Naxcat® 326L

Nease Corporation has introduced Naxcat 326L, a breakthrough Toluenesulfonic Acid catalyst for water-based coatings applications.  In order to meet low solvent emissions criteria, many of today’s coatings are waterborne and comprised of low molecular weight resins and alkylated amino-formaldehyde crosslinkers.  These coatings often require acid catalysis to achieve optimal cure conditions and film properties.

Naxcat 326L is manufactured using a proprietary purification technique, which is not practiced elsewhere within the industry.  The product meets quality standards previously attainable only by using crystalline pTSA, while maintaining the ease of use and relative low cost of liquid mixed-isomer TSA solutions.

TSA catalysts are recommended for the following resin systems: melamine, epoxy, phenolic, urea-formaldehyde, and alkyd amino.  In particular, TSA is an excellent catalyst choice for accelerating the cure of highly alkylated (methylated or butylated) melamine-formaldehyde crosslinkers normally used in conjunction with acrylic, polyester, alkyd, or urethane resins.  It is also widely used to reduce the curing temperature of urea-based resins.

Types of coatings utilizing TSA or pTSA currently include wood and furniture coatings, industrial, coil, high-pressure lamination, low-pressure lamination, food and consumer goods packaging, clearcoats and varnishes, and UV-curable coatings and lacquers. Nease has been a leader in the production, development, and supply of sulfonic acid catalysts for the past 50 years.  In addition to their standard acid catalyst line, Nease also offers a series of blocked acid catalysts (latent catalysts), which typically are used in situations requiring greater than normal system stability, such as high- and low-pressure lamination.  Nease's line of acid catalysts and latent catalysts based on Naxcat 326L set a new industry standard for performance, purity, and cost-effectiveness.

In addition to coatings applications, Naxcat 326L is used to catalyze condensation polymerization reactions as well as esterification reactions including phthalates, citrates, maleates, and many others.  In both of these areas, using Naxcat 326L can lead to significantly increased performance and/or decreased cost when compared to other sulfonic acid catalysts.  Naxcat 326L can also be used as a substitute for pTSA Monohydrate in the production of certain stain blockers and dye fixers used in the Textile industry, as well as in the synthesis of tosylates for fine chemical and pharmaceutical applications.

Nease also provides a line of alkyl naphthalene sulfonates and naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensates that are used in emulsion polymerization.