Chiral and specialty building blocks: Feedstocks
How wine lees and sugar supply nature's chiral building blocks
How wine lees and sugar supply nature's chiral building blocks What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Chiral building blocks start from ordinary petrochemicals, fermentation products or plant extracts, but their cost is mostly process: steps, solvents, catalysts, enzymes, yield and quality control. Who wins depends on chemistry skill and regulatory track record more than raw materials.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil Crude oil | not published; solvents often 50-200 kg per kg product in pharma processes (indicative, ACS GCI PMI benchmarks) | carbon skeletons and solvents | moderate (indicative) | indicative |
| Mz Maize | not published | chiral pool | low to moderate (indicative) | indicative |
| Gp Grapes & wine | resolving agent mostly recycled | resolving agent | small | indicative |
| Rh Rhodium | grams per tonne in product after recovery (indicative) | asymmetric hydrogenation catalysts | can be large for rhodium routes (indicative) | indicative |
| Hydrogen and enzymes | varies | hydrogenation; biocatalysis | varies | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Chinese makers are cheapest on established blocks thanks to scale and integrated intermediate supply. Indian makers compete on resolution chemistry, regulatory record and Western buyers' wish to diversify. European and US makers keep high-value catalytic and enzymatic steps.
What it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| API Small-molecule APIs | about 71% of chiral chemicals demand |
| KSM Pharma starting materials and intermediates | chiral blocks are often KSMs |
| CDMO Custom synthesis (CDMO) | much chiral chemistry is done under contract |
| Gly Herbicides | S-metolachlor and L-glufosinate |
| F&F Flavours and fragrances | L-menthol |