[3] In 1908 the two brothers turned to developing cellulose acetate, including scientific investigation of the properties of the compound and commercial exploitation.

[6] A company was established to operate the factory with 160,000 shares, of which the Dreyfus brothers and Alexander Clavel received 79,998, the Prudential Trust of Canada 40,470, Vickers Ltd. 19,800 and the remainder to smaller investors.

[8] Many factors conspired to thwart Camille Dreyfus's plan to open the factory by August 1916, including labour issues, late delivery of equipment and shortage of supplies due to competing war-time priorities.

[7] The Megaloughton Lane plant was built by Alfred David McAlpine and was operated by the British Cellulose and Chemical Manufacturing company.

[5] The company's difficulties, including higher costs than expected, caught the public attention, and in August 1918 the Dreyfus brothers began to be attacked by anti-semites.

G. K. Chesterton smeared them in the press, implying that they had no national loyalty and saying "International Israel is not always positively 'Pro-German' but it is for our purposes always negatively Pro-German.

[5] The two brothers moved into new cellulose-based products including varnishes, paints and an artificial silk yarn that they called celanese.

[5] There were delays when demand collapsed with the end of the war, but Amcelle began to produce cellulose acetate at the Cumberland facility in 1924.

[14] The Celanese corporation went public, selling common and preferred shares, but the Dreyfus brothers retained control of the British parent and its American affiliate.

[17] Until the start of World War II (1939-1945) the company was devoted to make cellulose acetate and using it in films, lacquers and fibres.

By 1945 its plant in Bishop, Texas was producing more than twenty petrochemical derivatives through vapor-phase oxidation of local liquefied gas.

"[18] Camille was made an Officer of the Legion of Honour by the French Government, and earned the Modern Pioneer Award from the National Association of Manufacturers in America.

[19] The foundation awards the biennial Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences to a person who has achieved a major advance in chemistry through exceptional and original research.