In 1926 Matheson Gas Products became the first company to offer a reliable source of high quality scientific gases and equipment. From the start, Matheson asserted its leadership by understanding specialty gas applications and providing products specially designed for these applications. Some of Matheson's more notable accomplishments include the development of the lecture bottle, now used by virtually every major college and university in the world, and the supply of ultra pure gases that served as standards for the first gas chromatographs. Matheson's gases also helped forge the most important tool of our era, the integrated circuit. From the early days of the transistor, Matheson was there providing the arsine and phosphine that made production possible. As transistors gave way to complex semiconductor chips, Matheson provided the world's first commercially produced silane, an accomplishment that earned the industry's prestigious "SEMMY" Award. In 1999 Matheson Gas Products merged with Tri-Gas, Inc., to form Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. This merger combined the analytical and semiconductor strengths of Matheson Gas Products with the liquid/bulk and industrial cylinder and equipment capabilities of Tri-Gas. As a member of the Tokyo based Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC), Matheson Tri-Gas甶s part of the world's largest supplier of gases and gas handling equipment.