Robust Hydrogenation Catalyst Selection for Manufacturing of a Pharmaceutical Intermediate: A Kinetic Based Approach

Selectivity of heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation reactions often plays an important role in controlling critical quality attributes of pharmaceutical intermediates or API.  With the increasing pace of pharmaceutical process development and the greater focus on Quality by Design, there is a growing need to define reaction conditions within a shorter timeframe.  Selection of reaction class variables (e.g. catalyst, solvent, additive) can have a profound effect on continuous variable ranges (e.g. temperature, pressure, concentration) and the overall size of the manufacturing process design space.  This work will discuss hydrogenation case study where a kinetic based approach to catalyst selection has been applied in the initial phases of process development.