Evonik’s New Metathesis Catalysts
The Catalysts Business Line of Essen, Germany-based Evonik Industries has expanded its portfolio of metathesis catalysts. It is offering its customers three new, efficient homogeneous catalysts that cover a broad spectrum of reactions in cross-metathesis, ring-closing metathesis, and ring-opening metathesis: catMETium® RF2, catMETium® RF3, and catMETium® RF4. In the chemical industry, metathesis is an important method for developing and producing, for example, high-tech plastics—including those based on renewable resources—or active ingredients for medicines and pesticides.
Accordingly, the primary areas of application for the new catalysts are polymer chemistry and the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Ring-closing metathesis, for instance, is an indispensable reaction step in the synthesis of active ingredients for hepatitis C and cancer medications. Ring-opening cross-metathesis can be used to manufacture highly effective light-guiding polymer materials.
Evonik markets the new catalysts based on a proven, straightforward business model that requires no licensing agreements and ensures transparency. The total kilogram price for the catalysts already includes the licensing fees for the use of the intellectual property rights. The customer makes no additional commitments, and the name of the business model reflects its approach: The abbreviation “RF” stands for “royalty free.” “This model allows the customer to use the new catalysts without limitations," says Dr. Jürgen Krauter, head of marketing in Evonik's Catalysts Business Line.
Evonik Industries is a leading supplier of catalytic system solutions. It offers an extensive range of catalysts from a single source, as well as a comprehensive service package for customers from the life sciences, fine chemicals, industrial chemicals, chemical intermediates, and polymers industries.
About Evonik
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2008 about 41,000 employees generated sales of about €15.9 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.2 billion.
Evonik Industries has been producing specialty chemical products in China since the early 1990’s; with wide-ranging trading relations already in place prior to this. The Group now has a total of 20 companies and 16 production sites in the region. In fiscal year 2008, 4,000 employees generated sales of over €820 million. Evonik regards China as one of the driving forces of the global economy, and we consequently intend to increase our business in Greater China to around €2 billion in the medium term.
Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.