Strem Catalog: Decades of Research, Innovation and Impact

The Strem Catalog – seven decades of evolution to support scientific discoveries 

Throughout its history, the Strem Catalog – both when it was Strem Chemicals and now as part of Ascensus Specialties – has always evolved along with innovations in chemistry. It’s why researchers in academia, government and industrial labs can access hard-to-find chemicals that offer exciting potential in the Strem Catalog. Here are some of the historical milestones that have led to the Strem Catalog being a leader in niche, specialty chemicals. 

The 1960s – the founding years 

At the time Dr. Michael Strem was founding Strem Chemicals in 1964, there was a surge of excitement and innovation around inorganic chemistry and organometallics. Ferrocene had been discovered and its structure elucidated by R.B. Woodward, G. Wilkinson and E.O. Fischer. In 1964, Fischer discovered the first metal carbene complex. Wilkinson, and his graduate student J. Osborn, discovered the first homogenous olefin hydrogenation catalysis. 

Dr. Strem had pursued his MS degree, and later his PhD, in Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, in the early 1960s. While studying at Pittsburgh, Dr. Strem was a neighbor of Irving Wender, a pioneer in catalysis research. Wender had been involved with the Manhattan Project and the U.S. Bureau of Mines where he had researched catalysis and synthesis of metal carbonyls. Wender introduced Dr. Strem to high pressure synthesis, which uses catalysts for higher reactivity at lower temperatures for greater efficiency. 

Seeing an opportunity to support researchers and labs with high quality compounds that were hard to find, Dr. Strem founded Strem Chemicals in partnership with Ventron Corp., which had commercially produced sodium borohydride in the 1950s. Conversations with close friends in academia led Dr. Strem to develop an initial set of high-quality, specialty products, including metal carbonyls such as cobalt, chromium and manganese, all produced using high pressure synthesis. The newly formed company quickly earned a name for itself as a provider of high quality products with superior customer service. 

The 1970s – early growth and expansion 

The 1970s saw accelerated breakthroughs in catalysis, especially around organometallics, further fueling Strem Chemicals’ growth. William S. Knowles and Ryōji Noyori made major breakthroughs in asymmetric synthesis. Knowles discovered the asymmetric hydrogenation process (the Monsanto process) using a rhodium-complexed chiral bis-phosphine, and Noyori introduced the famous BINAP ligand system for synthesizing amino acids. 

In the midst of these innovations, Strem Chemicals, which Dr. Strem took independent from Ventron in 1977, was promoting itself as “The Catalyst House.” The catalog included some 300 products by 1972. These included Tetrakis triphenylphosphine palladium, a popular catalyst used in palladium-catalyst coupling reactions, such as Suzuki coupling. Strem Chemicals also offered a range of metal carbonyls, organometallics, metallocenes, ligands, main group compounds and organophosphorus chemicals. 

Strem plant under construction for building expansion

Through personal relationships with leading scientists and academics, Dr. Strem understood the demand for high-purity chemicals for research. Academic researchers need a supplier who can provide highly pure chemicals to achieve consistent, valid and reproducible results. He continued adding high-purity, research grade products to the catalog to meet the need. 

The 1980s-1990s – maturation and specialization 

The 1980s saw a rapid acceleration in demand for highly pure, specialty chemicals for research. Strem Chemicals continued to stay ahead of the curve, adding pure metals, high purity inorganics and electronic-grade chemicals. Strem Chemicals began manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in 1987. Its first API was cis-platin, which became part of one of the first anti-cancer medications.  

Pharmaceutical R&D surged in the 1990s, as effective synthesizing of chiral compounds became a key process in the development of medications. In addition to expanding its APIs, Strem expanded its selection of catalysts and ligands for the pharmaceutical industry. Strem began licensing and manufacturing DuPhos, an organophosphorous compound, as well as BINAP and SEGPHOS technologies, all of which are ligands useful for asymmetric synthesis. Licensing Stephen L. Buchwald’s catalytic process technology allowed Strem to manufacture many Buchwald ligands and catalysts, used heavily in academia and commercial industries. Many of Strem’s pharmaceutical customers were multinational customers, and Michael Strem expanded the firm into international markets, eventually opening a European office in Bischheim, France. These global pharmaceutical companies still source their ligands and catalysts for organic synthesis from the Strem Catalog. 

2000s-2010s – the modern era 

As demand for specialty chemicals continued to evolve in the first two decades of the 21st century, so did Strem Chemicals. The early 2000s saw the first commercial applications of nanotechnology, as well as the discovery of fullerenes and the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes. 

As innovations in materials sciences to support pharmaceutical and microelectronic productions advanced, Strem Catalog continued to innovate. Strem Chemicals acquired exclusive rights to R. Gordon’s metal-amidinate technology, which involves novel organometallic precursors in thin film applications, including microelectronics. Additionally, cobalt carbonyl, Strem Chemicals’ first product, was used for the first time as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursor in microelectronics. Strem Catalog significantly expanded its atomic layer deposition (ALD) and CVD precursors to support innovations in semiconductor manufacturing. 

For academic researchers, having a catalyst listed as a product in the Strem Catalog lent significant distinction and credibility to their discoveries. 

2020s – joining Ascensus Specialties 

Strem Chemicals was acquired by Ascensus Specialties in 2021. In addition to a strong culture fit between Ascensus Specialties and Strem, the organizations had complementary chemistry capabilities and end market applications, as well as a commitment to scientific excellence. Ascensus Specialties brings significant global resources and reach, allowing products from the Strem Catalog, as well as the Strem team’s expertise, to be made available to a broader range of global customers across markets and industries. 

From the time Michael Strem envisioned his business while a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh through the acquisition by Ascensus and beyond, the Strem Catalog has signaled where chemistry is going next. Ascensus Specialties and the Strem Catalog’s team will continue to expand their portfolio of catalysts, ligands, organometallics, metal carbonyls, CVD/ALD precursors and new areas of technology to support scientific discoveries that will change lives. 

Want to learn more about the innovative products that are advancing chemistry research? Explore our product catalog.