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Special Interest

Wednesday - July 22, 2009

Pharmaceutical quality acetonitrile

Bayer Technology Services has developed a purification process for acetonitrile

Conventional product can be purified for 10 to 17 euros per liter ACN.

Leverkusen, July 22, 2009 – Bayer Technology Services has developed a new process for the purification of acetonitrile (ACN). The four-step process now enables ACN feed stock to be purified on the ton scale to a quality required in pharmaceutical production. The conversion price ranges from 10 to 17 euros per liter depending on the quality of the feed stock provided.

Technical quality ACN (“isocratic grade”) can be purified to HPLC quality (“gradient grade”) or even pharmaceutical quality (“ultra gradient grade”). “Upon request we can deliver the pharmaceutical quality ACN to our customers in electropolished 1 m3 containers,” says Dr. Michael Traving, Head of the BTS pilot plant facilities. Typical production quantities range from 250 to 1,000 liters. The pilot plant facilities at BTS Headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany, are certified for toll manufacturing and waste disposal in 24/5 operation and have a treatment capacity of 4 m3 per week.

Acetonitrile is the solvent most commonly used in chemical-pharmaceutical laboratory analysis for liquid chromatography (HPLC) and is a byproduct of the industrial production of the plastics acrylonitrile and polyacrylonitrile.

Bayer Technology Services GmbH offers fully-integrated solutions along the life cycle of chemical and pharmaceutical plants – from development through engineering and construction to process optimization for existing plants. The Bayer subsidiary employs nearly 2,600 experts worldwide at its headquarters in Leverkusen and other German locations, as well as in regional offices in Belgium, India, Mexico, the United States, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the People's Republic of China. 2008 sales totaled approximately EUR 420 million.

Additional information about Bayer Technology Services is available at www.bayertechnology.com.

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