Around 1917,Ammonia Casale SA Italian chemist Luigi Casale[aut]Casale, Luigi took up the study of synthetic ammonia at two electrochemical factories engaged in serving the Italian war effort. He was backed by the French-American entrepreneur René Leprestre[aut]Leprestre, René who was involved with one of the factories, located in an old ironworks in the city of Terni. There, Casale developed the first viable alternative to the Haber–Bosch process. Casale employed a much higher pressure, which brought about an increase in the yield, and gave directly a liquid, anhydrous ammonia. His company, Ammonia Casale SAAmmonia Casale SA (Ammonia Casale Société Anonyme), located in Lugano, Switzerland, was founded in 1921 jointly with Leprestre. Unlike BASF, Ammonia Casale licensed its process. As a result, Ammonia Casale takes pride of place as the first engineering contractor that engaged in the development of the global synthetic ammonia industry. By 1923, Casale converters were producing ammonia in Japan and Europe. In that year, plans were drawn up for a manufacturing facility in the United States. While Casale’s technology was outstanding, the relationship between Casale and Leprestre was less so. Relations soured dramatically, as evidenced by the correspondence between Luigi Casale[aut]Casale, Luigi and his wife Maria Sacchi[aut]Sacchi, Maria Rosa. Casale, Maria Rosa Sacchi-Casale while he was traveling on business. This and the two following chapters serve as the first full biography of Luigi Casale’s industrial career.