Albright and Wilson was founded in 1856 as a United Kingdom manufacturer of potassium chlorate and white phosphorus for the match industry.
[4] In 1971 Tenneco bought a part of Albright and Wilson's share holdings; and in 1978 obtained full ownership.
However, just four years later, following disappointing results, the French chemical company Rhodia acquired Albright and Wilson in March 2000[6] and the century-and-a-half old name finally disappeared except in India, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
[8] After a large fire at its Avonmouth plant in 1996, which caused the temporary closure of local motorways and rail services, Albright and Wilson were fined £60,000.
[11] The Sturges were already manufacturing potassium chlorate for the match industry, at their chemical works at Selly Oak, adjacent to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
The Sturge Brothers continued as manufacturing chemists at Birmingham, but moved their works to Stirchley; and no longer had any involvement with phosphorus.
[14] [2] Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine In the early days, white phosphorus was obtained from bone ash by treating them with hydrochloric acid to produce precipitated phosphates.
Then heating the meta phosphate for several days in a sealed crucible, in a retort, and distilling off phosphorus vapour, under water.
White and amorphous phosphorus remained the main product of Albright and Wilson until World War I.
He placed a large order for amorphous phosphorus with Albright and Wilson and this led to the foundation of the Swedish Safety Match Industry.
Two French chemists, Savene and Cahen, proved that year that it was non-poisonous and could be used to make safety matches.
Just after the end of World War I, Albright and Wilson took over the Holmes' Marine Life Protection Association.
Albright and Wilson bought the patent and the works; and ran it for two years whilst they built their own furnace at Oldbury.
Unfortunately the move to Newfoundland had been inadequately planned and the Company encountered serious production problems with its new giant electric furnaces – several times larger than the Oldbury machines – and with the availability of skilled local labour.
In 1955 Albright and Wilson purchased Marchon Products Ltd[18] based in Whitehaven, which produced phosphorus-based detergents by the "wet" process.