E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ( ofen DuPont ) is an American chemical company . EleuthÃ re IrÃ nÃ e du Pont founded it in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill . E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont , is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by EleuthÃ re IrÃ nÃ e du Pont .