NEWS OF THE WEEK BUSINESS
REICHHOLD SALE Citing poor performance in recent years, Dainippon will sell subsidiary ings and composites. However, icals (DIC) will sell its DIC says Reichhold's unfavorReichhold unit in a man- able results in recent years have agement buyoutforthe bargain- prompted it to divest the unit. basement price of a dollar. DIC ReichhokPs sales in 2004 toalso will forgive $229 million of taled $922 million at current exReichhokPs $431 million in out- change rates, but the unit had an standing debt. Of the remaining operating loss of $29.1 million $202 million, DIC will recover and a net loss of $308 million. $30.3 million on the day of the Reichhold will be headed by sale and slightly more than $171 John S. Gaither, 61, who spent 32 million in three years. years with the company—includDainippon paid $540 million ing as president ofthree different to acquire Reichhold in 1987. divisions, chief operating officer, Since then, the Japanese compa- and chairman of European operny says it has cultivated extensive ations—before leaving in 1998. North American and European Gaither returned to the firm in operations in polymers for coat- May 2004.
D Gaither
AINIPPON INK & CHEM-
Gaither has assembled a team of former and current Reichhold veterans who are participating in the management buyout. "We believe we can make a difference that will enable Reichhold to live up to the potential we know it has," he says. Phil G. Phillips, president of Chemark Consulting Group, says Reichhold now has strong and knowledgeable management. But, he adds, "the test of the viability of Reichhokfs new strategy will be time, plus several other key elements."These include effectively passing along raw material costs on all products, but particularly coatings resins; providing value in service, fast product turnaround, and effective communications; focusing on the most valuable segments; and making the difficult decisions in account management and its own personnel.—Wl LLI AM ST0RCK
CATALYSIS
thought they could eliminate this by-product with judicious use of a Afunctional catalyst. They designed a nanoporous aluminophosphate catalyst with redoxactive cobalt sites and acidic Air, NH3> catalyst silicon, magnesium, or zinc sites integrated into the catalyst's H the material is polymerized to framework. ITH THE HELP OF A The cobalt redox centers gencleverly designed cata- make nylon-6, a popular polymer lyst, chemists at the Uni- used in carpets, automotive parts, erate hydroxylamine in situ from versity of Cambridge, in England, sporting goods, films, and pack- ammonia and air. After hydroxhave developed a one-step pro- aging. The standard method for ylamine and cyclohexanone cedure for making E-caprolactam synthesizing E-caprolactam in- form the intermediate oxime, ONE STEP The from cyclohexanone (JProc. Natl.volves conversion of cyclohexa- < the acidic centers nudge the Cambridge group's Acad. Set. USA, published online, none to its corresponding oxime, * Beckmann rearrangement along catalyst converts wwwpnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pn followed by a Beckmann rear- £ via acid catalysis. The nanocyclohexanone to as.0506907102). Because the rangement to generate the cyclic * porous nature of the catalyst ale-caprolactam in new route is solvent-free and amide. This route has one major t lows products and reactants to a single step. doesn't generate any unwanted drawback: It produces immense £ move freely throughout the sysammonium sulfate by-products, quantities ofunwanted amS tern, a strategy that's been it could offer industry an envi- monium sulfate—as evolving in Thomas' lab for ronmentally benign process for much as 2.3 lb for 15 years. preparing E-caprolactam—the every pound of £ "We're proud of the immediate precursor to nylon-6. caprolactam. fact that we've been Each year, chemical companies able to tackle an enviJohn Meurmake several billion pounds of E- ig Thomas and ronmentally harmful caprolactam. All but a fraction of Robert Raja process using genuinely benign reagents BY DESIGN Nanoporous catalyst has both redox-active sites (blue cobalt and catalysts," Thomas
GREENER NYLON
Route to nylon-6 caprolactam precursor eliminates unwanted by-product
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atoms) and acidic sites (pink magnesium atoms). 10
C&EN / SEPTEMBER
19, 2005
says.—BETHANY HALF0RD WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
