Informex news - Bayer focuses on custom manufacturing innovations

A new class of fluorination reagents has been launched by Bayer's fine chemicals business unit at Informex in Las Vegas.

Fluorinox reagents are said to offer a cost-effective and easily scalable alternative for the stereoselective replacement of hydroxyl groups with fluorine or the transformation of carbonyl functions into geminal difluorides.

New developments were also announced in the field of C-N and C-O couplings on an industrial scale. 'Based on the method developed by Stephen Buchwald at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in co-operation with Rhodia Pharma Solutions, we have succeeded in scaling up the production of carbon heteroatomic compounds for various target molecules,' said Dr Willhelm Stahl, head of r&d at the fine chemicals business unit. 'In addition, we have recently succeeded in bringing this technology to the production scale, including synthesis of the special phosphane ligands that are used in the reaction.'

Finally, Bayer has achieved a breakthrough with regard to the asymmetric epoxidation of unsaturated carbonyl compounds. 'We have developed an improved process for the production of the polyamino acids that are employed as chiral catalysts,' Stahl explained. 'The use of a special co-catalyst reduces the required amounts of catalysts, bases and oxidising agents and shortens reaction times.'

Isolating stereoselectively produced epoxides is now much simpler and this makes using the reaction practical on an industrial scale, he added.