Columbia-Southern Chemical Corporation

Columbia-Southern Chemical Corporation was a subsidiary of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company.[1][2] They produced heavy industrial chemicals for industry and agriculture including:[3] anhydrous ammonia, caustic soda, chlorine, titanium tetrachloride, and soda ash.[4] Chemical plant locations included: Barberton, Ohio, Bartlett, California, Corpus Christi, Texas, Jersey City, New Jersey, Lake Charles, Louisiana, and New Martinsville, West Virginia in the United States, along with Beauharnois, Quebec in Canada.[4]

During the Second World War, Columbia-Southern produced a line of 200 polymers.[5] CR-39 (CR for "Columbia Resins" and 39 denoting it as the 39th polymer) had qualities suitable for plastic lenses, making it the most noteworthy of the polymers.[6] CR-39 is commonly used in the manufacturing of plastic eyeglass lenses.

Ammonia was in short supply after the end of World War II; Columbia-Southern was expected to begin producing the chemical in late 1954.[7] Around that same time, the company had a grant program, which gave money to many universities to test new agricultural chemicals on an array of crops under varied conditions.[8] The company was the largest producer of titanium tetrachloride, a main ingredient in titanium metal, in Canada circa 1957.[9]

Due to the nature of what the company produces and being a large corporation, Columbia-Southern was involved in numerous lawsuits.[10] Allegations against the company ranged from the negligent release of chemicals causing property damage to sickness arising from chemical exposure.

It has been claimed that Columbia-Southern lost $845,000 due to unpaid invoices and seizure of property because of Fidel Castro’s government nationalization in Cuba.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Collected Reprints of McBee's Annual Reviews of Halogenation, 1948-1958: Reprinted from Industrial and Engineering Chemistry for Columbia-Southern Chemical Corporation. 1950. p. 2082.
  2. ↑ Gribbin, John H.; Krogfus, Sue Singer (1960). Industrial Research Laboratories of the United States (11 ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences—National Research Council. p. 117 #884-891, p. 374 #2984. LCCN 21-26022.
  3. ↑ "Progress at Pittsburgh Plate - In CHemical Operaions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 4, 1956. p. 20. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Columbia-Southern Chemical Corporation". The Cornell Daily Sun (Ithaca, New York). February 15, 1960. p. 5. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  5. ↑ Hempstead, Colin A., ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Technology. Volume 2 M-Z. New York and London: Routledge. p. 563, Optometry - Materials. ISBN 1579584640.
  6. ↑ "Plastic - Materials used for Plastic Lenses". Where does the name CR 39 come from?. Carl Zeiss Vision Inc. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ammonia Unit for Natrium". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 12, 1953. p. 19. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Chemical Firm Extends Program". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 1, 1952. p. 21. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  9. ↑ Ryan, Jack R. (March 2, 1957). "Lady Geologist Organizes Symposium Has Worked In Canada With Husband". The Montreal Gazette. New York Times News Service. p. 26. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Results for: Columbia-Southern Chemical Corporation". National Archives. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  11. ↑ Mauriello, Tracie (November 1, 2015). "Pittsburgh companies part of $7 billion claim against Cuba". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Washington Bureau). Retrieved January 29, 2016.

Further reading

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