SiGNa Chemistry Licenses Olefin Isomerization Catalysts From ExxonMobil
New York, NY - SiGNa Chemistry, Inc., a developer of stabilized reactive metals for safer, more efficient industrial chemistry, recently announced that it has been granted an exclusive license from ExxonMobil Chemical Technology Licensing LLC to patents which will facilitate the manufacture and sale of a suite of proprietary alkali metal catalysts to customers worldwide. The proprietary olefin isomerization catalysts improve efficiency and safety in a number of chemical synthesis pathways including the production of rubber and polymers. SiGNa Chemistry plans to explore additional applications in the pharmaceutical market where the catalysts may enable greener, continuous-flow synthesis of small molecule intermediates.
"SiGNa Chemistry has built a business delivering innovative reactive metals that improve efficiency, safety and the bottom line for our global pharmaceutical, energy and specialty chemical customer base. This licensing agreement extends our industrial green chemistry offering with new catalytic products that perfectly complement our core technology and company mission," said Michael Lefenfeld, president and CEO of SiGNa Chemistry.
Produced by the careful oxidation of alkali metals combined with alumina, the proprietary catalysts are highly active and selective, even in the presence of reactive impurities. The catalysts are particularly useful for isomerizing 5-vinyl-2-norbornene ("VNB") to 5-ethylidiene-2-norbornene ("ENB"), a fundamental reaction in the commercial production of elastomeric polymers, synthetic rubbers and other refined chemicals.
The proprietary catalysts enable reaction efficiencies, cost reduction and safety improvements over the liquid bases and other solid catalysts that constitute the two conventional options for ENB production. With relatively low catalytic activity, liquid base counterparts require large quantities of the expensive materials to produce the desired reaction. Once the reaction is complete, the liquid catalysts also involve a complex, energy intensive recovery process that drives further inefficiencies and costs. Other known solid isomerization catalysts present their own handling hazards as their alkali metal content makes them susceptible to violent reaction and loss of activity upon contact with oxygen and water. Furthermore, the solid catalysts have comparatively poor isomerization performance with low conversion and selectivity. In contrast, SiGNa Chemistry's newly licensed isomerization catalysts offer a stable, active mechanism for driving the ENB synthesis pathway.
SOURCE: SiGNa Chemistry, Inc.