Goodwill and Other Intangibles Changes in Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	$ 1,540,032	$ 1,460,552
Reclass from/to assets held for sale	(14,422)	6,586
Foreign currency translation adjustments	110,896	(38,955)
Goodwill, Ending Balance	1,610,355	1,540,032
All Other
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	6,586	0
Reclass from/to assets held for sale	0	6,586
Foreign currency translation adjustments	0	0
Goodwill, Ending Balance	6,586	6,586
Reportable Segments \| Lithium and Advanced Materials
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	1,348,261	1,267,505
Reclass from/to assets held for sale	(14,422)	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments	88,452	(31,093)
Goodwill, Ending Balance	1,396,140	1,348,261
Reportable Segments \| Bromine Specialties
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	20,319	20,319
Reclass from/to assets held for sale	0	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments	0	0
Goodwill, Ending Balance	20,319	20,319
Reportable Segments \| Refining Solutions
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	164,866	172,728
Reclass from/to assets held for sale	0	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments	22,444	(7,862)
Goodwill, Ending Balance	187,310	164,866
Rockwood Holdings, Inc.
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions		(1,706)
Rockwood Holdings, Inc. \| All Other
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions		0
Rockwood Holdings, Inc. \| Reportable Segments \| Lithium and Advanced Materials
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions		(1,706)
Rockwood Holdings, Inc. \| Reportable Segments \| Bromine Specialties
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions		0
Rockwood Holdings, Inc. \| Reportable Segments \| Refining Solutions
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions		0
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions	(26,151)	113,555
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd. \| All Other
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions	0	0
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd. \| Reportable Segments \| Lithium and Advanced Materials
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions	(26,151)	113,555
Goodwill, Ending Balance	83,100
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd. \| Reportable Segments \| Bromine Specialties
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions	0	0
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd. \| Reportable Segments \| Refining Solutions
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Acquisitions	$ 0	$ 0

Amount after accumulated impairment loss of an asset representing future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 350
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35741047&loc=d3e13816-109267

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 350
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6388280&loc=d3e13770-109266

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 350
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 5
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77989000&loc=SL49117168-202975

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+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 10
-Section 25
-Paragraph 16
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84229725&loc=d3e961-128460

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Paragraph 1
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35741047&loc=d3e13816-109267

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