a conjugated diene rubber, see the group provided for compositions of such macromolecular compounds). [2]
In this subclass:
compositions are classified according to the mutual proportions by weight of only the macromolecular constituents; [2]
compositions are classified according to the macromolecular constituent or constituents present in the highest proportion; if all these constituents are present in equal proportions the composition is classified according to each of these constituents. [2]
Any macromolecular constituent of a composition which is not identified by the classification according to Note (2) above, and the use of which is determined to be novel and non-obvious, must also be classified in this subclass. For example, a composition containing 80 parts polyethene and 20 parts polyvinyl chloride is classified in both groups Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 23/00 and Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 27/00, if the use of polyvinyl chloride is determined to be novel and non-obvious. [8]
Any macromolecular constituent of a composition which is not identified by the classification according to Notes (2) or (3) above, and which is considered to represent information of interest for search, may also be classified in this subclass. This can, for example, be the case when it is considered of interest to enable searching of compositions using a combination of classification symbols. Such non-obligatory classification should be given as "additional information". [8]
C08L
Subclass index
Compositions of polysaccharides or of their derivatives
Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a halogen; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:200
C08L 29/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an alcohol, ether, aldehydo, ketonic, acetal, or ketal radical; Compositions of hydrolysed polymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers (vinyl ether copolymers with compounds described in group Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 35/00) [2]
P:190
C08L 31/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, of carbonic acid, or of a haloformic acid (of hydrolysed polymers Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 29/00); Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:180
C08L 33/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and only one being terminated by only one carboxyl radical, or of salts, anhydrides, esters, amides, imides, or nitriles thereof; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers (ABS polymers Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 55/00) [2]
P:170
C08L 35/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a carboxyl radical, and containing at least one other carboxyl radical in the molecule, or of salts, anhydrides, esters, amides, imides or nitriles thereof; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:150
C08L 37/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a heterocyclic ring containing oxygen (of cyclic esters of polyfunctional acids Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 31/00; of cyclic anhydrides of unsaturated acids Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 35/00); Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:140
C08L 39/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a single or double bond to nitrogen or by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:130
C08L 41/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a bond to sulfur or by a heterocyclic ring containing sulfur; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:120
C08L 43/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and containing boron, silicon, phosphorus, selenium, tellurium, or a metal; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers (of metal salts, e.g. phenolates, alcoholates, see the parent compounds) [2]
P:160
C08L 45/00
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having no unsaturated aliphatic radicals in a side chain, and having one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds in a carbocyclic or in a heterocyclic ring system; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers (of cyclic esters of polyfunctional acids Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 31/00; of cyclic anhydrides or imides Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 35/00) [2]
Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more carbon-to-carbon triple bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:70
C08L 51/00
Compositions of graft polymers in which the grafted component is obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds (for ABS polymers Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 55/00); Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:60
C08L 53/00
Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing sulfur with or without nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only; Compositions of polysulfones; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:380
C08L 83/00
Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing silicon with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers (block- or graft-copolymers obtained by polymerising a compound having a carbon-to-carbon double bond onto a polysiloxane Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 51/00, Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...C08L 53/00) [2]
P:390
C08L 85/00
Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing atoms other than silicon, sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers [2]
P:400
C08L 87/00
Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds, obtained otherwise than by polymerisation reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds [2]
C08L 89/00 - C08L 99/00
Compositions of natural macromolecular compounds or of derivatives thereof [2]