• Cellulose & Pharmaceutical Excipients Dept.
  METOLOSE, hi-METOLOSE, USCA CLEAN, NATM CLEAN, TC-5, HPMCP (HP), L-HPC, Shin-Etsu AQOAT
• Fine Chemicals Dept.
  Aroma chemicals, Synthetic pheromones

Cellulose & Pharmaceutical Excipients Dept.
*Phone +81-3-3246-5261 FAX +81-3-3246-5372
Fine Chemicals Dept.
*Phone +81-3-3246-5280 FAX +81-3-3246-5371

Cellulose is the main element of natural fiber that has been recognized as vital to human health. It is a carbohydrate, similar to starch, but does not dissolve in water. Its insoluble nature occurs because hydroxide groups in the molecules bond together by hydrogen-bonding and act as a barrier to water. Shin-Etsu Chemical manufactured water-soluble cellulose derivatives by substituting part of the hydroxide groups with specific substituent groups. Our researchers were then successful in producing derivatives with varied characteristics by altering the amounts of the substituent groups. changing the structure of one type of molecule.

Cellulose derivatives are tasteless and odorless white powders. When dissolved in water, they become sticky, because of their elongated molecular structure. They also resist salting out, are surface active, gel under heat, retain shape, retain water, possess lubricant characteristics and form membrane structures.

• Construction
• Water- retaining agent and workability reform agent for mortar, cement extrusion panel binder, paint thickener, agent for underwater concrete
• Agriculture
• Dispersing agent for wettable powders, and thickener for flowable suspension
• Chemicals
• Thermal paper, electrode-board binder for nickel cadmium batteries, fine-ceramics binder
• Pharmaceuticals
• Binder for tablets and granules for pills and tablets, gastric-soluble coating material, enteric coating material, disintegrant, base for sustained release preparations
• Cosmetics
• Thickener for shampoo, hair rinse, body soap and hand soap

Cellulose derivatives played a major role in construction of a bridge linking the floating Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay to the mainland. Construction of underwater bridge foundations has long been a problem because of the effects of water on construction materials. Ordinary concrete, for example, tends to segregate under water causing not only a weakening of strength but also water pollution. Enter cellulose derivatives. When these products are mixed with cement, the viscosity of concrete is increased and its resistance to segregation under water is enhanced. It does not breakdown even after long exposure to water. The bridge foundations remain strong and do not pollute. Besides bridges, cellulose derivative concrete is useful for a variety of waterfront development.

When you add water to carbide, you create acetylene, the fuel of the venerable acetylene lamps. Shin-Etsu Chemical uses acetylene made from carbide as the basic material for more than 20 aroma chemicals such as leaf alcohol (cis-3-hexene-1-ol) and alpha-irone. To produce aroma chemicals, we first take a look at nature. By analyzing natural perfumes, we can work out the chemical structure of its components. Using this structure as a base, we can then duplicate it artificially or synthesize a slightly different compound that has a similar odor. Uses of these products include perfumes, colognes, cosmetics and food flavoring.

Insects secrete a sort of chemical secret code called a pheromone. These chemicals alert individuals of the same species without alerting predators to their location. A female moth for example can seek a mate while sitting safely on a leaf. These chemical codes developed by nature as a safeguard can now be used to target specific pests and reduce their populations. Wide dispersion of pheromones disrupts the mating cycle of the pest by adding chemical static to their communication systems. Synthesizing pheromones and producing them at low-cost has been a difficult task. Shin-Etsu finally achieved economical mass-production by using acetylene as the base material. We now mass-produce a wide variety of pheromone products.

• To produce cosmetics and food flavoring, various aroma chemicals are combined. More than 20 synthetic perfumes of Shin-Etsu Chemical are the key ingredients to a great many end products. Leaf alcohol, for example, can give air freshener its evergreen scent, or put the herbal essence in bath oils.
• Pheromones: Each pheromone is unique to a specific species, therefore, only the targeted insect is affected. Use of these chemicals make organically grown food practical on a grand scale. Helpful insects are not hurt and there is no danger of harmful chemicals entering the human food chain.

The bluegrass webworm and the lawngrass cutworm have been as much a bane to golfers as sand traps or a dogleg on the ninth hole. Insecticide has been widely used in Japan to fight these invaders. To prevent environmental damage from overuse of insecticides and at the same time let golfers have their greens, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Chiba prefectural government and Shin-Etsu Chemical joined together to develop pheromones targeting these two pests. The project has been a success on all fronts. The insect problem is under control and the danger of insecticide pollution has been eliminated. The pheromones eventually enter the soil where they easily decompose into harmless carbon dioxide and water. Pheromone products have even been recommended for use on organic farms in California for controlling other pests in orchards . Environmently friendly, these products represent the future of pest control.