Halocarbon Products doubles HFIP production

Halocarbon Products Corporation, a leading global producer of speciality fluorochemicals, has doubled its production of HFIP (hexafluoroisopropanol) and is now manufacturing commercial quantities of difluoro compounds.

HFIP is an acidic alcohol and due to its strong hydrogen bonding properties can be used as a solvent for many different kinds of polymers and solution phase peptide chemistry. It is also used as an intermediate to prepare pharmaceuticals and for the preparation of fluorinated esters of polyacrylate and polymethylacrylate polymers. HFIP is best known for its use as a raw material in the preparation of the inhalation anesthetic sevoflurane.

"There has been a significant increase in the demand for HFIP and other HFIP-related compounds in the last six months," said Halocarbon ceo Peter Murin. "With the increasing number of end-products that incorporate HFIP, we expect this trend will last for years to come."

As a pioneer in fluorochemistry, Halocarbon continues to work closely with customers to develop and produce unique chemical compounds. The company is manufacturing several difluoro compounds with useful applications as intermediates in both pharmaceutical and agrochemical fields, such as chlorodifluoro acetate esters that are used as intermediates in the preparation of gemcitabine, an important anticancer drug.