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Biotechnology firm Cytokinetics Inc. turned to Irix Pharmaceuticals Inc. to help the company obtain anticancer agent ispinesib for its clinical trial. Irix's medicinal chemistry process assisted Cytokinetics with the synthesis of the active pharmaceutical agent for the study, trimming the chemical steps from 11 to 6.

The raw material sector that supplies to laundry detergent makers has come up with more environment-friendly and efficient ingredients, contributing to the launch of new formulas. Henkel's Purex Complete 3-in1 detergent sheet, Clorox's Green Works and Tide Stain Release are among the new laundry detergents in the market. Sustainable raw material developments are discussed.

The chemical industry is expected to see improvements in free cash flow and credit quality in 2010, but related construction is expected to continue to struggle. Chemical industry forecasts on the inorganics, fine chemicals and specialty chemicals market, crop protection, pharmaceuticals, and laboratory instrumentation are discussed.

The shutdown of various chemical plants has left the United States without production of raw materials necessary to several manufacturing companies. The closures has also affected customers who are already straining under the recession and the growing global competition. Factors that caused the closure of the plants are also given.

Polypropylene is not getting recycled as much as other plastics in the United States. But polypropylene is now being used in packaging nonbottled consumer products. Low returns from plastic collection is seen as a reason for the development.

Major cleaning product companies are following niche marketers in the green market with the introduction of products that respond to consumer demand for greener cleaners. These companies include Clorox, Henkel, and Colgate-Palmolive. Visibly absent is Procter & Gamble who is careful not to make sustainability claims that are not backed by science.

Many chemists are moving into contract research organizations (CRO) after they've lost their jobs at big drug companies that have shut down their research facilities and had lain off employees to keep their growth and profits. The experiences of some chemists who have started new careers in CROs and their opinions on their new careers are discussed.

The differences of opinion that exist between chemical companies and environmentalists on the issue of sustainability of resources are discussed.

Suppliers and manufacturers of semiconductor materials participated in the Semicon West and Intersolar North America trade shows held in San Francisco to persuade companies selling chemicals and gases to semiconductors industries to examine options of supplying the photovoltaic industry.

Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has acquired specialty chemical company Evonik Industries following a multibillion dollar purchase. Evonik Industries is an amalgamation of companies that was formed to help the RAG Foundation shut down Germany's coal-mining business.

The strategy adopted by companies to deal in homecare products for marketing cleaning agents and detergents that are environment friendly is discussed.

Safety and security concerns as well as new technology in the U.S. has made the industrial-strength bleach as an alternative to chlorine for water treatment plants.

Computer chip makers use mixture of acids, solvents, chelating agents, surfactants and corrosion inhibitors to remove debris and slurries generated during manufacture of chips. Chemical companies are now working on upgrading cleaners or cleaning mixtures for next-generation computer chips.

The semiconductor maker Texas Instruments has developed a new manufacture process to build the next generation of logic-type processors, chips containing extremely small circuit lines. Despite being extremely simple and fast to fabricate, these chips are not being generated by all the electronic chemicals industry, as the initial investments required are very high.

The cleaning products industry, the one, which manufactures washing detergents, is looking for environmental friendly products after urgings from the super store titan Wal-Mart, the public and legislators. Procter and Gambles' new detergent Tide Coldwater is aimed at environmental conscious users and states that Tide can help save the energy costs.

The carpet recycling industry in the US is on the verge of recovery after a dull and unprofitable decade since 1996. Participants in the recycling business attribute the turnaround to a combination of principle and pragmatism which saw carpet recycling in 2005 up 100% over the year before with double growth projected for 2007.

The number of employees in Dupont dropped from 105,000 in 1995 to 60,000 in 2005, as many of them joined new firms after Dupont sold out its large businesses. A new group of companies, mostly involved in life sciences, is growing up in the Wilmington region under the leadership of people who left Dupont, and such firms are providing opportunities for ex-Duponters in an entrepreneurial environment.

The new Japanese Pharmaceutical regulations allowed the drug companies to turn over their pharmaceutical chemical manufacturing to outsiders, enabling to create better business for Japanese and foreign contract manufacturers alike, but after certain years, it wasn't proving good. It was observed that restructuring is creating separate manufacturing subsidiaries that are starting to compete with traditional pharmaceutical chemical suppliers and with little to no sales were found in Japan.

The launch of Tide in 2004 by Procter & Gamble with a Touch of Downy laundry detergent spurred the laboratories of specialty chemical companies to develop ingredients that could be used in the two-in-one brands, in which the polymers and enzymes are used to create a cleaning chassis compatible with the softener system. Selling an innovative product that consumers fall for is often the only way marketers can achieve good growth and decent profits.

Massachusetts based ArQule plans to exit the contract chemistry service business in order to focus on developing its oncology portfolio. ArQule decision stems from the fact that chemistry services have become fiercely competitive due to the onslaught of companies based in India, Russia and China where salaries for the chemists are much lower than the U.S.

Many firms are looking ways to enhance premium products and to adapt their cleaning chemistries to less expensive products that are sold in the developing world. Clorox Co.'s Clorox with Teflon Surface Protector line of home care products and Procter & Gamble's Mr. CleanAutoDry Carwash are some of the examples that shows that the customers needs range from high-end surface modification chemistry to affordable ingredients that are provided by these companies for the emerging markets.

An increase in the number of companies in the chip-smoothing chemical market involving the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries is highlighted. CMP is a technique used by chipmakers to smooth or polish the successive layers of circuitry that they deposit on silicon wafers while fabricating a chip.

The Semiconductor Industry Association issued a midyear forecast that calls for 28.6% growth in semiconductor sales in the year 2004 to $214 billion worldwide. The vice President of Clariant's AZ Electronic Materials unit, Friedrich Herold stated that the firm enjoys annual growth of more than 20% due to strong sales of photoresists and ancillary materials.

Entrepreneurial companies with therapeutic ideas are developing new drugs and many of them are outsourcing scale-up and production of these compounds. Case studies of the relationship between a drug company and pharmaceutical chemical supplier are presented.

Henkel the German consumer products giant introduced new product forms. Henkel is trying to improve their product quality without changing the ingredients. P&G feels collaboration and innovation can play an important role in this industry.

This article provides an overview of the difficulties that chemical companies are facing in their efforts to provide new chemicals for the semiconductor industry, and stay profitable all while the semiconductor industry is cutting costs.

This article provides an overview of changes within the pharmaceutical industry. Due to excess capacity and declining profits from new drugs, some large drug companies are making drugs for smaller companies. However, these large companies are competing with smaller companies that already offer these services.

The author examines the growing collaboration between chemical supplies and manufacturers to work together on product development. Topics include an examination of successful collaborations, use of new precarbonates, and the development of new catalytic oxidation technology.

This article provides an overview of outsourcing services within the pharmaceutical industry. Merck KGaA, Aventis, Pharmacia, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott Laboratories, and Schering AG are among a number of drug companies that still produce their own drugs. These companies are also offering their production services to othe drug companies. In contrast, many drug companies have assigned production to third-party companies.

Morton Grove, Ill.-based Regis Technologies Inc. has expanded its operations to take advantage of the rapid growth in the generic drugs market. Generic drug companies manufacture imitations of patented drugs based on the active pharmeceutical ingredients used in the origical medications.

Innovation is not without risks, as is documented by the fact that many new products fail to live up to marketing hype, product specifications, or financial expectations. Yet, new products drive this industry. Presently, Tide is the leading U.S. detergent.

Midland, Mich.-based Dow Chemical Co., which recently acquired Union Carbide for $7.4 billion, is led by president and chief executive officer Michael D. Parker. Dow, which was founded in 1897, has become one of the largest and most diverse chemical companies in the world.

Leading fine chemical manufacturers are using enzymes, catalysts and refined processes to increase supply of chemical ingredients for pharmceuticals companies. This articles is a continuation of the cover story on biocatalysis.

The article discusses the trend of the linking of early-phase and commercial-scale pharmaceutical chemical outsourcing that is on the increase. Several prominent pharmaceutical chemical firms are currently assembling such services.

The article discusses the surfactant industry, which experienced a tough 2000 due to getting squeezed between rising feedstock prices and customers in turmoil. The restructuring following these troubles could lead to new, leading players in the surfactant market and eventually a stronger industry.

The article discusses the detergent additive market and how Procter and Gamble (P&G) is reinforcing its role as an industry leader through its innovation in fabric care and new products. P&G's Tide Rapid Action Tablets were successful last year.

Companies are still researching how to develop computer chips using copper, after IBM announced in 1997 that it would explore copper usage.

Biopharmaceutical contract manufacturers are planning to expand their industrial capacity and install new equipment to boost product quality. Additional information on expansion and modernization of pharmaceutical factories is also included.

European antibiotics companies close plants and layoff workers in order to compensate for the continuing drop in prices.

Discusses the intention of Claudio Sonder, chairman and CEO of Celanese A.G. (Frankfurt, Germany), to to transform the former Hoechst unit. The article also includes a brief biography of Sonder.

Chemical companies that supply semiconductor makers with raw materials are feeling the pinch caused by the efforts of the semiconductor industry to cut production costs.

American inorganic chemical producers are feeling the pinch of competition from such Chilean producers as Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM). FMC Corp. has closed its lithium chemicals plant in Argentina in response to Chilean competition. Olin Corp. closed its synthetic sodium nitrate plant in the late 1980s as a result of Chilean competition, and the list goes on.

Specialty chemical company Rohm and Haas has completed two acquisitions. The traditionally conservative firm purchased LeaRonal Inc. and Morton International Inc. just six months after the new CEO and president were appointed. The company is expected to hold on to Morton's salt holdings, as the company is the largest producer in North America. Sales for Rohm and Haas are predicted to rise from $3.7 billion in 1998 to $6.5 billion in 1999 as a rsult of the acquisitions.

The commodity plastics industry is currently on a slump and may have to wait a little more time to recover. Polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene prices have continued to fall since January 1998 due to low demand. Industry observers, however, believe the lingering economic crisis in Asia and the ongoing consolidation among North American commodity plastics manufacturers provide a brighter outlook.

The ongoing pipeline contruction projects on the US Gulf Coast in Geismar, LA, and Baytown, TX, will move chlorine from chlor-alkali plants to isocyanate facilities, and then transfer by-product anhydrous hydrochloric acid from the isocyanate plants to plants that produce ethylene dichloride. Upon completion by the year 2000, the pipeline links are anticipated to aid in easing frequently unstable price and supply changes for HCl and reduce freight traffic in the Gulf region.

A number of chemical companies are going into different business agreements such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and spin-offs. Statistics show that agreements for the first half of 1998 overpassed that of the first half of 1997. Chemical firms opt to go into such transactions for reasons such as sector consolidation, global market outreach, product expansion and additional technology. Transactions that have been announced in 1998 include the EVC and Norsk Hydro merger, the acquisition of Hoechst's Trevira polyester branch by Koch Industries and the joint venture between Occidental Chemical and Equistar.

Contract manufacturers foresee enormous growth from the outsourcing of biotech drugs. Professional services firm Ernst & Young has even predicted that the worldwide sales of biotech pharmaceutical products will amount to $13 bil in 1998. Contract manufacturers, however, are losing to a handful of big biotech firms that generally make their own ingredients.

Breakthroughs in technology and pressure from investors are driving industrial chemicals makers established in organic chemistry to test production employing fermentation or enzyme catalysts. Roche reports it will establish a $75 mil fermentation plant in Grenzach, Germany, with B-2 production capacity equivalent to 3,000 metric tons annually. Lonza of Switzerland is integrating enzyme-based catalysis in the manufacture of niacinamide.

Leading producers of nutritional animal feed additives are adopting different strategies in their desire to handle the challenges of customer consolidation, globalization, and the industrialization of animal husbandry. Some producers expand their product range while some competitors prefer to specialize. For instance, BASF's acquisition of the lysine business indicates the company's entry into the amino acid sector of the feed-additive market. However, despite differing strategies, all producers are aware of the increasing global demand.

Cabot Microelectronics and Dow dominate the chemical mechanical planarization consumables market. This process is increasingly being used in the semiconductor industry and chemical companies need to create new materials as the process is used in new applications.