Comparative Studies on Japanese Chemistry from the 1930s to 1960s as a Turning Point of Chemistry in Japan

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24300295
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: KAJI Masanori 東京工業大学, 社会理工学研究科, 教授 (00211839)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): UCHIDA Masao 和光大学, 総合文化研究所, 助教 (20100406) ; YATSUMIMI Toshifumi 青山学院大学, 現代教養学科, 教授 (30220172) ; KOHNO Toshiya 東京大学, 大学院教育学研究科, 教育学研究員 (40600060) ; FURUKAWA Yasu 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 教授 (60181450) ; OHNO Makoto 愛知県立大学, 外国語学部, 教授 (60233227) ; TANAKA Hiroaki 東京電機大学, 工学部, 教授 (70240900) ; TSUKAHARA Togo 神戸大学, 大学院国際文化学研究科, 教授 (80266353) ; YOSHIMOTO Hideyuki 東京外国語大学, 大学院総合国際学研究院, 教授 (90202407) ; WADA Masanori 東京工業大学, 大学院社会理工学研究科, 東工大特別研究員 (10724990) ; KIKUCHI Yoshiyuki 総合研究大学院大学, 学融合推進センター, 准教授 (70456341)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 日本科学史 / 化学史 / 20世紀 / 比較科学史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The years between the 1920s and the 1960s saw a transformation of chemistry in several aspects. These included the development of biochemistry, polymer chemistry, quantum chemistry, and computational chemistry, as well as the instrumental revolution. Chemistry was greatly influenced by World War II and the Cold War. These years also saw developments in Japanese chemistry. In addition to historical studies on three important fields of chemistry, namely organic chemistry, inorganic and geochemistry and polymer chemistry in Japan by the members of this project, the international workshop “Transformation of Chemistry from the 1920s to the 1960s” was held to stimulate a discussion of the transformation of chemistry in Japan and/or in the world during the period with comparative perspectives. In the workshop 22 papers was read by 9 Japanese and 13 historians from abroad with three keynote lectures by prominent historians of chemistry from overseas.

Free Research Field

科学史