Degussa

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Degussa AG is a multinational chemistry corporation based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Degussa employs about 45,000 people. It is Germany's third largest chemistry company and the world's largest producer of fine-chemicals. Degussa was acquired by Ruhrkohle AG in 2006.

The name Degussa is a acronym of „Deutsche Gold- und Silber-Scheide-Anstalt“ (German Gold and Silver Metals Separating Works. The purification of precious metals was one of the central parts of the Degussa.

In 2003 Degussa was involved in a major controversy surrounding its involvement in the construction of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe ("Holocaust Memorial") in Berlin. Degussa produced the anti-graffiti substance Protectosil used to cover the stelae which are the major element in the memorial. The controversy arose because Degussa had been involved in several different ways in the Nazi persecution the Jews. Degesch, a subsidiary, even produced the Zyklon B used to poison people in the gas chambers. The board of trustees of the memorial ultimately decided that, given the cost of eliminating Degussa's role in the project at that relatively late stage, the use of Protectosil ought to continue, despite protests from many Jewish groups.