Parchem – fine and specialty chemicals is a leading supplier of isoprene. Isoprene [CAS: 78-79-5] is also referred to as 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene; it is a clear hydrocarbon liquid that is often used to produce synthetic rubbers. It is also used as an intermediate to manufacture various flavor & fragrance chemicals.
Isoprene is an abundant natural chemical found in both plants and mammals. Isoprene is produced and emitted by common plants such as Oaks, Poplars, Eucalyptus, and some legumes. In the chloroplasts of plants, Isoprene is produced in the MEP Pathway (methyl-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway). The MEP pathway produces two end chemicals, one of which is Dimethylallyl Diphosphate (DMADP). The natural enzyme Isoprene Synthase catalyzes the DMADP, producing Isoprene.
Industrially, a majority of the isoprene is derived as a by-product of petrochemical catalytic cracking. Catalytic cracking is a method by which crude oil is treated with a variety of catalysts and heat in order to physically “crack” the heavy, long-chain hydrocarbons into several shorter, lighter hydrocarbons. Some of these short-chain hydrocarbons are siphoned off during the process to be used in products like gasoline and diesel fuel, but the rest are sent further through the cracking process to be broken down into even smaller hydrocarbons like isoprene. The isoprene monomers are then separated by weight from other products of the catalytic cracking process to yield a very high-purity isoprene monomer.
About 800,000 tons of isoprene monomer is produced industrially each year. A majority of the isoprene produced through catalytic cracking is used to produce a synthetic type of rubber called Polyisoprene (cis-1,4-polyisoprene), better known as latex. As a leading supplier of isoprene and its derivatives to the industrial marketplace, Parchem – fine & specialty chemicals is your best source for high quality products and difficult to find raw materials.
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