A compound, usually organic, that greatly reduces the time for a reaction to take place.

A substance, added to a base material, in low concentrations, to perform a specific function such as to preserve, thicken, disperse or color. Chevron Phillips Specialty Chemicals and PAO organizations sell a range of additives and additive feedstocks that are used in industries such as mining, drilling, fuels, food, and personal care.

A substance that can trap molecules of other substances on its surface.

A range of highly linear terminal olefins formed by oligomerization of ethylene.  Examples include 1-butene (C₄⁼), 1-hexene (C₆⁼), and 1-octene (C₈⁼). A.k.a. NAO (Normal Alpha Olefins) or LAO (Linear Alpha Olefins). Alpha olefins are major petrochemical building blocks, which serve as polyethylene co-monomers and as reagents to form surfactants, plasticizers, and additives. NAO’s and NAO derivatives are used in a wide range of applications including: synthetic motor oils for jet engines and automobiles, synthetic lubricants, synthetic drilling fluids, additives for lube oil and the upstream oil industry, paper sizing, flavors, candles, PVC lubes, detergents, and a number of personal care items. Chevron Phillips Chemical is one of the largest producers in the world.

A highly reactive group of hydrocarbons with unsaturated rings of carbon atoms, enabling the production of a wide variety of products.   As the name suggests, aromatics have a distinctive odor.