How does the cyclohexane supply glut in China affect deuterated cyclohexane availability?

How does the cyclohexane supply glut in China affect deuterated cyclohexane availability?
China's regular cyclohexane market is currently oversupplied, with inventories high and prices under pressure, as domestic production exceeds downstream demand from nylon, caprolactam, and adipic acid chains. This glut, however, does not translate into cheaper or more available cyclohexane-d12. The deuterated product is manufactured through entirely different routes, typically via catalytic exchange with heavy water or deuteration of benzene-d6, and is not tied to the benzene hydrogenation capacity that dominates the commodity market. Producers of regular cyclohexane, such as those in Shandong and Hebei, do not cross into deuterated production due to technology barriers and small lot sizes. Consequently, while commodity cyclohexane prices have fallen to multi-year lows, cyclohexane-d12 pricing remains firm, supported by steady research demand and the high cost of deuterium sources. Import dependence persists for top-grade material.