ASHLAND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY AND E-CHEMICALS INC. ANNOUNCE MAJOR ALLIANCE

e-Chemicals Inc.tribution Company, the largest distributor of chemicals and plastics in North America, and <%=company%>, the leading online chemical marketplace, today jointly announced an industry-first alliance that includes offering the majority of products distributed by e-Chemicals Inc.tribution's Industrial Chemicals and Solvents (IC&S) Division through www.e-chemicals.com. The terms of the alliance include an undisclosed equity investment by Ashland in e-Chemicals, and a commitment by both parties to engage in joint marketing activities to facilitate adoption of this channel among the targeted customer base.

Customers will be able to order chemical products distributed by Ashland's IC&S division through e-Chemicals beginning Dec. 1st when about 500 products will be listed for sale on www.e-chemicals.com. The product offering will expand to include about 2,500 e-Chemicals Inc.tributed products by spring of 2000.

In making the announcement, Peter M. Bokach, president of e-Chemicals Inc.tribution Company, said: "Our alliance with e-Chemicals is part of our integrated strategy to leverage e-commerce and the Internet to meet the diverse needs of customers. e-Chemicals provides targeted customers with an online marketplace in contrast to Ashland's own customized Internet ordering capabilities which will be available in early 2000. In addition, Ashland will continue to provide its online customers with the high level of quality, products, service and delivery they have come to expect from Ashland," Bokach concluded.

Mike Efting, president of e-Chemicals, said: "We are extremely pleased that e-Chemicals Inc.tribution chose e-Chemicals as an online partner for industrial chemicals. This alliance with one of the industry's largest, most well respected distributors expands customer options and highlights the increasing recognition among producers and distributors of the value of a truly neutral online
marketplace."

About e-Chemicals Inc.tribution
The IC&S Division is a leading North American distributor of more than 7,000 chemicals, solvents, additives and raw materials to industries as diverse as paint and coatings; adhesives; printing inks; plastics compounding; chemical manufacturing; metalworking lubricants; and household, industrial and institutional cleaning products. In addition, the division's Environmental Services business offers customers solutions to their chemical disposal or recovery needs by providing complete arrangements for pick-up, transportation, recycling, treatment and disposal, or solvent recovery. e-Chemicals Inc.tribution Company, a division of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH), is the largest distributor of chemicals, plastics, and fiber reinforcements in North America, a leading distributor of fine ingredients in North America, and a leading Pan-European distributor of plastics. e-Chemicals Inc.tribution has 100 distribution centers serving North America and Europe. Visit our Internet web site at www.ashdist.com to learn more about these operations.

About e-Chemicals
e-Chemicals Inc. is the leading provider of e-commerce solutions to the chemical industry. Launched in 1998, www.e-chemicals.com offers an integrated solution that allows buyers to select a product, get a price, order and track shipments online. e-Chemicals also provides customized e-commerce-based procurement solutions that provide machine-to-machine connectivity and dramatically streamline the procurement process. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., e-Chemicals is a partner company of Internet Capital Group (Nasdaq: ICGE), a holding company of more than 40 partner organizations committed to being the world leader in each of its industry segments

Contacts:
Deborah Lewis, e-Chemicals 734/214.0550 dlewis@e-chemicals.com
Stacie Noel, e-Chemicals Inc.tribution Company 614/790.3446 snoel@ashland.com