Toluenesulfonic acid, also known as tosylic acid, is a nonoxidizing organic acid that’s soluble in water, alcohols, ethers, and other polar solvents. This solubility makes it a very useful acid for a wide range of products that we use in our daily lives, such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides. So, let’s talk about the industries these products come from to learn about the uses of toluenesulfonic acid.
Chemical Reagents
A more familiar acid is benzoic acid. Naturally found in plants and proven to be a useful food preservative, benzoic acid is an important precursor for the industrial synthesis of many other organic substances. This puts into perspective how useful toluenesulfonic acid is, since it’s a million times stronger than benzoic acid. This has made it a common ingredient for everyday products such as pesticides, dyes, and detergents.
Medicinal Intermediates
Tosylic acid is an intermediate for medicinal drugs, which is perhaps the most important use for toluenesulfonic acid manufacturers. Intermediates are the chemical compounds that form the building blocks of active pharmaceutical ingredients. These intermediates are used to create the bulk of pharmaceutical drugs, and they even aid in the research and development of medicines by pharma and biopharma companies.
Resin Curing Agents
Toluenesulfonic acids are used in curing agents for materials such as plastics. These resins have two parts, an A and a B side. The B side, known as the hardener, is the epoxy curing agent. This curing agent reacts with the A side. These reactions create hard, thermoset materials that are often used as coatings and components in finished goods such as adhesives or composites. For further clarification, a thermoset material is a liquid or soft prepolymer or resin that has been irreversibly hardened through curing induced by heat or suitable radiation, which is promoted by high pressure or mixing with a catalyst.
