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Sigma-Aldrich Corp

A maker of chemicals and lab supplies for scientists, Sigma-Aldrich sells hundreds of thousands of research chemicals, biochemicals and equipment used in drug development, genomics and more. It began as two rival firms—Sigma Chemical, born in a St. Louis lab in 1945 making saccharin during wartime shortages, and Aldrich Chemical, started in 1951 by Harvard chemist Alfred Bader in a Milwaukee garage. The two merged in 1975, and Bader's partner named Aldrich after his mother's maiden name.