The Jones-Blair Co. announced an agreement to sell the majority of the company's operating assets to a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Professional Paint Inc. for an undisclosed purchase price.

William D. Emmons, retired director of Research for Rohm and Haas Company's Polymers, Resins and Monomers business and its Pioneering Research exploratory unit, died December 8, 2001, following a brief illness. He was 77.

Littlejohn & Co., a private investment firm based in Greenwich, CT, has acquired Eliokem, the former North American and European specialty chemicals businesses of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.

Lyondell Chemical Co. announced an agreement in principle to acquire Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s 29.5% stake in Equistar Chemicals LP.

Neville Chemical Co., Pittsburgh, has appointed D.N. Lukens Inc., Westboro, MA, distributor of Neville Chemical's hydrocarbon resins product line.

Major suppliers of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments are taking actions to raise prices in an effort to reverse what one industry source called "catastrophic" price erosion over the past year due to economic downturns worldwide and the impact on TiO2 demand.

DuPont Co., Wilmington, DE, announced the launch of a website devoted to the company's history as part of activities related to its 200th anniversary.

The National Paint & Coatings Association has appealed a court decision upholding coatings-VOC limits imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SC AQMD).

In a decision hailed by an advocacy group as a victory for the plaintiffs, Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein ruled that the state's attorney general can proceed with a lawsuit against former suppliers of lead-based paint and lead pigments.

ExxonMobil Chemical announced an agreement to acquire Solutia Inc.'s 50% stake in Advanced Elastomer Systems, a partnership business of ExxonMobil Chemical and Solutia.