Chinese chemists synthesize compounds for BASF's crop protection discovery research

BASF's Agricultural Products division cooperates successfully in research with external partners

14-Aug-2006

Cooperation with partners throughout the world is an important aspect of the research strategy of BASF. The company spends nearly EUR100 million a year on a current total of 1,300 cooperations. One of them, a cooperative arrangement that has been in place for more than a year with Chinese company WuXi Pharmatech, has proven so fruitful that the number of chemists working there for BASF has now been increased to more than 20. The Agricultural Products division of BASF engages its Chinese partner to synthesize chemical compounds that are needed in the wide-ranging search for new active ingredients. The subsequent modification of the new substances and their screening for biological effectiveness are then conducted in the central research units at Ludwigshafen and Limburgerhof.

"Purchasing new substances for primary screening and building blocks for synthesis from external partners on the one hand and focusing our internal efforts on developing promising compounds for crop protection active ingredients on the other hand is successful and has stood the test of time," says Dr. Peter Eckes, Senior Vice President Agricultural Products Research and Development. "We work with 10 external partners - some of them for several years already - who synthesize new compounds for us." Global crop-protection research is the first unit of BASF to work together with a Chinese company in an extensive synthesis cooperation.

All external partners are extensively assessed to make sure that no know-how leaks out and that no potentially new active ingredients are jeopardized. Success factors in cooperation are unconditional reliability and open communication. In addition, product quality and synthetic competence are evaluated because BASF must be able to depend on its partners to do as much as it itself would when trying to solve tricky problems.

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Chemical synthesis is at the heart of modern chemistry and enables the targeted production of molecules with specific properties. By combining starting materials in defined reaction conditions, chemists can create a wide range of compounds, from simple molecules to complex active ingredients.

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Topic world Synthesis

Chemical synthesis is at the heart of modern chemistry and enables the targeted production of molecules with specific properties. By combining starting materials in defined reaction conditions, chemists can create a wide range of compounds, from simple molecules to complex active ingredients.

15+ products
4 whitepaper
15+ brochures