Effective January 1, 2001, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) will increase the price for the product ortho-toluenediamine (OTD) sold globally by 8 cents per pound.

This high purity product is used in a variety of applications, including the production of polyurethane polyols, corrosion inhibitors, specialty antioxidants and dye intermediates. New applications in coatings, pigments and pharmaceutical intermediates also have been developed recently.

This increase is necessary to offset higher costs from rising raw material and energy prices associated with the production of this product, as well as additional costs required to meet rising demand for the product in both existing and new end-use applications.