BASF, the world's leading
chemical company, will present its chemical intermediates, catalysts and inorganics
portfolio at the "ChemSpec" trade show in Barcelona, Spain, on June
17 and 18. ChemSpec Europe is considered one of the major trade shows for manufacturers
of fine and specialty chemicals in this region.
BASF to showcase new and proven intermediates
In early 2010, BASF will launch its cyclododecanone (CDon) intermediate. To
produce it, the company operates a novel, highly efficient manufacturing process
that has meanwhile earned international distinction. CDon is the key raw material
for making laurolactam, an intermediate used to produce the high-performance
plastic polyamide 12. It also serves as an intermediate for fragrances and UV
stabilizers.
Two specialty amines, methylisopropylamine and cyclohexylmethylamine, are new
products expanding BASF’s extensive amines portfolio. They are employed
in the manufacture of active ingredients for the agrochemical and pharmaceutical
industries and feature excellent purity as well as a very low range of side
products, meeting even most stringent specifications in these two industries.
BASF has continued to add to its broad portfolio of chiral intermediates, which
are marketed as ChiPros ®. New amino alcohols include amino butanols as
well as cyclohexyl and cyclopentyl amino alcohols with amino and alcohol groups
protected in different ways. The range of chiral alcohols has been expanded
to include naphthylethanols and differently substituted phenylalkanols as well
as aliphatic and cycloaliphatic alcohols. ChiPros, which are manufactured on
the basis of various biocatalytic processes, are used successfully in the production
of active substances for pharmaceuticals and crop protectants.
With Huenig's Base (ethyldiisopropylamine) and DBU Pharma (1,8-diazabicycloundecene
pharma) BASF offers two versatile reagents in high quality for the synthesis
of pharmaceutically active compounds. Huenig’s Base is employed both to
drive reactions to completion and/or to remove unwanted side products. A typical
example is the formation of esters from alcohols and acid chlorides in the presence
of Huenig's Base. DBU Pharma on the other hand addresses specific problems in
synthesis, such as the formation of olefins by dehydrohalogenation or targeted
alkylation of methylene compounds. Both Huenig’s Base and DBU Pharma are
available from BASF as drummed or bulk material.
BASF will be presenting vinyl compounds at ChemSpec, including novel vinylphosphonic
acid and vinylphosphonic acid dimethyl ester. From these monomers various specialty
polymers are manufactured for uses in coatings, construction chemicals and adhesives.
Both products feature favorable properties with respect to improved adhesion,
anti-corrosive and flame-retardant behavior.
Moreover, BASF will showcase its extensive range of vinyl ethers and acetylene
alcohols. They serve as building blocks in manufacturing crop protection products,
medical drugs and fragrances, and as monomers to make specialty polymers for
applications in coatings, construction chemicals and adhesives.
Customized technical service: that is how BASF helps its customers to use vinylphosphonic
acid, vinylphosphonic acid dimethyl ester as well as vinylethers and acetylene
alcohols in the best possible manner.This service also allows for customized
development cooperation.
In producing its intermediates BASF employs a most diverse range of sophisticated
technologies, including biotransformations, enantioselective synthesis and electrochemistry
as well as high-pressure reactions like hydrogenation or amination of ketones
and alcohols. Professional handling of reactive building blocks can obviously
be taken for granted in all cases. The company also offers to develop on request
new intermediates that are not yet commercially available.They can be produced
on all scales, from kilogram to ton volumes.
Catalysts for environmental and chemical applications
With its Catalysts division, BASF is one of the world’s leading suppliers
of environmental and process catalysts. The company offers exceptional expertise
in the development of technologies that protect the air, produce fuels and ensure
efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products.
This year’s focus is on two environmentally-friendly catalysts for use
in environmental and chemical applications, from BASF’s NanoSelect platform
technology for controlled flexibility: the lead-free Pd-based NanoSelect LF
100 and NanoSelect LF 200 catalysts. Characterized by similar activity and selectivity
in specific hydrogenation reactions, these new heterogeneous catalysts are an
environmentally compatible alternative to Lindlar catalysts. The new BASF catalysts
are also designed to achieve significant cost savings by using approximately
10-times lower amounts of precious metals. The NanoSelect platform technology
is the proud recipient of the Frost & Sullivan 2009 North American Nanocatalysts
Green Excellence of the Year Award.
BASF continually develops new intelligent solutions based on the latest catalyst
technologies for its customers. The portfolio of these “Enabling technologies,”
including precious metal and base metal hetero- and homogeneous catalysts and
metal scavenging materials, is continuously strengthened by focused R&D
and licensing of new technologies.
Inorganic specialties and much more
The Inorganics division of BASF offers to its customers a broad portfolio of
inorganic chemical specialties, for example a broad range of standard and specialty
alcoholates and alkali metal amides. By its wealth and versatility this portfolio
of bases covers many different requirements in organic synthesis.
In addition the product range also includes alkali metal compounds, boron trifluoride
and borane compounds, boroxins and borates, hydroxylamine and its derivatives.
Recent market launches of BASF include organometallic halide compounds, for
example for highly efficient C-C cross-coupling reactions allowing for maximum
functional group tolerance. This enables customers to chose direct routes of
synthesis while ensuring optimum efficiency.
The product range also includes 2- and 4-hydroxyacetophenone. These specialties
are used as catalysts, reagents and synthesis building blocks in a wide variety
of innovative industries, particularly in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and
cosmetics.
Driven by customer needs the New Business Development team of the Inorganics
division continuously works to expand BASF’s portfolio of inorganic specialties.
The most recent examples in this area are the completed launch of hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic
acid, a versatile aminating agent, and O-benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride,
which is useful whenever a protecting group on an N-O-functionality is needed.
These product innovations contribute to making customer syntheses more cost-effective
and more efficient. High product quality combined with outstanding delivery
service translate into control, flexibility and security for BASF’s business
partners.