C
SECTION C — CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
 C

Note(s)

  1. 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

  2. Section C covers :
    1. pure chemistry, which covers inorganic compounds, organic compounds, macromolecular compounds, and their methods of preparation;
    2. 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;
    3. 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;
    4. 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;
    5. metallurgy, ferrous or non-ferrous alloys.
  3. 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 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]

    1. 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.
    2. 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 C03 and not by class F27.
    3. There are, however, some exceptions in which the mechanical (or non-chemical) aspect carries with it the chemical aspect, for example:
    4. 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:
    5. 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 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.
  
CHEMISTRY
 C08
ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON (manufacture or treatment of artificial threads, fibres, bristles or ribbons D01)
 C08

Note(s)

  1. Biocidal, pest repellant, pest attractant or plant growth regulatory activity of compounds or preparations is further classified in subclass A01P[8]
  2. Processes using enzymes or micro-organisms in order to:
    1. liberate, separate or purify a pre-existing compound or composition, or to
    2. treat textiles or clean solid surfaces of materials
    are further classified in subclass C12S.
 C08B
POLYSACCHARIDES; DERIVATIVES THEREOF (polysaccharides containing less than six saccharide radicals attached to each other by glycosidic linkages C07H; fermentation or enzyme-using processes C12P 19/00; sugar industry C13; production of cellulose D21)  [4]
 C08B

Note(s)

Therapeutic activity of compounds is further classified in subclass A61P[7]

 C08B
Subclass index
CELLULOSE AND DERIVATIVES THEREOF
Preparatory treatment of cellulose 1/00
Esters 3/00, 5/00, 7/00, 13/00, 17/00
Ethers 11/00, 13/00, 17/00
Xanthates 9/00
Other derivatives 15/00
Regeneration of cellulose 16/00
STARCH; DEGRADED OR NON-CHEMICALLY MODIFIED STARCH; AMYLOSE; AMYLOPECTIN 30/00
CHEMICAL DERIVATIVES OF STARCH, OF AMYLOSE OR OF AMYLOPECTIN
of starch 31/00
of amylose 33/00
of amylopectin 35/00
OTHER POLYSACCHARIDES 37/00
 C08B 1/00 - 
C08B 37/00
Preparation
P:10 C08B 1/00
Preparatory treatment of cellulose for making derivatives thereof
P:50 C08B 3/00
Preparation of cellulose esters of organic acids (post-esterification stabilisation by addition of stabilisers C08K; surface esterification of textiles D06M 13/00)
P:60 C08B 5/00
Preparation of cellulose esters of inorganic acids (post-esterification stabilisation of cellulose nitrate by addition of stabilisers C08K)
P:40 C08B 7/00
Preparation of cellulose esters of both organic and inorganic acids
P:20 C08B 9/00
Preparation of cellulose xanthate or viscose
P:70 C08B 11/00
Preparation of cellulose ethers
P:30 C08B 13/00
Preparation of cellulose ether-esters
P:80 C08B 15/00
Preparation of other cellulose derivatives or modified cellulose (esters of phosphorus acids C08B 5/00)
P:0 C08B 16/00
Regeneration of cellulose  [2]
P:90 C08B 17/00
Apparatus for esterification or etherification of cellulose
P:130 C08B 30/00
Preparation of starch, degraded or non-chemically modified starch, amylose, or amylopectin  [4]
P:120 C08B 31/00
Preparation of chemical derivatives of starch (chemical derivatives of amylose C08B 33/00; chemical derivatives of amylopectin C08B 35/00)  [2]
P:100 C08B 33/00
Preparation of chemical derivatives of amylose  [2]
P:110 C08B 35/00
Preparation of chemical derivatives of amylopectin  [2]
P:140 C08B 37/00
Preparation of polysaccharides not provided for in C08B 1/00-C08B 35/00; Derivatives thereof (foodstuff preparations of alginic acid or derivatives thereof A23L 1/05; cellulose D21);     [4]