Contents: PTC Tip of the Month, PTC Training, PTC Reaction of the Month, PT Catalyst of the Month, Subscribe/Remove

Chemical Market Reporter published a full page article on Phase-Transfer Catalysis in the March 15 issue (Fine Chemicals Focus Report page FR8) skillfully written by Clay Boswell. If you are a subscriber with a password, you can read it on the CMR website. This is a good independent article to convince corporate executives who read CMR that PTC programs should be initiated to achieve cost savings to cope with today's competitive market.

PTC Tip of the Month - Your First Experiment When Screening a New PTC Application

Reactants & convenient solvent & minimum water & 5 mole% TBAHSO4 & agitate & sample: If you are pressured for time and would like to screen phase-transfer catalysis for improving or developing a high-performance process, consider a scouting experiment to maximize your probability of success - only after performing a full safety/hazop analysis. Consider using the minimum of an inert organic solvent commonly used in your company, to dissolve the organic reactant(s). Most organic solvents or a liquid reactant as solvent often work in PTC systems. Inorganic reactants/salts can be dissolved in the minimum amount of water. For preliminary screening, consider adding 5 mole% tetrabutyl ammonium hydrogen sulfate. This catalyst almost always works when PTC works and provides a high probability of success, even if not likely to be optimal for the lowest cost process. Agitate at room temperature and sample periodically. If no reaction is observed, gradually increase the temperature in small increments over a period of time, as long as safe, and sample periodically. 

If formation of the desired product is observed, you can proceed with process development and optimization. To achieve the best performance and/or in the shortest period of time, call PTC Organics. Call Marc Halpern at +1 856-222-1146 to chat about PTC.

Please forward this PTC Tip of the Month to your colleagues and encourage them to subscribe

PTC Training - Last Chance...registration deadline is April 1

The 2-day course "Practical Phase-Transfer Catalysis" will be conducted in the US in May 2004. Click here for agenda. Click here for registration or contact us by E-mail, website, telephone (+1 856-222-1146) or fax (+1 856-222-1124).
          
          May 3-4, 2004 - Mt. Laurel, New Jersey (near PTC Organics)
          Anytime - private in-house course (optional Opportunity Identification Session under secrecy agreement)

Inexpensive patent attorney (United States) familiar with Phase-Transfer Catalysis, organic chemistry and biochemistry. Contact Mannie Morgenstern by E-mail or at telephone 818-788-5531 (California). 

PTC Reaction of the Month - Dehydration

In response to a customer inquiry, shown below is a PTC-induced dehydration of an amide to a nitrile. The drawback is that it uses chloroform, but it may be useful if you can handle it. Sivakumar, M.; Senthilkumar, P.; Pandit, A., Synth. Comm., 2001, 31, 2583

Need a 10% Yield Increase? Process Improvement?

Contact PTC Organics by E-mail, website, telephone (+1 856-222-1146) or fax (+1 856-222-1124) to achieve rapid BREAKTHROUGH process improvement and improve profit margin and competitiveness using Phase-Transfer Catalysis for:

* Etherification * N-Alkylation * C-Alkylation * S-Alkylation * Cyanation * Dehydrohalogenation * Reactions of HCl/HBr * Strong Base Reactions using NaOH instead of methoxide, t-butoxide, sodium amide, sodium hydride, sodium metal * Michael Addition * Aldol Condensation * Wittig * Carbene Reactions * Darzens Condensation * 

* Esterification * Transesterification * Nucleophilic Substitution using Fluoride, Iodide, Bromide, Azide, Hydroxide, Cyanide, Alkyl Halides, Epichlorohydrin, Allyl Chloride, Benzyl Chloride, Acyl Halides, Sulfonyl Halides, Methane Sulfonyl Chloride, Phosphoryl Halides, Carbamoyl Halides, Anhydrides, Thiocyanate, Sulfite, Nitrite *

* Oxidation using Hypochlorite, Hydrogen Peroxide, Oxygen, Permanganate, Dichromate * Epoxidation * Reduction * Borohydride * Hydrogenation *   

As the world leader in industrial phase-transfer catalysis, PTC Organics offers PTC Breakthrough Process Screening for rapid and highly effective evaluation of breakthrough high-performance low-cost phase-transfer catalysis processes. 

Pharma - for PTC options during route selection, contact Marc Halpern by E-mail, website or telephone (+1 856-222-1146).

PT Catalyst of the Month - Tetrabutyl Ammonium Hydroxide

Advantages
Appropriate for quick screening of PTC-base reactions. Can be separated from the product at the end of the reaction by extracting the tetrabutyl ammonium into water. Contains no halogens.
Disadvantages
Tetraalkyl ammonium hydroxide salts are not very stable and decompose by Hofmann elimination...be careful about shelf life. More expensive than other tetrabutyl ammonium salts.
Reactivity Parameters (Contact PTC Organics for explanation)
Organophilicity C# = 16; Accessibility q-value = 1.0

Availability, Samples and Quotes from Competitors
Request samples and quotes from: Delta Finochem, GFS Chemicals, Lion Akzo, SACHEM (click on link)

Other Catalysts

PTC Supplier Directory: choose from a dozen suppliers & 80 PT catalysts and ask for free samples & quotes.
TDA-1[Trisdioxaheptylamine (70384-51-9)]: Joel Udell published the availability of 200 kg of TDA-1 at $43/kg on 2/20/04. I haven't seen this price since the early 1990's. Contact Joel directly at  sandrine@earthlink.net

Subscribe/Remove

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Before performing any PTC reactions read this important message
Organic chemical reactions are inherently dangerous. Moreover, phase-transfer catalysis may provide rate and other enhancements which can intensify associated hazards. Under no circumstances should anyone perform any procedure on any scale based in whole or in part on any of the contents of this information provided here before thoroughly establishing safe operating procedures and performing a full and competent hazardous operations analysis with the participation of qualified technical personal trained in chemical, engineering, safety, industrial hygiene and environmental disciplines and sciences.

Policy
The list of PTC Tip of the Month subscribers will not be sold, rented or transferred and will be used only by PTC Communications, Inc. and PTC Organics, Inc. to provide information related to Phase-Transfer Catalysis. PTC Communications, Inc. reserves the right to distribute the PTC Tip of the Month to selected industrial chemists, engineers and managers.

PTC Tip of the Month #18 - March 2004
Copyright 2004 PTC Communications, Inc.

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