Corporate History And The Chemical Industries

Three essays--on the historiography of the chemical process industries, on business archives, and on oral history in the corporate setting--provide the context for extensive annotated bibliographies in the three areas

Fred Aftalion's international perspective of the history of chemistry integrates the story of chemical science with that of chemical industry. This new edition includes events from 1990 to 2000, when major companies began selling off their divisions, seeking to specialize in a particular business. Aftalion explores the pitfalls these companies encountered as well as the successes of "contrarians"--those companies that remained broad and diversified. He uses BASF, Dow, and Bayer as examples of true contrarians.

American Synthetic Organic Chemicals Industry: War and Politics, 1910-1930

There have been several attempts to write the history of Britain's chemical industry as a whole, and countless others concentrating on individual companies. Some have looked at the technical aspects of the industry, whilst others have addressed economic issues. Few have, however, attempted to analyse the effects of the chemical industry on society in general. The current environmental crisis can only be fully understood in the light of its history. This is the first such book to look critically at the whole development of industrial chemistry in the UK in the context of its effects on the environment. No one from industry, government or academia can afford to be unaware of the historical roots of our present dilemma. Industrial chemists can take heart from the realization that their predecessors were remarkably aware of the problems and often found satisfactory solutions. Industrial chemistry has traditionally been seen as the great 'polluter'. Without any attempts at 'whitewash' this book puts the record straight. From academic chemist to industrialist to politician, Chemistry, Society and Environment: A New History of the British Chemical Industry will be of relevance to all those concerned with the social and environmental impact of the chemical industry.

In the twentieth century, dyes, pharmaceuticals, photographic products, explosives, insecticides, fertilizers, synthetic rubber, fuels, and fibers, plastics, and other products have flowed out of the chemical industry and into the consumer economies, war machines, farms, and medical practices of industrial societies. The German chemical industry has been a major site for the development and application of the science-based technologies that gave rise to these products, and has had an important role as exemplar, stimulus, and competitor in the international chemical industry. This volume explores the German chemical industry's scientific and technological dimension, its international connections, and its development after 1945. The authors relate scientific and technological change in the industry to evolving German political and economic circumstances, including two world wars, the rise and fall of National Socialism, the post-war division of Germany, and the emergence of a global economy. This book will be of interest to historians of modern Germany, to historians of science and technology, and to business and economic historians.

This is the story of how Dow's bleach works developed into one of the largest most diversified chemical companies in the world. Each of several protagonists in the book has helped fashion the company through his own influence and determination. Chemist and founder Herbert Henry Down, his son Willard Dow, and others. Company executives, employees, and retirees were interviewed about the men, the events, and the decisions of which they had first-hand knowledge.

This is the remarkable story of an entrepreneurial firm that helped to create the petrochemical industry as we know it today. The author also highlights the important role chemical engineers played in developing and commercializing new technologies based on the conversion of hydrocarbons into petrochemicals, which also led to the transfer of technological dominance from Germany to the United States. These developments are illustrated by the participants’ personal histories, in the form of interviews and recorded oral histories. In addition, the book presents a highly relevant case study for engineers and managers in the chemical industry.