Analytical Chemist

DuPont's Direct Lithium Extraction team has been named a "Sustainability Squad" in the Business Intelligence Group's 2026 Sustainability Awards. The recognition highlights the team's work developing and commercialising direct lithium extraction technologies for efficient lithium recovery. Announced in July 2026, DuPont's end-to-end DLE portfolio includes over 20 products across multiple technologies, such as lithium-selective sorbents, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, and ion exchange resins. The portfolio addresses the complexity of lithium brine resources globally, allowing customers to implement complete solutions or select individual technologies tailored to specific requirements. The award recognises the collaborative efforts of a global team spanning research and development, technical service, commercial strategy, and marketing. Over the past year, the team supported customer pilots and projects across major lithium-producing regions.

AAM at the Movies: Spider-Man's Secret Weapon is Made in Delaware. Aug 07 2026 | Artificial web shooters are closer to fact than fiction. As a true Marvel fan, I watched "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" on the day of its release. Clearly, I wasn't the only one, with the film boasting the biggest domestic opening weekend in history, even beating out "Avengers: Endgame." Without spoiling too much, Spider-Man experiences a bit of an arachnid evolution that interferes with the artificial web fluid he engineered in high school. Because, of course, Spider-Man doesn't just fight neighborhood crime; he's also a tech genius who manufactures his own world-saving equipment. While it's doubtful Spider-Man will ever reveal his secret for producing his own webs, "Brand New Day" revealed that his artificial webbing is likely made of nylon-like, advanced long-chain polymer. Peter Parker may be Made in Queens, but his nylon-inspired webs were first Made in Delaware. The DuPont Company, located in Wilmington, Del., created nylon after hiring polymer researcher Wallace H. Carothers to make new scientific discoveries surrounding the construction of long-chain polymers. This followed the company's shift away from researching rayon, known as "artificial silk." Carothers left his role at Harvard University - the same alma mater as Spider-Man's bioengineering mentor, Bruce Banner - and began to work with researchers and chemical engineers to produce commercially viable synthetic fibers. After testing numerous formulas with varying intermediates and reaction stabilities, much like Spider-Man's own chemical experiments, the first nylon entered production in 1938. Surpassing its predecessors, rayon and silk, nylon was praised for its affordability, sheerness and snag-resistance. The material became an overnight sensation in 1939 at the World's Fair in New York City, where models showcased nylon stockings. The exhibit was such a success that by the time public sales opened in 1940, it only took four days to sell out the 4 million-pair supply. After two years in commercial production, DuPont's nylon stockings dominated 30% of the full-fashioned hosiery market. As soon as nylon became a women's fashion staple, production immediately shifted away from consumer production. Spider-Man isn't the only one who has used long-chain polymers to save the world, as DuPont began replacing Japanese silk with nylon in 1941 to support wartime manufacturing. Nylon's durability and resistance to heat and water made it ideal for parachutes, cords and tents that supported the Allies in their victory in World War II. Nearly as soon as WWII ended, a homefront fashion war erupted over the limited hosiery supply. Known as "nylon riots," hundreds to thousands of women lined up to purchase DuPont's nylon stockings as consumer production gradually resumed. In one riot in Pittsburgh, over 40,000 women lined the streets to purchase 13,000 pairs of nylons. A San Francisco riot was reported to have had several shoppers faint and brawl while storefront windows broke under the force of fashion-hungry crowds. Too early for the friendly neighborhood Spiderman to intervene, household robberies ensued in efforts to obtain nylons. Within a year, production volumes increased, calming crowds and resulting in new consumer applications. The synthetic fibers created by DuPont were wrinkle-resistant, triggering the wane of ironing and the introduction of "wash-and-wear" wardrobes. This fashion shift tripled washing machine sales between 1950 and 1956 as consumers sought at-home ways to care for their low-maintenance nylon clothing. While nylon clothing is now less frequent, it remains present in household carpets, suitcases, toothbrushes, 3D printers, and even the US flag on the moon. We can thank Carothers for his contribution to polymer research that changed the face of American textiles and inspired Peter Parker to chase his own STEM career with webs that keep him swinging from one skyscraper to the next.

Bonta accuses DuPont of corporate shell game to dodge PFAS cleanup in California. Published Aug. 6, 2026 Updated Aug. 7, 2026 12:37 PM PT See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set Prospering In America, Inc. as preferred * California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has accused DuPont and its spin-off companies of orchestrating a 'corporate shell game' to dodge billions in PFAS cleanup. * An amended lawsuit alleges DuPont offloaded massive PFAS legal risks onto Chemours while stripping it of valuable insurance assets, leaving a hollow 'fall guy' unable to pay creditors, including California. * 'Forever chemicals' have tainted drinking water for millions of Californians and are linked to cancers and developmental harm. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta filed a complaint Thursday alleging that a cohort of the companies that make "forever chemicals" partook in a massive corporate shell game to defraud the state and others. In an amendment to a 2022 lawsuit filed by Bonta against the makers of these chemicals, the state now alleges that several DuPont spin-off companies - New DuPont, Corteva, Chemours and Qnity Electronics - worked together to create a "fall guy" company designed to take the financial hit stemming from several multibillion-dollar pollution lawsuits while keeping the companies' most valuable assets out of reach. "The DuPont Defendants cannot game the system by illegally moving assets out of reach, dodging liabilities for the harm they have caused, and calling it restructuring," Bonta said in a statement. "I look forward to ensuring that these companies are held accountable for PFAS pollution and that their assets cannot be hidden behind corporate walls while their responsibilities are left behind." The Second Amended Complaint, as the new amendment is called, was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina on Thursday. DuPont did not respond to multiple requests for comment. June 24, 2026 In 2022, Bonta sued 20 chemical manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont, alleging the companies knew about the dangers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances - or PFAS - when they made and/or sold products containing them. The suit also claims the companies failed to warn the public about the environmental and health risks of those chemicals and in many cases concealed the risks. That lawsuit remains active and ongoing. PFAS chemicals are found in a variety of consumer items, including food packaging and cookware, and are linked to cancer and other illnesses and health risks such as developmental defects, infertility and reduced bone density in children. They are resistant to environmental degradation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and hundreds of scientific studies. They have also been found in the bloodstreams of 98% of people tested, as well as in wildlife, fish, water - including rivers, lakes and nearshore waters - and soil. Data from the State Water Resources Control Board show PFAS chemicals are in drinking, ground and surface waters in the state. They've been detected in at least 146 public water systems serving 16 million Californians, as well as in aquifers that provide millions of Californians with water through unregulated domestic wells. According to a news release from Bonta's office, the fraudulent DuPont scheme worked like this: By 2013, the original, "Old" DuPont company knew it faced billions of dollars in environmental cleanup costs and legal damages due to its PFAS products. To protect its assets and make itself appealing for a merger with industry giant Dow Chemical, the Old Dupont company initiated a multi-phase restructuring plan, which it called "Project Beta." May 30, 2026 Bonta referred to the original DuPont company as "Old Dupont" and a newer version as "New DuPont" in his filing. It started with the creation of a company called Chemours, which the Old DuPont company spun off in 2015. The Old DuPont company transferred its PFAS business to this new company and extracted almost $7 billion in cash, stocks and notes from the new company. The new company was also forced to assume all of Old DuPont's historical PFAS liabilities and sign an agreement to indemnify Old DuPont against them. Bonta claims this was a sham transaction, leaving Chemours holding the liability bag with no way to pay the environmental debts it would incur should the courts come calling. Old DuPont merged with Dow Chemical in 2015, and according to Bonta's claim, the new company, DowDuPont, was again structured in a way that would protect the new company from any remaining PFAS liabilities. In 2019, the company went through another reshuffling. A "New" Dow was created, which took the materials science assets, as well as a company called Corteva, which took the company's agricultural businesses. A New DuPont company was also formed. During this same year, Chemours sued the other DuPont companies, claiming it had been handed a financial time bomb because of the PFAS liability it had been left with. The company alleged the 2015 deal was a sham that set them up for bankruptcy. In 2021, the companies sat down to resolve the lawsuit. Chemours agreed to drop the lawsuit and waive its right to sue. In exchange, Corteva and New DuPont agreed to split the costs of future PFAS liabilities with Chemours 50/50 - but only up to $4 billion. July 30, 2026 Bonta alleges that $4 billion was a gross underestimate of the potential legal damages they were likely to face. The result of the agreement would have capped Corteva and New DuPont's liability at $2 billion and saddled Chemours with any and everything else - a number he claims is likely to far exceed $2 billion. Chemours also had insurance policies that would have helped pay for the PFAS lawsuits. However, Bonta alleges that Chemours sold 100% of those insurance payouts back to its sister companies in 2025 for a lump sum of cash that was worth less than half of what the insurance was actually valued at. By transferring away its best assets (the insurance) while keeping the massive debt, Chemours was hollowed out so it can't pay its potential creditors, including California. To further protect their wealth, New DuPont is accused of continuing to chop up its remaining valuable businesses and separating them. For example, the court filing claims they took their profitable electronics business and turned it into a totally separate, independent company called Qnity. Bonta claims these restructuring moves violate the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act and the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act. He is asking the court to stop the companies from selling, spending or moving any more assets or profits that belonged to the original, or Old DuPont company, in order to ensure that California gets its payout if the chemical companies lose the lawsuit. "Ultimately, the question is whether courts will 'pierce the corporate veil' to allow California and other plaintiffs to hold new Dupont and other breakout companies liable," Albert Lin, a law professor at UC Davis, said in an email. "Courts are willing to pierce the corporate veil if spinoff companies are created to engage in fraud or wrongdoing or to evade legal obligations," he said. "Allegations that Dupont undercapitalized or underinsured Chemours and other entities can support veil piercing."