Market Synopsis

Thionyl chloride (SOCl2) contains sulfur, oxygen, and chlorine. This colorless to yellowish liquid with a strong smell is a versatile reagent employed in organic synthesis and chemical processes. Thionyl chloride is a potent oxidizer and chlorinator. It dissolves in benzene, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride but aggressively interacts with water to release hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide. In certain chemical processes, its water reactivity makes it a powerful drying agent.

Thionyl Chloride Market is employed in organic synthesis as a chlorinating agent, especially to convert carboxylic acids to acid chlorides, which are significant intermediates in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and fine chemical synthesis. Under moderate circumstances, thionyl chloride reacts with a carboxylic acid to produce acid chloride, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen chloride.

Thionyl chloride is also used to dehydrate alcohols into alkyl chlorides. This reaction produces an alkyl chloride and sulfur dioxide by replacing the alcohol's hydroxyl (-OH) group with a chlorine atom (-Cl). Its effectiveness and gentle reaction conditions make thionyl chloride dehydration of alcohols popular.

List Of Thionyl Chloride Companies:

• Lanxess AG
• Transpek Industries Ltd.
• CABB Group
• Sigma Aldrich Co. LLC
• Shandong Kaisheng New Materials Co. Ltd.
• Angene International Limited
• Aurora Fine Chemicals LLC
• Jiangxi Selon Industrial Co. Ltd.
• Merck KGaA
• Hangzhou Trylead Chemical Technology
• Bodal Chemicals Limited

Market USP Covered:

Market Drivers:

Thionyl chloride has gained more preference than any other reagent in recent years, and this would stimulate market growth.

Its primary use is as a chlorinating agent in preparing carboxylic acid chlorides from carboxylic acids. It is also used for the conversion of alcohols to alkyl chlorides, chlorination of acid anhydride, and chlorine displacement of organic sulfonic acid/carboxylic acid, among others.

Thionyl chloride has numerous advantages in comparison to other reagents like phosphorous pentachloride. It can be used as a flexible reagent whereby by-products of thionyl chloride are mostly gaseous; hence, there is a tendency towards purification process benefits with regards to products that may act as reagents. However, it only decomposes into hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide.

Sales in the United States are projected to command a significant portion of total thionyl chloride sales value throughout North America. The US has been a main hub for industries such as petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc.

The thionyl chloride market will see substantial growth in emerging countries, spurred by its demand in the chemical, petrochemical and agrochemical industries. On the other hand, the US will be a highly lucrative market. Besides having technological superiority over other regions, it is also a good destination for manufacturers, and therefore, the thionyl chloride market will keep growing. Furthermore, an increase in battery sales within the USA is expected to further fuel market expansion.

Market Restraints: 

Thionyl chloride faces competition from alternative reagents in some applications, which offer similar or even better performance at lower safety and environmental risks. Regulatory compliance costs can lead manufacturers and end-users to look for alternatives to thionyl chloride, so that they can reduce the risk posed by hazardous chemicals.

Market Segmentation

Grade-based segmentation of the Thionyl chloride market includes Technical Grade and pharmaceutical Grade.

The thionyl chloride market is segmented by application, including Agrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Dyes and pigments, Organic Synthesis, and Batteries.

The thionyl chloride market is segmented based on the production process, and the routes involved are Sulfur trioxide, Sulfur dioxide, and Others.

Regional Insights

Several factors will promote the expansion of the Asia-Pacific thionyl chloride market. The Asia-Pacific chemical industry is one of the biggest and fastest-growing internationally due to rising demand in building, automotive, textiles, and consumer products. Thionyl chloride helps synthesize many chemical products. Hence, its demand is directly tied to the chemical industry's success.