intermediates
Who loses sleep over the last 1%? We do.
Ashland’s intermediates business unit is known as one of the world’s leading producers and suppliers of 1-4 butanediol (BDO), Tetrahydrofuran (THF), n-methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL, BLO) in addition to other downstream products. Our products are used in applications as diverse as shoe soles, pharmaceuticals, water filtration, electronics and more. As we go to market around the world we make a promise to our customers about what it will be like to work with us and what we can accomplish together. We are always solving - helping our customers find solutions to the complex challenges facing them in their own marketplace.
Our people take pride in understanding our customers’ needs, market dynamics and the complex challenges that exist when competing in a global market environment. Our passionate, knowledgeable team works tenaciously to identify opportunities and trends in this fast-changing market to quickly respond and optimize the value we provide to our customers throughout all regions of the world.
All of our products are produced in fully accredited world scale plants. We are diversified in how we produce BDO and hold a patent for the Geminox process utilized at our Lima, OH facility. In addition to great products and technology, Ashland is regarded as one of the most reliable global producers of BDO and its derivatives. Our integrity and reputation is built on a solid foundation of providing great service, high quality products and customer-centered solutions. It’s something we are proud to earn every day.
products
Intermediates products are listed below, use the filters to find the products that meet your specific needs.
read more >
BLO™ gamma butyrolactone
BLO butyrolactone solvent, also known as gamma-Butyrolactone, is a polar solvent for ionic substrates and functions as an acid donor in aqueous media at elevated temperatures. Although blo solvent is stable under a wide range of conditions, at elevated temperatures and in the presence of appropriate reagents, it serves as an intermediate in a variety of useful syntheses such as: Precursor to 2-pyrrolidone and the extensive family of alkyl pyrrol...
2-Pyrrolidone (2-Pyrol™ solvent)
2-Pyrol 2-pyrrolidone is used for solvency, adhesion enhancement and solubility in paints and coatings and printing inks. It is also used as a drug solubilizer and penetration enhancer in parenteral and injectable dosage forms, specifically in veterinary products.
NMP - N methyl 2 pyrrolidone (M-Pyrol™ solvent)
M-Pyrol solvent, a lower alkyl pyrrolidone, is an extremely powerful and versatile aprotic solvent. With its high boiling point, low vapor pressure and high stability, it is an effective solvent in numerous industry applications and can be used as a co-solvent with water, alcohols and other organic substances. M-Pyrol solvent is extremely resistant to hydrolysis from pH 2-10, even at elevated temperatures. Beyond these limits, hydrolysis to 4-(me...
ShipShape™ resin cleaner & FoamFlush™ urethane remover
Ashland produces an engineered family based on M-Pyrol™ solvents which are designed to meet the needs of specific cleaning operations. These include ShipShape™ resin cleaner and FoamFlush™ urethane remover which are recommended for unique applications when M-Pyrol solvents alone cannot meet certain cleaning requirements. In addition to their excellent solvency, our engineered solvents are formulated for low VOC and low toxi...
CHP - N-Cyclohexyl-2-Pyrrolidone
CHP ® (N-Cyclohexyl-2-Pyrrolidone) is soluble in water and most organic solvents. It is non-volative, has powerful solvency, and resistant to hydrolysis by acids and bases. Its miscibility in water is dependent upon temperature, concentration, pH and salts added. Applications Benefits ElectronicsPhotoresist Strippers: used as a co-solvent, usually in combination with M-Pyrol (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) and BLO solvents, to enhance performan...
HEP - N-2-Hydroxyethyl-2-Pyrrolidone
HEP N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-Pyrrolidone is unique in that it combines a high boiling point, a relatively high viscosity, and water solubility. Properties of value in slow or non- settling solutions and suspensions. Its hydrophylic character combined with strong polar solubility characteristics, suggests its use as a humectant. In addition, HEP N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-Pyrrolidone has found interest as an extraction solvent.
BDO - 1, 4 Butanediol
Butanediol intermediate is a versatile diol precursor to numerous derivatives such as esters, carbamates, polyesters and urethanes. It is used mainly as a co-monomer in classical diol-condensation reactions with terephthalic acid to produce polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), with diisocyanates to produce polyurethanes and with diacids to yield polyesters with biodegradability characteristics. BDO is also used as an intermediate to make polyur...