America 1919-Chapter 938 - 320, DuPont_2 taking the initiative to visit

"The patent for vinyl acetylene indeed belongs to our company!"

Then he explained the specifics to Donnie.

It turned out that not long ago, Professor Newland from Notre Dame University in New York had made significant advances in the field of synthetic rubber. Utilizing copper as a medium, Dr. Newland extracted a yellow oil-like liquid from acetylene, which was dyed vinyl acetylene.

"According to our company’s research, if hydrochloric gas is extracted from salt and then added to vinyl acetylene, it would result in a substance with sufficient elasticity and flexibility. Moreover, this substance could replace natural rubber.

However, this research is still incomplete, so the company decided to wait until the research is completely successful before informing your boss!"

Donnie understood well that in this era, technological development represents a company’s potential. Thus, he decided to collaborate with MIT and invest in various research labs there.

During this period, when Donnie chatted with Robert, Café Jackson, and others, he also mentioned that the investments shouldn’t focus solely on MIT; it was necessary to collaborate with more schools, seek out their latest technological patents, and purchase them.

Even if they don’t conduct research themselves, they could still leverage these patents for partnerships with other companies!

Thus came the research labs under Venus Bank’s investment department!

Donnie hadn’t expected that this venture would yield results so quickly.

Through Bobby Mozelle’s analysis, Donnie also recalled this matter.

The development of the automobile industry had driven growth in numerous sectors, with the impact on the rubber industry being particularly significant. Statistics showed that in 1918, the United States had a rubber consumption of only 160,000 tons, but by 1920, it skyrocketed to 600,000 tons.

The increase in rubber consumption had created a domestic shortage of natural rubber in the United States, even with efforts to boost supply.

Thus, the United States began importing more rubber, which presented an opportunity to the United Kingdom, controlling Malaysia. The UK started limiting rubber export quantities to create a larger market gap.

Rubber prices surged from the original 20 cents to 1 US Dollar per pound.

This outcome was certainly undesirable for automobile manufacturers.

As a result, numerous chemical companies in the United States began researching substitutes for natural rubber.

Dupont Corporation was no exception. They hired Dr. Alma Bolton, a Harvard graduate who had studied in Germany, to lead this project.

During Alma Bolton’s research, she discovered Newland’s breakthrough results.

When Dupont Corporation approached Dr. Newland to purchase the patent, they found to their surprise that the patent had been bought by Donnie’s Venus Bank!

With no other option, Irene DuPont had to find Donnie to try and acquire it.

What Irene DuPont hadn’t anticipated was that Donnie’s side had already developed practical uses for vinyl acetylene. At this point, Irene DuPont revealed a helpless expression.

As mentioned earlier, the DuPont Family typically collaborated with foreign companies for research in the chemical field, then acquired all the results for themselves once they were finalized.

In practice, they leveraged the DuPont Family’s influence in the United States to ensure that those foreign companies couldn’t compete with them domestically.

But now, they encountered Donnie, a figure whose influence in the United States rivaled that of the DuPont Family!

"Mr. DuPont, I believe the price of natural rubber has risen to 1.2 US Dollars per pound now, hasn’t it?"

Donnie sat there with a smile on his face, clearly delighted by an unexpected windfall today.

Irene DuPont responded with a bitter smile, saying, "Mr. Block, although the application for vinyl acetylene is now understood, to actually achieve its mass production as chemical rubber, even our company, with its specialized laboratories and research personnel, still has a long way to go. As for your company, I don’t mean to exaggerate, but you likely won’t succeed in research within at least five years!"

Donnie glanced at Bobby Mozelle, who discreetly nodded to him.

Receiving Bobby Mozelle’s signal, Donnie nonchalantly said, "Even if we can’t do it ourselves, we can always collaborate with other companies. I’m sure this technology will interest not only chemical companies but also automobile manufacturers!"

Irene DuPont remarked, "But I can assure you, Mr. Block, that no company in the entire United States can compare to Dupont in this field."

Donnie laughed and said, "So, Mr. DuPont, are you suggesting that we collaborate?"

Irene DuPont chuckled bitterly again, saying, "Mr. Block, knowing the capabilities of vinyl acetylene, would you still be willing to sell it?"

Donnie shook his head and said, "Of course not!"

Irene DuPont said, "Exactly, so collaboration between us would be mutually beneficial!"

To Irene DuPont, the terms were sufficient. Though unable to dominate this deal entirely, Donnie’s capabilities were undeniable. More importantly, the subsidiaries under Venus Bank had no chemical companies, meaning Donnie couldn’t directly compete with the DuPont Family in the chemical domain.