Specialty chemicals are high-value chemicals that are commercially produced for specialized industry applications.

FORBES: Still A Bit More Value To Squeeze From DuPont

Among them were specialty-chemicals maker Evonik Industries AG and insurance company Talanx AG both based in Germany as well as Russian telecom firm MegaFon and investment-bid vehicle Tungsten Corp.

WSJ: Europe's IPO Market Looks to U.S. for Inspiration

The company recreated itself from a low-margin, commodity-driven, regional oil refiner into a less-cyclical, higher-margin, global specialty chemicals company.

FORBES: Your Next Marketing Weapon: Corporate Culture

DuPont de Nemours is involved in science and technology in a range of disciplines including high-performance materials, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

FORBES: Dow Ideas: Dupont, Boeing, Exxon And Chevron

Plus, FMC sells recession-resistant chemicals like coatings for pills, and a third of its revenue comes from specialty chemicals, including lithium, the raw material for the next generation of electric-vehicle batteries ( click here for related story).

FORBES: Magazine Article

Most of the current market for plant-based chemicals and polymers lies in specialty chemicals used in soaps and detergents, says consulting firm Nexant in White Plains, N.

FORBES: Magazine Article

This includes hauling new autos, hazardous chemicals, and other high-margin products in specialty train cars.

FORBES: Railroads

Then he moved to Betz Laboratories, a specialty chemicals maker later acquired by General Electric (nyse: GE - news - people ).

FORBES: Chemical Balance

At first Amgen tried using genetic engineering to create organisms that would extract oil from shale, man-made proteins that would make chickens grow faster and new specialty chemicals such as a cloned indigo, a substitute for the natural dye used to color blue jeans.

FORBES: Biotech Behemoth