Ashland Inc. will acquire Hercules Inc. for $3.3 billion. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. “The acquisition of Hercules fulfills our objective to become a leading specialty chemicals company,” said Ashland chairman and chief executive officer James J. O’Brien. “It creates a defined core for Ashland composed of three specialty chemical businesses with strong market positions and promising global growth potential: specialty additives and ingredients, paper and water ...