Business Roundup

Thomas M. Connelly will assume responsibility for DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies from Craig G. Naylor, who is retiring at the end of 2006 after 36 years of service. Connelly will retain responsibility for DuPont Bio-Based Materials and for the firm's R&D efforts.

VioQuest Pharmaceuticals is exploring the sale of its Chiral Quest subsidiary, a provider of chiral chemistry products and services. Chiral Quest says it had $3.8 million in 2005 sales, more than double 2004.

PTT Polyethylene has awarded Toyo Engineering a contract to build a 1 million-metric-ton-per-year gas-fed ethylene cracker at Map Ta Phut in Rayong province, Thailand. Scheduled to open in October 2009, the plant will feed polyethylene units that PTT is also building.

Airgas is building an air separation plant in Carrollton, Ky., to supply a Dow Corning facility there with gaseous nitrogen. The plant, which will also serve other regional customers, will have capacity for 350 metric tons per day of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon when it is completed in 2008.

Cayman Chemical has acquired NeraPharm, a Czech maker of therapeutic prostaglandins, for about $6 million. Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Cayman says NeraPharm will add drug synthesis skills to its biomedical research products platform.

Chemtura has agreed, subject to court approval, to pay $51 million to settle the federal class-action lawsuit against it involving rubber chemicals. Chemtura says it has now resolved more than 90% of its U.S. rubber chemicals claims.