Solvay provides contested reference standard

Abstract

After months of delay, Solvay is offering researchers an analytical reference standard for C6O4, a fluorinated chemical patented by the firm and used in the manufacture of some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In 2019, Italian officials found C6O4 in the country’s Po River near factories that make, use, or process the compound. Researchers need the reference standard to identify and quantify the substance in water samples. But in January of this year, Solvay used patent infringement claims to demand that the standard maker Wellington Laboratories stop selling C6O4 , effectively halting the research because Wellington was the only commercial source. At the time, Solvay told C&EN that its concern was the validity of the standard and its potential release to the firm’s competitors. Solvay has now contracted with the analytical standard maker Ultra Scientific Italia to make the C6O4 standard. Solvay tells C&EN that Ultra will provide samples to