called the Pechiney–Ugine–Kuhlmann process, was developed in the early 1970s by Produits Chimiques Ugine Kuhlmann. Originally the process used acetone instead of methyl ethyl ketone. Methyl ethyl ketone is advantageous because the resulting ketazine is immiscible in the reaction mixture and can be separated by decantation. The world's largest hydrazine hydrate plant is in Lannemezan in France, producing 17,000 tonnes of hydrazine products per year. Bayer ketazine process Before invention of the peroxide process, the Bayer ketazine process had been commercialized. In the Bayer process, the oxidation of ammonia by sodium hypochlorite is conducted in the presence of acetone. The process generates the ketazine but also sodium chloride: 2 Me2CO + 2 NH3 + NaOCl → Me2C=NN=CMe2 + 3 H2O + NaCl Me2C=NN=CMe2 + 2 H2O → N2H4 + 2 Me2CO References Chemical processes Industrial processes