Intermediates

Glyoxal
The Sustainable Solution
for Your Business
BASF
The Chemical Company

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company:

The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges

from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, per­-

formance products, agricultural products and

fine chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF

helps its customers in virtually all industries to

be more successful. With its high-value

products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays

an important role in finding answers to global

challenges such as climate protection, energy

efficiency, nutrition and mobility.

Top Intermediates Supplier

The operating division Intermediates of

the BASF Group develops, produces and
markets the world’s largest range of
intermediates. The most important of the
division’s more than 600 products include
“Be Part of Innovation”
amines, diols, polyalcohols, acids and
specialties. Among other applications,
intermediates are used as starting materials
for coatings, plastics, pharmaceuticals, Just as the whole is greater than the sum
textile fibers, detergents and crop protec- of its parts, BASF’s intermediates are more
tants. Innovative BASF intermediates help than just chemical components for making
to improve the properties of the final product countless products. Indeed, innovative
and the efficiency of production processes. intermediates not only make the manufacture
The ISO 9001:2000-certified operating of many products possible, but also improve
division Intermediates operates plants in the properties of substances made with
Europe, Asia and the Americas. them and efficiencies in producing them.

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Glyoxal – the All-Rounder

BASF has over 55 years of glyoxal R&D
experience. We developed a vast number
of applications for glyoxal. Our team in
research and development of our “know-
how Verbund” make sure that there is
more to come.
Due to its diverse properties glyoxal can
be used in a wide range of innovative
applications. To discover new fields
of use, we are working with our cus­
tomers in innovative partnerships. As
their partner we are highly interested
in supporting our customers with our
expertise to maximize their innovative
outcome.

Current Applications

Application Characteristic Benefit

Textiles n Crosslinking agent or building n Softer and less wrinkled textiles

block for crosslinker

Paper n Crosslinking agent or building n Paper wet strength (e.g. toilet paper)
block for crosslinker n Paper dry strength (e.g. recycled paper)
n Efficient paper coating additive for high-quality papers

Leather n Crosslinking in tanning process n Preservation of leather quality

Cosmetics n Use of glyoxal-crosslinking n Better viscosity

polymers (hydrocolloids)

Epoxy n Building block for specific epoxy n Higher epoxy stability performance
applications

Oil & Gas n Sulfur scavenger n Anti-corrosive

n Use of glyoxal-crosslinking n Safety at work
polymers (hydrocolloids) n Improves viscosity in oil-drilling fluids

Disinfection n Biocidal active ingredient for n Co-biocide for disinfectants used in the health industry
disinfection formulations and in veterinary hygiene
n Effective when formulated together with e.g. glutaraldehyde

Glyoxylic Acid n Raw material n Serves as an intermediate for vanillin, agricultural

chemicals, antibiotics, allantoin, complexing agents

Wood Hardening n Crosslinking agent or building n Cures wood

block for crosslinker n Protection from moisture

If you have any questions, please contact us or our representative. See contact details on back.

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Yingtong Tan (Glyoxal
Supply Chain Management)
ensures that glyoxal reaches
our customers reliably in
the requested quantities
wherever they are.
The Sustainable Solution
for Your Business
Glyoxal from BASF is a solution for your
needs. Thus we offer you more than just
a product:
Reliable Supply
With 60,000 metric tons annual world-
scale production in Ludwigshafen we
are a leading player in the glyoxal
industry. Our backward-integrated pro-
duction of glyoxal guarantees efficient
and reliable supply wherever you are.
Application Expertise
At BASF we pool our knowledge in
the “know-how Verbund” to make our
expertise available to our partners.
Working together with our customers
in successful partnerships will offer
mutual benefits.
Backward-integrated production process of glyoxal
Ethylene Ethylene glycol Glyoxal (40 %)
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Logistics Services
Whether you need bulk or packaged
material, we ensure efficient solutions.
Our advice on packaging and dedicated
storage facilities guarantee reliable
supply to allow you to run your
business steadily.
Sustainable Development
The accreditation of specific chemical
substances is an important step to a
long-term and sustainable development
of your business. We are registering
glyoxal in the EU under REACH, and
together with BASF’s specialist biocide
group in our Care Chemicals division we
support customers who want to obtain
registrations for their biocidal products
according to the EU Biocidal Products
Directive. We also offer to advise you
with respect to these legal requirements.
Textile resins
Imidazoles
Paper resins
Properties of a Solution

Nomenclature Name: glyoxal, 40 % aqueous solution

Chemical name: ethanedial, oxalaldehyde

CAS No.: 107-22-2

EINECS No.: 203-474-9

INDEX No.: 605-016-00-7

Chemical structure

Chemical properties Form: liquid

Color: colorless to pale yellow
Odor: almost odorless
Solubility: miscible with water and with all
water-miscible organic solvents

Physical properties Freezing point: approximately -14 °C [6.8 °F]

Boiling point: approximately 104 °C [219.2 °F]
Density at 20 °C [68 °F]: approximately 1.27 g/cm³
Vapor pressure at 20 °C [68 °F]: 24 mbar
pH: 2 to 3.5
Ignition temperature: 285 °C [545 °F] (DIN 51794)

Christian Horn, Glyoxal Plant Supervisor, and his team are responsible for
the quality of glyoxal. He checks for example the color index to ensure the
low color number which is a unique feature of BASF’s glyoxal.

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Glyoxal – a Classic Intermediate
with a Future  

Since its discovery in 1856, glyoxal has become an

important component in successful chemical applications.
As an essential ingredient for your ideas, glyoxal offers
numerous advantages:

Glyoxal links a wide range of polymers, e.g. starch, cellulose,

proteinaceous material, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohols.

Glyoxal is readily biodegradable by showing more than

90 % decrease of dissolved organic carbon according to
OECD guidelines 301 C-E and 303 A.

Glyoxal is listed as an accredited chemical substance in the

production of paper for food packaging by the Federal Institute
for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Germany, and by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S.

Glyoxal shows high potential in the substitution of aldehydes,

e.g. for formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde. Additionally in disinfection
it can be used as a co-biocide formulated together with
glutaraldehyde from BASF.

Due to its diverse properties

glyoxal is an all-rounder in
crosslinking polymers, e.g.
in the textile, wood and paper
industries. In addition,
glyoxal works as an effective
co-biocide in disinfection
and as a sulfur scavenger.

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The data contained in this publication is based on our current knowledge and
experience. In view of the many factors that may affect processing and application
of our product, the data does not relieve processors from carrying out their own
investigations and tests; neither does the data imply any guarantee of certain
properties, nor the suitability of the product for a specific purpose. Any descriptions,
drawings, photographs, data, proportions, weights etc. given herein may change
without prior information and do not constitute the agreed contractual quality of the
product. It is the responsibility of the recipient of our products to ensure that any
proprietary rights and existing laws and legislation are observed. The safety data
given in this publication is for information purposes only and does not constitute
a legally binding Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). The relevant MSDS can be
obtained upon request from your supplier or you may contact BASF directly at
product-safety.intermediates@basf.com. 2008 edition
 CZ 0813-08/08-1000
Glyoxal Solution System:

n Reliable Supply

n Application Expertise

n Logistics Services

n Sustainable Development

Contact Us

Europe Phone: +49 621 60 42786

Asia Phone: +852 27311 111
NAFTA Phone: +1 800 426 8696
South America Phone: +55 11 3043 2263
glyoxal@basf.com
www.glyoxal-solutions.com 
http://intermediates.basf.com