GFS Chemicals

GFS Chemicals Inc, formerly known as G. Frederick Smith Chemical Company,^[1] is an privately owned specialty chemical company based in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by G. Frederick Smith PhD in 1928 and has a home office in Powell, Ohio.^[1][2][3] George Frederick Smith was an early researcher and advocate of the use of perchloric acid and perchlorate salts in analytical chemistry.^[1] To this effect he authored and co-authored many scholarly papers and text books on the subject.^[4]

GFS Chemicals currently serves over seventy countries, and a variety of industries including: Alternative Energy and Energy Storage, Pharmaceuticals and Bio-Technology, Electronics and Etching, and Environmental and Research Analytics.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]} With around a hundred employees, the divisions are managed by three separate units: Organic Specialty Materials, Inorganic Specialty Materials, and Analytical Reagents & Research Chemicals Catalog Division.^[3]

History of GFS Chemicals

1924

• The Smith Chemical Company is started in G. Frederick Smith’s garage in Urbana, Illinois as a result of his pioneering efforts in the use of magnesium perchlorate as a super drying agent.^[9][10][13] He enlists the help of his brothers Allyne (who studied engineering at Ohio State) and Clarence (who worked for a local newspaper). Orders quickly outpace their ability to fill them.^{[1][2][14][15][16]}

1928

• G. Frederick Smith Chemical Company moves to Columbus, OH on McKinley Ave and begins to sell magnesium perchlorate under the trade name "Dehydrite" for A.H. Thomas Co., later Thomas Scientific,^[17] Later G. Frederick Smith Chemical Company would become one of the leading perchloric acid and perchlorate salt producers in the world.^{[1][2][10][14][15][16]}

1930s

• Charles Getz (PhD), in an attempt to store milk anaerobically to prevent spoilage, accidentally invents the world's first aerosol dispensed product, instant whipped cream. He and G.F. found nitrous oxide to be the most suitable gas and they start the Aerated Products Company, later known as Instantwhip. The company was later bturned over to G.F.’s son Clifton, although Dr. Getz would still be the patent holder.^{[1][2][14][15]}
• G.F. starts producing commercial quantities of 1,10-phenanthroline and its derivatives, producing a range of indicators to meet the needs of the analytical chemistry world. He added them to the G. Frederick Smith Chemical Company’s product line.^{[1][2][14][15]}
• Smith also investigated the preparation of cerium compounds for use as titrants in oxidation and reduction reactions. Aided by phenanthroline indicators, he produced hexanitratocerate as a primary standard.^{[1][2][14][15]}
• Studies of periodic acid, iodic acid, and their salts prompt a new line of products.

1940s

• Rare earth products, such as ceric ammonium nitrate, and heteroaromatic ligands are introduced to the product line.^{[1][2][14][15]}

1950s

• US space program begins in earnest and material scientists are in need of super pure analytical reagents (1956), to which G.F. responds by having new high purity redistilled inorganic acids developed and produced.^[1][2]

1960s

• Allyne retires and turns control of G. Frederick Smith Chemical Company over to Darrell Hutchinson, his son-in-law, to run as President and CEO.^[2]

1970s

• G. Frederick Smith Chemical Co. collaborates with Motorola on first ceric ammonium nitrate based chrome etchants for use in early computer chips.^[4]
• G. Frederick Smith Chemical Co becomes the sole US manufacturer of perchloric acid after Hooker Occidental Petroleum) decides to abandon that field.^[1][2]
• G. Frederick Smith dies (1976)

1980s

• Instantwhip and G. Frederick Chemical Co. part ways following a stock swap agreement between those who held ownership stakes in both of the firms.

1990s

• G. Frederick Smith Chemical Co. shortens its name to GFS Chemicals, Inc. and acquires Ericsen Instruments Karl Fischer reagent business (now the Watermark® brand), and several other unique specialty organic product lines from Farchan Laboratories, and Shawnee Chemical Company in order to expand the available organic products offered and to explore new uses and formulations.^[10][18]
• GFS becomes ISO 9001:2008 Certified.^[4][8]
• A new plant is built specifically for the production of perchloric acid.^[4]
• J. Steel Hutchinson becomes the third generation President of GFS Chemicals.^[10][18][19]

2000–2010

• New Organic production facility built, allowing for the development of previously purchased product lines to be expanded upon, including: liquid ammonia chemistry, silanes, acetylenes, and other organics.^[4][5][10]
• Acquisition of APS Analytical Standards for turbidimeters, colorimeters, and spectrometers. This business was then moved from California to Columbus, OH.^[4]
• Distilled acids demand increases. GFS expands and more distillation equipment is added to accommodate.^[4]
• Inorganic and Organic research labs built in order to continue research as well as provide essential quality control testing.^[4][10]
• SOCMA Chem Steward Tier I Certification achieved.^[4]
• Partnership for the manufacture of Ammonia Borane with Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense made.^[4]

2011 – Present

• Catalog Order Distribution Center purchased on Kaderly Drive on the west side of Columbus, OH. This now houses all GFS catalog fulfillment activities, private labeling and analytical laboratory reagents manufacturing.^[4][20]
• Due to import issues with China, GFS embarks on a research campaign and becomes the only domestically secured chain of supply for Cerium.^[8]
• New grade of Ceric Ammonium Nitrate introduced with tighter metals tolerances to make it a superior electronics grade etchant

component.^{[7][21][22][23][24]}

• The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) expands accreditation to GFS for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for turbidity, pH buffers, and conductivity standards.^[25][26][27]

Divisions of the Company

Inorganic Specialty Materials Division

Located in Columbus, OH, the Inorganic manufacturing facility is the original cornerstone of GFS Chemicals, as first used by G. Frederick Smith.^[2][10]

• Perchloric acid and perchlorate Compounds
• Rare Earth Salts and Solutions
• Anhydrous Bulk Reagent Chemicals
• Lithium Compounds
• Periodic acid/iIodic acid and salts
• High purity inorganic chemicals and single phase materials
• Silver salts

Organic Specialty Materials Division

Located on River Street Columbus, OH, the Organic manufacturing facility as a location is a relatively new facility. GFS has always performed organic chemistries, however after the acquisition period more space was needed to further develop the business and to explore the future scientific opportunities which could be advanced. These newer developments have at times crossed over with the Inorganic side with anhydrous Lithium Perchlorate in the form of Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether to promote synthetic organic chemical synthesis in bulk, as an example. They added a Kilo lab and a Distillation lab as well in the proceeding years. Below are the core chemistries performed here:^{[3][4][6][9][10][16][18][20][28][29]}

• Liquid ammonia chemistry
• Halogenation/Dehydrohalogenation
• Sonogashira coupling
• Hydrogenations
• Birch reductions
• Gabriel synthesis
• Ammonia borane technology
• Grignard synthesis
• Diels-Alder reactions
• Organo metallic synthesis (Li, Na, Mg, Zn)
• Ethynylation
• Alkylation
• Chlorination
• Oxidative coupling
• Skraup syntheses
• cis/trans reductions.
• Solvents and Reagents for Synthetic Organic Chemical Research

Analytical Reagents and Research Chemicals Catalog Division

Located on Kaderly Drive Columbus, OH, the newest addition to the GFS landscape is also the oldest business. G. Frederick Smith was spurred to create many of the chemical compounds, especially perchlorates and trace metal perchloric acid, in response to the needs of his colleagues in analytical chemistry.^[16] This tradition is continued here and is the most commonly associated part of the business when a chemist or researcher hears of GFS Chemicals. The trace metal acids are especially popular among researchers who are looking to digest organics for study without the risk of metal contamination.^[11][12] Recently the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation expanded the accreditation to meet ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for the standards and buffers produced here as well as EPA approval for the AMCO Clear® line of turbidity standards.^[25][30] Below are the core chemistries performed here^{[3][4][6][9][10][16][18][20][28][29]}

• Watermark®/Karl Fischer Reagents, Pyridine-Based and Pyridine-Free
• Veritas® Trace Metal Acids
• ACS Reagents
• AA/ICP/Ion Standards
• pH Reference Buffers
• Indicators
• Primary Standards and Analytical Solutions
• High purity, specialty Quat Salts and Solutions
• Environmental and Contract Lab Standard Solutions
• Sorbents and Solvents for Chromatography including Silicas, Aluminas, Ion Exchange Resins
• Organic Halogen Reagent for the determination of organically bonded halogens.

Noteworthy contribution to science and industry

Allyne Smith, who was in charge of the plant at the time, devised an elegant and simple means of filling aerosols without contamination or pressure loss, based on the common bicycle tire valve stem.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to GFS Chemicals.

• Official GFS Chemicals website