J. Rod, Geigy & Cie

« Fabrique de matières colorantes artificielles » (source : Unification des noms des colorants les plus usuels, P. Sisley, 1920, p. 11.)

Geigy possède la seule usine d'extraction de matières colorantes suisse entre la fin du XIXe siècle et le début du XXe siècle : « Johann Rudolf Geigy (1830-1917) was the first man in Basel to make the move from artisanal dyewood milling to the construction of a modern, steam operated plant, and this plant drove the more traditional dyewood grinders out of business. He was the sole owner and the only dyestuff merchant who undertook this decisive step. […] He marketed these extracts in liquid form and as a powder. Between 1884 and 1917, this factory [in Basel], opened in 1858, was the only extract factory in Switzerland. » (source : The transition from natural dyestuffs to synthetic dyestuffs: the case of Basel, 1850-1940, C. Simon, 1999, p. 316-317.)

La production d'aniline par Geigy date de 1859, d'abord dans l'usine qui extrait les matières colorantes naturelles, avant qu'un lieu ne soit dédié à la production de matières colorantes synthétiques en 1862 : « Müller-Pack [manager for Geigy] was the risk-taker who […] immediately in 1859 started aniline dye production. […] As long as Müller was in control of the “Inner” and “Outer” factories, the extract factory (i.e. “the Inner factory”) concerned itself with the processing of dyewood and with yellow berries (rhamnus). Indigo carmine was also part of the product range: he had indigo ground very fine, sulphonated it with Nordhausen oil of vitriol (concentrated sulphuric acid) and neutralized the excess acid with sodium carbonate. The sodium sulphate combined with the indigo sulphanilic acid to form blue flakes. From this a paste with a colour content between 4 and 12 per cent was made, and used as “Indigo carmine” for the dyeing of wool. In the form of the dried trade product, it was called “Indigotin”. Until 1862, Müller manufactured these natural dyes side side by side with aniline dyes in the “Inner Factory”. In 1862, Müller moved the manufacture of aniline colours from the “Inner Factory” to the “Outer Factory”, some hundred metres to the north. » (source : The transition from natural dyestuffs to synthetic dyestuffs: the case of Basel, 1850-1940, C. Simon, 1999, p. 320.)

La famille compte des chimistes, dont Geigy-Schlumberger est le plus connu : « The next generation of the Geigy family [after Müller’s time] had already produced a well-known chemist, Geigy-Schlumberger, who, in the fields of natural dye extract and synthetic dyes, carried out his own research and made his own discoveries. » (source : The transition from natural dyestuffs to synthetic dyestuffs: the case of Basel, 1850-1940, C. Simon, 1999, p. 321.)

Geigy illustre le concomitance de la production de matières colorantes naturelles et synthétiques, l'apogée de l'extraction des premières étant les deux dernières décennies du XIXe siècle : « The extract business reached its high point in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. […] On the one hand, some of the natural dye extracts were still indispensable for the dye works and textile printers, and chemical research had shown them how to make the utmost advantage of the properties of the natural products. On the other hand, the large-scale manufacture of synthetic coal tar dyestuffs and their intermediates required increasing amounts of gallic acid, pyrogallol and gallotannic acid. […] The symbiosis of natural extracts and synthetic dye chemistry was also seen indirectly in cotton dye works. Sumac extract was required for cotton preparation so that it could be dyed with synthetic dyes, specifically with basic aniline dyes. » (source : The transition from natural dyestuffs to synthetic dyestuffs: the case of Basel, 1850-1940, C. Simon, 1999, p. 326.)

Mais, après la Première Guerre mondiale, l'extraction de matières colorantes naturelles s'éteint : « [After WWI] the extract plant had moved away completely from manufacturing dyestuffs; the main products were high-quality tannins, which served for the leather industry and the production of wine. The production of textile auxiliary materials was continued, although it was becoming obvious that they would be replaced by synthetic products as soon as prices fell. » (source : The transition from natural dyestuffs to synthetic dyestuffs: the case of Basel, 1850-1940, C. Simon, 1999, p. 329.)