Ethylene glycol
The company’s first big success was the development of processes for the direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide, and transformation of ethylene oxide to ethylene glycol in the early 1950s. Ethylene oxide, a gas, was used for synthesis of ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol, a liquid, was used to manufacture polyethylene terephthalate resins (PET) for the bottling industry, antifreeze for automobile and airplane engines, and polyester fibers, a material increasingly used the fabric industry.