2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) is an important fine chemical intermediate belonging to the halogenated carboxylic acid category, with the molecular formula C₃H₅BrO₂. It appears as a colorless to pale yellow transparent liquid with a characteristic pungent odor typical of carboxylic acids. Endowed with dual reactive groups of bromine atom and carboxyl group in its molecular structure, it exhibits excellent chemical properties such as nucleophilic substitution reaction and esterification reaction, thus playing an irreplaceable fundamental supporting role in pharmaceutical synthesis, advanced material R&D, and organic synthesis fields. Its production mainly relies on core routes such as the propionic acid bromination method, and the market demand is deeply linked to the innovation, upgrading of the pharmaceutical industry and the expansion of advanced material sectors. Based on the industrial attributes and application characteristics of this compound, this paper systematically analyzes its global market dynamics, focusing on core application scenarios, market competition pattern, regional development differences and future trends, so as to provide strategic reference for industry participants.
1. Core Application Fields, Characteristics and Synthetic Processes
The market demand for 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) is highly concentrated in four major fields: pharmaceutical synthesis, advanced material R&D and organic synthesis. Its high reactivity, structural modifiability and strong derivatization capability are the core advantages driving demand growth.
In terms of core characteristics: first, excellent reactivity—the bromine atom in the molecule can be easily substituted by groups such as amino, hydroxyl and cyano, and the carboxyl group can undergo reactions like esterification and 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1), serving as a key link for constructing complex organic molecules; second, great potential for chiral derivatization—its chiral isomers (especially S-2-bromopropionic acid) have special value in chiral drug synthesis, enabling precise control over the stereostructure of target products; third, adaptability to diverse synthesis scenarios—it can not only be used as a pharmaceutical intermediate for synthesizing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs, but also participate in the synthesis of monomers for functional polymer materials; fourth, stable physical and chemical properties—it is not easy to decompose under conventional storage conditions, suitable for large-scale industrial production and transportation needs.
The mainstream synthetic process is mainly the propionic acid bromination method: using propionic acid as the raw material, it undergoes substitution reaction with bromine under the action of catalysts (such as phosphorus-based catalysts) to generate 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1). The reaction temperature is controlled at 40–80℃, with a yield of over 85%. Some advanced processes have realized the control of by-product (such as 3-bromopropionic acid) content below 2% by optimizing the catalyst system and introducing distillation purification technology, effectively improving product purity. In addition, it can also be prepared by the lactic acid bromination method, which is suitable for niche scenarios requiring high-purity or chiral products. Compared with other routes, the propionic acid bromination method has the advantages of readily available raw materials, mature technology and controllable cost, making it the mainstream choice for industrial production at present.
2. Product Market Pattern and Regional Characteristics
The global market demand for 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) presents a regional differentiation feature of “Asia-Pacific leading production and basic consumption, Europe and America leading high-end applications, and emerging markets accelerating growth”. Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe together account for 93% of the global market scale, which is significantly influenced by technological R&D capabilities and demand for advanced materials.
Asia-Pacific is the world’s largest production hub and consumer market, with China, India and Japan forming the core region. As the world’s largest producer (accounting for over 78% of global annual output), China, relying on its advantageous comprehensive chemical industry chain, not only meets domestic pharmaceutical needs, but also exports a large quantity to emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Latin America. In domestic demand, the pharmaceutical synthesis field accounts for more than 55%. With the increase in R&D investment in innovative drugs, the market scale of pharmaceutical-grade 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) in China increased by 13% year-on-year in 2024, and the annual demand growth rate for industrial-grade 2-bromopropionic acid reached 11%–14%. Japan focuses on the production of high-purity and chiral products to meet the demand for high-end pharmaceutical synthesis in its domestic market.
Europe and America dominate the demand for high-end products, accounting for more than 82% of global consumption of pharmaceutical-grade (especially chiral-grade) and electronic-grade 2-bromopropionic acid. Driven by environmental regulations and pharmaceutical innovation in Europe, the demand for high-purity 2-bromopropionic acid in countries such as Germany and Switzerland is growing significantly faster than the industry average, with stringent requirements on product impurity content, chiral purity and environmental friendliness of the production process. The United States has prominent demand in the innovative drug field, being the core consumer market for chiral intermediates such as S-2-bromopropionic acid, and also a leading R&D region for related synthetic technologies.
In emerging markets, Latin America and Africa have become engines of basic demand growth thanks to the improvement of medical and healthcare standards and the development of agricultural modernization. Enterprises from China and India occupy a dominant position by virtue of cost advantages, with an annual demand growth rate maintained at 10%–12%.
3. Regulatory and Environmental Considerations
As a key intermediate widely used in sensitive fields such as pharmaceuticals, the production, trade and use of 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) are subject to strict supervision by major global economies. Compliance certification is the core threshold for entering mainstream markets, and there are significant differences in regulatory standards across different application fields.
In the EU market, when used as a pharmaceutical intermediate, it must comply with the relevant requirements of the EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for medicinal products and be incorporated into the medicinal excipient traceability system.
In the US market, pharmaceutical-grade products must comply with the relevant requirements of the FDA Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR), providing detailed purity test data, stability study reports and production process validation data to ensure environmental safety.
In the Asian market, China has incorporated it into the fine chemical product production management system, implementing safety production licensing and environmental compliance certification systems for manufacturing enterprises. Among them, pharmaceutical-grade products must meet the relevant quality standards for pharmaceutical intermediates, specifying the limits of heavy metals and harmful impurity residues. Japan regulates products for different application scenarios separately through the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practice, requiring the provision of full-chain raw material traceability and production process records. In addition, 2-bromopropionic acid is corrosive and irritating, and its international trade must comply with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code for compliant packaging and labeling.
In terms of the environment, the global trend of green chemical industry is driving the upgrading of production processes. The problem of brominated wastewater treatment in the traditional propionic acid bromination method has become a regulatory focus. The EU REACH Regulation has promoted enterprises to adopt closed-loop production processes and high-efficiency wastewater treatment technologies. Domestic enterprises have also generally introduced bromine recovery systems and acid wastewater neutralization treatment equipment, increasing the bromine recovery rate to over 92%, and reducing carbon emissions per unit product by 28% compared with the traditional industry level.
4. Future Outlook
The market prospect of 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) is deeply bound to the development of two major fields: pharmaceutical innovation and advanced material R&D. The global trends of “accelerated pharmaceutical innovation” and “advanced material iteration”, as well as the expansion of demand in emerging markets, will become the core growth drivers. It is expected that the global market scale will maintain a compound annual growth rate of 9%–12% in the next five years.
On the demand side, there are three clear growth drivers: first, the continuous upsurge in innovative drug R&D—the rich pipeline of anti-tumor and anti-infective innovative drugs worldwide drives the steady growth of demand for high-purity and chiral 2-bromopropionic acid; second, the expansion in the advanced material field—as a monomer raw material for functional polymer materials, 2-bromopropionic acid has gradually been applied in fields such as conductive materials and medical materials, opening up new demand space.
The main challenges facing the industry include: raw material price fluctuations (the price volatility of raw materials such as bromine and propionic acid reaches 30%–40%), increased compliance costs caused by differences in regulatory standards across regions, and high technical barriers in the synthesis of high-purity chiral products. To address the above challenges, enterprises need to focus on three major directions: at the technical level, optimize synthetic processes and chiral resolution technologies, improve product purity and yield, and expand high-end product lines such as chiral isomers; at the supply chain level, establish long-term strategic cooperation mechanisms for raw materials to hedge against the risk of price fluctuations; at the compliance level, build a global compliance service system to quickly respond to regulatory requirements in different regions.
Shanghai Xinchem Co., Ltd. is one of the important domestic suppliers of organic sulfur and fine chemical intermediates, always focusing on the innovative needs of the pharmaceutical, advanced material and industrial sectors. Relying on its core technological advantages in the synthesis and purification of halogenated carboxylic acid compounds, the company provides high-quality 2-bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) to customers worldwide. The product covers four series including industrial-grade, pharmaceutical-grade and chiral-grade, with the dual advantages of high purity and cost-effectiveness, fully meeting the stringent standards of industries such as pharmaceuticals and advanced materials, and is an ideal choice in the fine chemical field.
4.1 Technical Advantages
- Green Synthetic Process: Based on the halogenated carboxylic acid synthesis technology system, we have developed a highly selective catalytic bromination process, combined with multi-stage distillation purification technology, to achieve dual improvement in product quality and production efficiency. Using propionic acid and bromine as raw materials, and adopting independently developed high-efficiency composite catalysts, the reaction sites are precisely controlled, the by-product content is below 1.5%, and the raw material conversion rate is increased to over 96%.
- Full-chain Compliance Control: The production process strictly complies with China’s national standards and relevant requirements. According to the characteristics of 2-bromopropionic acid, a full-chain quality control system covering raw material traceability, in-process testing and finished product release has been established.
4.2 Product Advantages
- High Purity and Multi-specification Adaptability: The product covers multiple specifications including 98.5% purity (industrial-grade), 99.5% purity (pharmaceutical-grade) and 99.5%+ purity (chiral-grade), which can be accurately matched to application scenarios according to customer needs. Among them, pharmaceutical-grade and chiral-grade products have passed a number of international certifications, ensuring reaction selectivity and product purity, and avoiding interference of impurities on subsequent synthesis processes.
- Diversified Packaging and Storage & Transportation: Flexible packaging solutions are provided, including 200KG corrosion-resistant plastic drums for industrial-grade products (for large-scale applications), 25KG sealed plastic drums (for pilot and batch production), and 1KG/5KG fluorinated bottles (for laboratory R&D and small-batch formulation). An exclusive cool and ventilated storage and transportation system has been established, with storage temperature strictly controlled at 0–30℃, and professional leakage prevention and emergency treatment devices are equipped to ensure the safety of transportation and storage.
- Reliable Supply Chain Guarantee: Relying on its own modern synthetic production base, the annual production capacity of 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) reaches 300 tons, which can meet the demand for large-scale and stable supply from global customers. A strategic reserve mechanism for core raw materials such as bromine and propionic acid has been established to effectively hedge against the risk of raw material price fluctuations and ensure on-time delivery of orders.
4.3 Application Fields
With its unique chemical reactivity, structural modifiability and derivatization capability, 2-Bromopropionic acid (CAS: 598-72-1) demonstrates extensive application value in multiple fields. The products of Shanghai Xinchem Co., Ltd. mainly cover the following scenarios:
- Pharmaceutical Synthesis Field: As a core intermediate, it is used in the synthesis of various drugs such as antibacterial drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-tumor drugs. Especially in chiral drug synthesis, chiral-grade products can accurately construct the stereostructure of drug molecules, improving drug efficacy and safety.
- Advanced Material R&D Field: As a functional monomer, it participates in the synthesis of conductive polymer materials, medical biodegradable materials, etc. Its unique structural characteristics can improve the mechanical properties and functional stability of materials.
- Organic Synthesis Field: As a general organic synthesis intermediate, it is used in the preparation of compounds such as propionate esters and propionamides, and is widely applied in the R&D and production of fine chemical products.
4.4.Service Support
• Customized technical solutions: A team of senior organosulfur chemistry and application engineers provides full-process technical support. For different application scenarios, professional advice is offered on product selection, optimization of usage ratios, and setting of reaction process parameters to solve technical problems in product application and develop customized solutions (such as specific purity and compound formulations).
• Comprehensive qualification certification: Complete product analysis reports (COA), Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), dangerous goods transportation identification certificates, and relevant international certification documents are provided to ensure the product complies with domestic and foreign industry regulatory requirements and meets import and export compliance needs. – Rapid response service: Fast delivery commitment; a professional customer service team responds to customer inquiries 24/7 to promptly address various issues during the order and usage process.
4.5 Reasons to Choose Shanghai XinChem Chemical
• Professionalism: With 20 years of experience in the chemical industry, particularly leading technology in the synthesis and purification of organosulfur compounds, and multiple core process patents.
• Flexibility: Customized purity specifications, packaging solutions, and compound formulations can be provided according to customer needs, adapting to full-process requirements from small-scale trials to mass production.
• Cost-effectiveness: Relying on large-scale production and optimized processes, it achieves the perfect combination of high-quality products and competitive prices, helping customers reduce costs.
• Compliance guarantee: A global compliance system is established, with products passing multiple national certifications to ensure customers can smoothly enter target markets.
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Post time: Jan-16-2026