19.04.2012

Albemarle Profits Up

Chemical maker Albemarle's first quarter earnings rose, and beat Wall Street's expectations, on strong sales of catalysts used by petroleum refiners. Sales of specialty materials have become a niche industry for Albemarle and its peers, with customers increasingly willing to pay more for them. more02.02.2012

W.R. Grace Beats Street, Shares Jump

W.R. Grace posted a higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday as the chemicals maker raised prices on catalysts and construction products, helping lift its stock to an all-time high. The results came after Grace said on Tuesday night its reorganization plan had been approved by a district court, clearing a major hurdle for it to emerge from decade-long bankruptcy protection. more22.06.2011

W.R. Grace Looks To Make Large 'Strategic' Buy

Chemicals maker W.R. Grace & Co, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, wants to make an acquisition that would "significantly" bolster its business. The company's board started investigating a "highly confidential potential strategic transaction" last month, according to a filing with U.S. bankruptcy court. Grace is now asking the court to seal any disclosure of the seller. The company needs the court's permission to do anything outside normal business operations, including acquisitions. more18.05.2011

Clariant Offer For Remaining Süd Chemie Shares

Swiss speciality chemicals maker Clariant said on Tuesday it had made a mandatory public offer for the 3.85% of Süd-Chemie shares it does not own. Clariant, which beat rivals to buy German group Süd-Chemie for €1.4 billion ($2 billion) in February, will offer €126.38 per share. more07.04.2011

Clariant Launches Rights Issue To Fund Süd-Chemie

Swiss specialty chemicals maker Clariant has launched a rights issue to help fund its €1.4 billion ($2 billion) acquisition of German group Süd-Chemie. Up to 23 million new shares will be offered to existing shareholders at a ratio of 1 new share for every 10 already held, Clariant said, with any stock not taken up to be sold in a public offering and private placement to new investors. Analysts said the number of shares being issued was slightly lower than expected, meaning the share dilution would be less than anticipated. more16.02.2011

Clariant Buys Sued-Chemie

Clariant has agreed with the major shareholders of Süd-Chemie, Munich, Germany to take over a total of more than 95% of the shares. more06.10.2010

Anticipating Needs

Like most companies during the worldwide recession, Air Products saw its business slump. Its Performance Materials unit, which provides products to many industries such as personal care, construction, electronics, and paints and coatings, used the downturn to investigate new ways to deliver high performance products with a lower cost base. more29.09.2010

The Cornerstone of Chemistry

Essential - At the heart of most chemical reactions is a catalyst, and given their complex nature, it's not always an easy task to find the right one. As a global supplier for catalytic system solutions, Evonik has been working to establish itself as a leader in the field, most recently through building a new plant in China and acquiring assets in Germany and India. Brandi Schuster and Dr. Michael Reubold spoke to Dr. more03.08.2010

BASF Enhances its North American Manufacturing Operations for Copper-chrome Catalysts

BASF has initiated a number of capital investment projects to enhance the company's manufacturing operations for copper-chrome catalysts at its production sites in Erie, Pa., and Elyria, Ohio. These multi-million dollar investments are aimed at reengineering, retrofitting and further automating the catalysts manufacturing environment at both sites. The operational improvement projects will be completed in phases through the early part of 2011. more25.05.2010

New Water-Splitting Catalyst Found

Expanding on work published two years ago, MIT's Daniel Nocera and his associates have found yet another formulation, based on inexpensive and widely available materials, that can efficiently catalyze the splitting of water molecules using electricity. more