Yifan Bio-tech Group making breakthrough in Metalaxyl-M synthesis technique, new technique achieves above 93% product optical content
Date:03-01-2019
Metalaxyl-M or Mefenoxam, N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxyacetyl)-D-alaninate, is a broadly used product for application to value added industry fields such as economic crops and seed treatment. Its market demand has been growing steadily year-by-year, and a great market potential is foreseen.
The other similar product, Metalaxyl, is a racemic compound composed of a pair of optical isomers, of which the fungicidal activity of R-isomer (metalaxyl-M) is 20-30 times higher than that of S-isomer, where S-isomer has got certain inhibition functions on R-isomer. So far, as the registered use for some crops is concerned, the dosage of metalaxyl-M is currently only one fourth of metalaxyl. However, it is noted that R-isomer’s degradation in the environment is much faster than the racemic compound, being more environmentally compatible. It is envisaged that metalaxyl-M will take the place of metalaxyl in many applications in the years ahead.
The worldwide registered metalaxyl-M has an optical content of above 91%, which is difficult to reach via the conventional process. Over recent years,
Yifan Bio-tech Group has developed a kind of microbial enzymatic method enabling metalaxyl-M to reach above 93% optical content via the new technique, which is higher than 90% content of the product produced under the conventional process. Furthermore, the total yield by the new technique is higher than that of the conventional process, and in addition, the new technique has a cost advantage.
At present, Yifan Bio-tech Group is making all efforts to market metalaxyl-M in both Chinese domestic and international markets, having so far initiated the product registration process concurrently in major markets such as the EU, US, Brazil, Argentina and Australia. Besides, Yifan Bio-tech Group has developed no small number of mixture products based on metalaxyl-M, such as metalaxyl-M+mancozeb, metalaxyl-M+chlorothalonil and metalaxyl-M+azoxystrobin. In the next stage, the company plans to expand the production capacity of metalaxyl-M in a new location using the new technique so as to get ready for the growing demand from the international market after the company’s worldwide promotions.
Founded in 1992, Yifan Bio-tech Group is a pesticide manufacturer dedicated to research, technical synthesis and formulation production. In 2018, the company ranked 26th on the CCPIA List of Top 100 Chinese Pesticide Manufacturers. The company currently has three pesticide factories and two pesticide marketing firms, being committed to helping global growers increase crop protection capacity via the provision of innovative products and comprehensive services. The premier products of the company include clethodim, flumioxazin, oxyfluorfen, metalaxyl, metalaxyl-M and difenoconazole.
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