Commercial Solvents Corporation (CSC) was an American chemical and

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

company created in 1919.

History

The Commercial Solvents Corporation was established at the end of World War I; earning distinction as the pioneer producer of acetone and butanol by fermentation processes developed and patented by Dr.

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

was chosen to be the site of CSC's research as this location made possible the expedient translation of new processes from the laboratory and demonstration plant into full production. As early as 1917, the corporation began work in

. It developed the conversion of corn and other grains into

ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

. They later produced

riboflavin Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is a vitamin found in food and sold as a dietary supplement. It is essential to the formation of two major coenzymes, flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. These coenzymes are involved i ...

by microbial action.

Presidents

* Philip G. Mumford 1922 to 1928. * William Davis Ticknor Sr. 1920 to 1922 and 1928 to 1938, was president and

chairman of the board The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

. * Theodore P. Walker 1938 to 1947. * Henry E. Perry 1947 to 1950. * J. Albert Woods 1950 to 1959. * Maynard C Wheeler 1959 to 1966. * Robert C. Wheeler 1966 to 1973. * William S. Leonhardt 1973 to 1975.

References

{{Authority control Chemical companies of the United States Ethanol Defunct companies based in Indiana Terre Haute, Indiana Chemical companies established in 1919 Technology companies established in 1919 American companies established in 1919