Fine chemicals, as opposed to bulk chemicals, can only be manufactured in small, limited quantities in plants by batch or biotechnological manufacturing processes. There are, however, many small and complicated steps in the making of fine chemicals – like chemical synthesis, biotechnology, extraction, and hydrolysis. The products, while extremely useful, usually have to be combined with other chemicals and substances in order to reach their full potential. Generally, they provide the building blocks for many different products that no doubt you use every single day. They are much more expensive to produce than bulk chemicals, due to their complex and changing the chemistry.