PROKARIA and WACKER SPECIALTIES Collaborate on a Chiral Alcohols Competence Center
WACKER SPECIALTIES and PROKARIA today announced the signing of an R&D agreement in the field of chiral alcohols. Following initial collaboration between WACKER SPECIALTIES and Jülich Fine chemicals (JFC) in 2003, the new agreement is a further step toward setting up a chiral alcohols competence center for the pharmaceutical industry.
Chiral alcohols are highly valuable building blocks in the pharmaceutical industry. The growing demand for these building blocks is due to a strong shift in new drug substances towards chiral molecules. One of the most efficient ways to produce enantiomerically pure chiral alcohols is by stereospecific reduction of ketones via biocatalysis.
Under the terms of the agreement, PROKARIA will commence a program to rationally select and develop novel biocatalysts for the synthesis of complex chiral alcohols. Designed to leverage Iceland's rich biodiversity pool, the approach makes use of PROKARIA's exclusive rights to take commercial samples in most of Iceland's geothermal areas. The third player in the team, Jülich Fine Chemicals (JFC), based in Jülich, Germany, will be involved in functional screening and evaluation work.
The three companies intend to extend the product range of chiral alcohols (beta-hydroxyesters, hydroxyketones, diols and alpha-chloroalcohols) based on the rich pool of keto compounds already marketed by WACKER SPECIALTIES. For its part, JFC will handle lab and kilogram-scale demand. WACKER SPECIALTIES will cover ton-scale business and will further complement biocatalysis by means of its organic synthesis and silane chemistry expertise known as TRIPLE SYNTHESIS POWER.
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Topic world Synthesis
Chemical synthesis is at the heart of modern chemistry and enables the targeted production of molecules with specific properties. By combining starting materials in defined reaction conditions, chemists can create a wide range of compounds, from simple molecules to complex active ingredients.
Topic world Synthesis
Chemical synthesis is at the heart of modern chemistry and enables the targeted production of molecules with specific properties. By combining starting materials in defined reaction conditions, chemists can create a wide range of compounds, from simple molecules to complex active ingredients.