BASF expands Intermediates’ New Business Development unit in North America
Life sciences, industrial customers to benefit from enhanced resources

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., November 10, 2004 -- BASF has expanded the new business development unit of its Intermediates business in North America by appointing Dr. Frank Stein as Business Director, and Dr. Calvin Emanuel as Business Manager, Industrial Applications. They join Dr. John Banger, who manages the Life Sciences applications area.

“Expansion of our capabilities in North America reflects the ‘value before volume’ strategy of our Intermediates business globally,” said Stein, Business Director for the New Business Development unit of BASF’s Intermediates business in North America. “With more people and expertise, we are better able to provide life sciences and industrial customers with tailor-made intermediate chemicals, including optically active chiral chemicals and ionic liquids, that enable them to synthesize new or improved active ingredients, produce new pharmaceutical and industrial products, and improve production efficiency by eliminating solids handling problems.”

Stein joined BASF in 1994 as Laboratory Leader in the company’s Ammonia lab in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and has held various management positions in research, production and marketing. From 2002 until recently, he served as the head of BASF’s New Business Development for Life Sciences unit for its global Intermediates business located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Stein earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Goettingen in Germany.

Emanuel joined BASF in 2000, in the company’s professional development program, working in process development positions in BASF’s Fiber Intermediates business. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.

The New Business Development unit of BASF’s Intermediates Business provides customers with access to extensive technical support for the development of “specially designed" chemicals, including synthesis, pilot work, full-scale commercial production and toxicology. The expertise of more than 30 BASF professionals in research and development, production, marketing and other disciplines in Ludwigshafen, Germany, are part of the Intermediates’ New Business Development team that customers can utilize for their development work.

Through this team, customers gain access to BASF’s broad range of products, which include custom-designed optically active chiral amines, alcohols, epoxides and acids, such as BASF’s ChiProsâ, non-chiral specialty intermediates, including specialty amines, a variety of phosgene derivatives, hydrogen cyanide chemistry, heterocycle synthesis and ionic liquid technology.

BASF’s BASIL™ (Biphasic Acid Scavenging utilizing Ionic Liquids) ”smart” process technology economically solves, on a commercial scale, a number of chemical processing problems associated with acid scavenging during some chemical reactions. The company’s expertise in imidazole chemistry and its extensive knowledge of chemicals, enables BASF to support customers’ use of ionic liquids for pilot through commercial scale applications.

Ionic liquids are salts that melt at temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius, have no vapor pressure and have high physical, thermal and chemical stability. Targeted cation and anion engineering of these salts can be used to develop customized reaction media. Imidazolium salts offer very special benefits in terms of stability and performance.

To discuss specific needs and challenges, customers in North America can contact: Dr. Frank Stein for all applications at (973)-245-6526, or by e-mail at steinf@basf.com; Dr. John Banger for Life Science applications at (973)-245-6539, or by e-mail at bangerj@basf.com; and Dr. Calvin Emanuel for Industrial Applications at (973)-245-6541, or by e-mail at emanuec@basf.com.

BASF – The Chemical Company. We don’t make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 11,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $9 billion in 2003. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. BASF’s portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003, BASF had sales of approximately $42 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

For more information, contact:
Bill Pagano
BASF
Tel: (973) 245-6071
E-mail: paganow@basf.com