December 20, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES: 9

CAPITAL SPENDING: 11

Group of 17 major chemical producers plan aggregate 5 increase for 2000, but aggressive DuPont skews that figure.

SNPE IN THE U.S.: 13

French firm takes steps to be a major player in U.S. fine chemicals.

RESINS FOR DVDs: 14

New discs may require properties beyond those of workhorse polycarbonate.

ENTREPRENEURS: 16

Paralec's founder built a better electronic circuit board.

December 13, 1999

COVER STORY: WORLD CHEMICAL OUTLOOK: 13

U.S. industry begins to recover, and Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific continue to grow.

December 6, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES: 15

CELANESE: 20

Hoechst spin-off defines its core: the acetyl chemicals chain.

CHEM SHOW: 23

Biennial exposition showcases latest products for chemical engineers.

November 29, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES: 13

COVER STORY: CK WITCO: 15

Vincent Calarco faces major challenges as he melds two specialties firms into one.

EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT: 18

Central and Eastern European nations have made progress in reducing pollution, but problems remain.

E-COMMERCE: 19

Internet-based suppliers of chemicals continue to expand their services.

November 22,1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:17

COVER STORY: ELECTRONIC CHEMICALS: 21

As semiconductor producers squeeze their costs, they also cut chemical suppliers' sales.

PHARMACEUTICAL EXCIPIENTS: 35

"Cinderellas" of the drug industry get new focus.

FIBER INTERMEDIATES: 42

Spanish oil company Cepsa will build a purified terephthalic acid plant in Canada.

November 15, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:13

CHEMICAL EARNINGS: 16

Results in the third quarter are down again for many firms.

DRUG FIRM EARNINGS: 21

Double-digit growth continues; merger and acquisition activities heat up.

November 8, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:9

SIX SIGMA: 11

DuPont, Dow lead chemical industry in adopting business improvement method to cut costs, increase sales.

Y2K PRECAUTIONS: 13

Major chemical producers plan to shut down some plants, idle others.

FOBCHEMICALS.COM: 15

Internet-based chemical provider negotiates low prices by combining customers' orders.

November 1, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:10

COVER STORY: AG BIOTECH: 11

Perceptions by customers all along the agricultural and food chain could hurt ag biotech businesses.

CDMA INAUGURAL MEETING: 20

Association unites chemical industry market research and business development professionals.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 21

With a decrease in smuggling comes an increase in profits for China's chemical industry.

October 25, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

PFIZER AT 150: 17

Savvy business approach, successful product pipeline place the firm third among drug companies.

SIZED FOR SUCCESS: 20

European market researchers caution that bigger may not be better for specialty chemical firms.

ROBIN ABRAMS: 23

C&EN talks with the new chief operating officer of Chemdex.

NIACINAMIDE: 24

Lonza inaugurates fine chemicals facility in China.

October 18, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES: 19

PAINTS & COATINGS: 22

Material suppliers and formulators try to maintain product performance while meeting increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: 33

Industry execs ponder the financial, environmental, and social performance of the global economy.

CELANESE: 35

On its own once again, German chemical firm faces difficult circumstances.

October 11, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:23

Y2K READINESS: 27

Small chemical firms' tactics range from methodical preparation to "fix it if it breaks."

SCI MEDALIST WILSON: 31

Rohm and Haas' recently retired chairman and CEO is honored.

SGI: 40

Reorganized maker of high-end computers entices researchers.

DOW'S RUBBER PLANS: 47

Firm ponders a strategy for its variously acquired assets.

October 4, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

SULFURIC ACID:13

Changes in copper industry have upset the supply-and-demand balance of world's largest volume chemical.

WATER TREATMENT: 16

Akzo Nobel introduces a system to treat groundwater, wastewater, and process water.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 18

Is the Federal Reserve Board tilting at inflationary windmills--again?

September 27, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

SKW: 17

German specialty chemicals company beefs up its portfolio, pares down its name for stature in global industry.

ENTREPRENEURS: 21

Shamrock Technologies plans to build from its position as a leading recycler of scrap PTFE.

September 20, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:13

COVER STORY

CATALYSTS: 17

With little increase projected in market size, manufacturers struggle to find ways to grow.

September 13, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:10

AIR PRODUCTS: 12

Company anticipates becoming number two industrial gases producer after acquiring half of BOC.

BIOMATERIALS SUPPLY: 15

New law intended to improve supply of raw materials for medical implants has had only a slight effect.

September 6, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:14

AGROCHEMICALS: 17

Poor market conditions, advances in biotechnology mean slow growth for agrochemical manufacturers.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 21

Merging '90s style is about achieving critical mass in a market.

August 30, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

COVER STORY

BIOPHARMACEUTICALS: 19

Business is booming as scientists find ways to diagnose, monitor, and identify genetic markers for disease.

CONTRACT MANUFACTURING: 29

Scale-up and production of pipeline biopharmaceuticals is a job firms are vying for.

ISP'S NEW MANAGEMENT: 36

President and CEO Sunil Kumar--first new CEO since 1982--plans for growth.

GERMAN EARNINGS: 38

First-half results for five major chemical producers are down, but business conditions are improving.

August 23, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:14

AVECIA: 16

The former unit of AstraZeneca makes its mark in the specialty chemicals market.

FRAYED FIBER MAKERS: 18

Profits, utilization rates, and demand are down.

August 16, 1999

COVER STORY: BUSINESS CONCENTRATES12

CHEMICAL EARNINGS: 15

Second-quarter earnings decline again, but by less than in previous quarters.

PHARMA EARNINGS: 19

Major mergers and acquisitions in second-quarter 1999 didn't dampen double-digit growth in first half.

DRUG COPROMOTION: 21

Popularity of joint marketing agreements is increasing among pharmaceutical companies.

ALBANY MOLECULAR RESEARCH: 22

Company aims for growth by providing chemical R&D services to drug, biotech firms.

August 9, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:8

FOCUS ON VISION 2020: 10

Department of Energy and industry work together to develop technology with commercial potential.

CHEMICALS IN CHINA: 13

Industry restructuring may make firms more attractive to foreign investment.

August 2, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:9

INORGANICS FROM CHILE: 11

Despit e its small chemical industry, Chile is a global player in lithium, iodine, and potassium nitrate.

CIIT PLANS: 16

Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology's new head aims to broaden support base.

DUTY-FREE DRUGS: 16

Trade agreement lifts tariffs on 642additional pharmaceutical chemicals.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 11

Although economically things looked very bad for a while, Asia is anything but static, and the crisis is about over.

July 26, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: 19

Chemical companies blend economics, environment, and society into efforts to measure long-term viability.

July 19, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

FLAT-SCREEN DISPLAYS: 19

Markets are booming, and chemical companies are developing better performing, lower cost materials.

EURO: 29

European chemical exporters don't mind that the EU's single currency has fallen steadily against the dollar.

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: 30

UN report cites poor economies, poverty, and internal unrest as chronic problems.

ROBERT ROSENTHAL: 32

C&EN talks with the president of Perkin Elmer LLC.

July 12, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:8

COVER STORY

E-COMMERCE:11

Chemical and pharmaceutical firms are using the Internet to target business-to-business and business-to-consumer interactions.

July 5, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATE:18

ETHYLENE MARKET: 20

Key raw material for petrochemicals producers is in short supply.

DEGUSSA-H??LS: 22

Smooth meshing of different corporate cultures speeds success in recent merger.

ALLIEDSIGNAL: 24

Growth of pharmaceutical fine chemicals unit depends on shift from intermediates to active ingredients.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 25

Cutting the workweek and adding an energy tax won't keep European industry competitive.

June 28, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:12

GREAT LAKES CHEMICAL: 14

CEO Mark Bulriss plans to revitalize firm with new products, new outlook.

EUROPEAN OUTLOOK: 17

Producers meeting in Madrid express anxiety about future growth.

INDONESIA: 18

Elections have been held, but long-term investment plans are uncertain.

June 21, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:13

CORPORATE CUTS: 15

Layoffs may boost shareholder equity, but they wreak havoc with employees' lives.

WORLD CHEMICAL FORUM: 20

Business leaders share their ideas on challenges in the new millennium.

June 14, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:10

SUPERCRITICAL CO₂: 11

Use of CO₂ as a "green" industrial solvent is becoming more than a novelty.

ECOTAX REVIVAL: 14

European countries are setting up their own levies, and chemical industry will have to pay up.

June 7, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

NOVA CHEMICALS: 13

Canadian commodity producer focuses on growth during industry downturn.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 16

Chemical stocks have been strong for the past two months, as reflected in C&EN's new chemical stock index.

May 31, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:8

COVER STORY

ANIMAL HEALTH: 10

Products for pets are increasingly the focus in this $15 billion industry.

RESTRUCTURED CMA: 15

Industry group's reorganization gets mostly positive reviews.

PHASEOUT UPDATE: 17

Three producers of replacements for banned foam blowing agent take different paths.

TECHNOLOGY GROWTH: 18

Combining chemistry and biology in industrial processes offers greatest promise for growth.

May 24, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:9

COMMODITY PLASTICS: 11

Producers are joining forces to survive cyclical low prices and overcapacity.

RESPONSIBLE CARE: 18

Chemical Manufacturers Association urges its members to commit to performance standards.

DOW'S CONTRACT UNIT: 21

Manufacturing services business seeks to become a major player in three key custom sectors.

CHEMICAL TESTING: 22

EPA is enthusiastic about high- production-volume testing program; small chemical companies are less so.

May 17, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

CHEMICAL EARNINGS: 18

First-quarter earnings are down, but by less than in the two preceding quarters, possibly presaging an upturn.

DRUG EARNINGS: 25

Trend of double-digit growth for drug company sales and earnings continues.

ALAN SHAW: 30

C&EN talks with the focused managing director of U.K.'s ChiroTech.

May 10, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:10

CAMBREX'S STRATEGY: 12

Midsize fine chemicals company targeted pharmaceutical chemicals long before they became hot.

DUPONT'S POLYESTER: 14

Using joint ventures, DuPont intends to create a network of alliances with annual revenues of $5 billion.

May 3, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

COVER STORY

TOP 75: 19

DuPont remains the largest U.S. chemical producer, but it heads a list shortened by mergers and acquisitions.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 25

China wants to join the World Trade Organization, and chemical industry thinks that's a fine idea.

April 26, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

OLEOCHEMICALS: 13

Producers of fat- and oil-derived chemicals are restructuring in the face of slow growth, low prices, competition from Asia.

MOLECULAR SIMULATIONS: 17

Newly merged with Pharmacopeia, MSI shifts strategies to reach markets outside of pharmaceuticals.

April 19, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:17

COVER STORY

AG BIOTECH: 21

Transgenic crops and cutting-edge technologies are transforming agrochemicals and agriculture.

BAYER'S FINE CHEMICALS: 37

Company plans to beef up custom manufacturing in North America.

April 12, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES15

COVER STORY

PERSONAL CARE: 19

Producers, suppliers tailor products for growing ethnic populations.

MTBE PHASEOUT: 26

California's ban of gas additive will cut global demand almost 25.

CHEMICAL TESTING: 30

High cost of testing high-production- volume chemicals worries small firms.

April 5, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

HERCULES: 13

Chairman and CEO R. Keith Elliott's firm has doubled in size through 1998 acquisitions.

ASTAXANTHIN MARKET: 15

Hoffmann-La Roche is the main producer of this fish food additive, but others want in.

JURGEN HAMBRECHT: 17

C&EN talks with BASF's former Asia-Pacific director, now head of its chemicals operations.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 18

The Dow hits 10000, the Dow closes above 10000, the market keeps growing . . . and growing . . . and growing.

March 29, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

March 22, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

BREAST IMPLANT FINALE?: 13

Dow Corning's reorganization plan would fund implant claims and bring bankruptcy lawsuits to a close.

PHOSPHATE CHEMICALS: 17

A traditional industry reinvents itself through business deals and a new method for making phosphoric acid.

CHEMICAL LIBRARIES: 20

ChiroChem announces its first product offering--four libraries of single-isomer chiral compounds.

March 15, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

COVER STORY

PETROCHEMICALS: 19

Low crude oil prices exacerbate cyclical low point for producers.

SHELL CHEMICALS: 25

Petrochemical producer will sell off downstream units in an economics- driven restructuring.

SODA ASH: 28

New producer set to make sodium carbonate in a new way.

PRODUCTIVITY: 28

Chemical industry's 1.1% drop last year ends 15-year string of increases.

March 8, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

OXFORD ASYMMETRY:17

U.K. firm capitalizes on increased outsourcing of chemical services by life sciences industry.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT:23

Companies seek tangible results for unrestricted university grants.

CHEMICAL HINDSIGHTS:27

Monsanto grapples with concern over its vision of enhancing the world's food supply through biotechnology.

GOVERNMENT CONCENTRATES:28

March 1, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:19

COVER STORY:

RHODIA'S RENAISSANCE: 21

Chairman and CEO Jean-Pierre Tirouflet seeks improved company performance and stock price.

CYCLODEXTRINS: 25

Versatile molecules have many potential applications, but so far sales are low.

INDUSTRY PROGNOSIS: 27

Despite short-term clouds, outlook for the global chemical industry is bright, new study projects.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 30

Recent chemical industry spin-offs leave C&EN correspondent scratching his head.

February 22, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:11

ROHM AND HAAS: 13

Following two big acquisitions, new executives discuss a long-range strategy that should pay handsome dividends.

p-XYLENE: 16

Prices collapse in what is now a high-supply, low-demand market.

GIFT OF PATENTS: 17

DuPont donates patents worth $64 million to three U.S. universities.

February 15, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

LICENSING FOR PROFIT: 19

Large drug companies are deriving increasing share of revenues from licensed products.

CHEMICAL EARNINGS: 29

Low prices and slow exports drive down earnings for fourth-quarter and full-year 1998.

PHARMACEUTICAL EARNINGS: 33

Drug company sales and earnings are up for fourth quarter and year.

February 8, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:14

COVER STORY

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY R&D: 17

Restructuring is not enough to create shareholder value and long-term growth.

RESEARCH SPENDING: 21

Chemical producers' investment in R&D has increased in the past three years and will go up again this year.

METHANOL INDUSTRY: 23

Worldwide oversupply and low prices are closing down U.S. methanol plants.

February 1, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:13

MITSUBISHI'S YASUO SONE: 15

Managing director for chemicals at giant Japanese firm focuses on less trading and more investment.

CHLOR-ALKALI UNITS: 18

Changes in paper pulp bleaching lead to facility shutdowns.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 20

"A Civil Action" captures the heart of the audience but leaves many important questions unanswered.

January 25, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:21

CARBON BLACK: 23

Industry is consolidating and making deals in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Europe.

MODULAR FACTORIES: 25

Swedish firm finds emerging markets a good outlet for modular drug-manufacturing plants.

POLYOLEFIN INDUSTRY: 27

Mitsui's metallocene catalysts offer advantages, but have had trouble capturing a large market.

January 18, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:19

DEGUSSA-H??LS: 22

New German chemicals giant counts on North America to drive growth.

INVESTING IN CHEMICALS: 27

Private-equity investors see industry cyclical downturn as a time to buy.

January 11, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:15

SUMITOMO'S KOSAI: 17

President of Japan's largest chemical producer works to keep firm competitive.

PLASTICS: 20

Manufacturers plan to increase profits by expanding product lines.

WILLIAM MAHONEY: 21

C&EN talks with retired Witco executive, who teaches an unusual course at University of Massachusetts.

January 4, 1999

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES:8

DRUGS VIA ENZYMES: 10

Fine chemicals producers increasingly introduce chirality through fermentation or biocatalytic methods.

MERGER NO-GO: 14

Ciba and Clariant call off merger and draw harsh criticism.

BUSINESS INSIGHTS: 15

When large oil companies make major strategic changes, chemical businesses get dragged along.

This file updated June 12, 2008

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