A history of modern chemistry

Hirota, Noboru 1936- (author.).

Summary: "Noboru Hirota has produced a major historical analysis of how the field of chemistry has evolved over centuries. Spanning more than eight hundred pages, this book presents an exhaustive study of the field, showing how ground-breaking discoveries were made and innovative theories were constructed, with personal portrayals and interesting anecdotes of pioneering scholars. Positioning chemistry carefully within the natural sciences, the author rejects the traditional separation of physics, chemistry and biology, defines chemistry broadly as the science of atoms and molecules, and traces its dynamic history with an emphasis on 20th century developments and more recent findings. Professor Hirota himself has spearheaded research in physical chemistry for more than four decades in Japan and the United States, with cutting-edge engagement with magnetic resonance, spectroscopy, and photochemistry. This publication invites specialized researchers to traverse the pathways along which the subject developed into its present form and to understand how their own research fits into the broad scope of science as a whole"--Publisher's website.

Record details

ISBN: 9781920901141
ISBN: 1920901140
Physical Description: print
xx, 788 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm
Publisher: Victoria, Australia : Trans Pacific Press ; 2016.

Content descriptions

General Note:	"This publication is a translation of the book entitles Gendai Kagakusi (A History of Modern Chemistry) published by Kyoto University Press in 2013."
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Formatted Contents Note:	Machine generated contents note: What is chemistry? -- Why a history of modern chemistry? -- 1. road to modern chemistry -- Chemistry up to the 18th century: The dawn of atomic and molecular science -- 1.1. Ancient Origins of Chemistry -- 1.2. Development of Pneumatic Chemistry -- Column 1 Priestley and the quest to fuse science and theology -- 1.3. Lavoisier and the Chemical Revolution -- Column 2 Giant of Chemistry-and a Gifted Bureaucrat: Lavoisier and his Remarkable Wife -- 1.4. Chemistry and Society in the 18th Century -- References -- 2. development of modern chemistry -- Chemistry in the 19th century: The establishment of the concepts of atoms and molecules and the specialization of the discipline into subfields -- 2.1. Atomic theory and the determination of atomic weights -- 2.2. birth of electrochemistry and its impact on chemistry -- Column 3 Davy, Faraday, and the Royal Institution -- 2.3. birth of organic chemistry and the confusion surrounding atoms and molecules -- 2.4. establishment and development of organic chemistry -- 2.5. periodic law of the elements -- 2.6. Advances in analytical chemistry and inorganic chemistry -- 2.7. Thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of gas molecules -- 2.8. birth and growth of physical chemistry -- Column 4 Arrhenius and Global Warming -- Column 5 Pockets and Lord Rayleigh -- 2.9. Organic chemistry of natural products -- 2.10. road to the birth of biochemistry -- 2.11. education of chemists -- Column 6 Liebig and the remaking of chemistry education -- 2.12. Chemical industries in the 19th century -- 2.13. introduction of modern chemistry to Japan -- Column 7 Hikorokuro Yoshida and Research on Urushi Japanese Lacquer -- References -- 3. revolution in physics from the end of the 19' century to the early 20th century -- X-rays, radioactivity, discovery of the electron, and quantum chemistry -- 3.1. Discovery of the Electron -- 3.2. Discovery of X-rays and Early Research -- Column 8 Lawrence Bragg and the Cavendish Laboratory -- 3.3. Discovery of Radioactivity and Isotopes -- Column 9 Curies -- 3.4. Atom as a Reality -- 3.5. Advent of the Quantum Theory -- 3.6. Structure of the Atom and Quantum Theory -- 3.7. Emergence of Quantum Mechanics and Chemistry -- References -- 4. Chemistry in the first half of the 20th century -- maturation and expansion of the science of atoms and molecules -- 4.1. Characteristics of Chemistry in the First Half of the 20" Century -- 4.2. Physical Chemistry (I): Chemical Thermodynamics and Solution Chemistry -- 4.3. Physical Chemistry (II): Chemical Bond Theory and Molecular Structure Theory -- Column 10 Feud between G.N. Lewis and Langmuir -- Column 11 J.D. Bernal: The Legacy and Complexity of the Sage of Science -- 4.4. Physical Chemistry (III): Chemical Reaction Theory and the Development of Colloid and Surface Chemistry -- 4.5. Birth of Nuclear and Radiochemistry -- Column 12 Contributions of Hahn and Meitner to the Discovery of Nuclear Fission -- 4.6. Analytical Chemistry -- 4.7. Inorganic chemistry -- Column 13 Masataka Ogawa and nipponium -- 4.8. Organic chemistry (I): The birth of physical organic chemistry and polymer chemistry, and the development of synthetic chemistry -- 4.9. Organic chemistry (II): Organic chemistry of natural products and foundation of biochemistry -- 4.10. Establishment and development of biochemistry: Dynamic biochemistry -- Column 14 Sumner's indomitable fighting spirit and controversy over the nature of enzymes -- 4.11. Development of applied chemistry -- Column 15 Haber's glories and tragedies -- 4.12. Chemistry in Japan -- Column 16 Gen'itsu Kita and the formation of the Kyoto School -- 4.13. Chemistry and society -- References -- 5. Chemistry in the second half of the 20th century (I) -- Advances in the observation, analysis, and fabrication of molecules -- 5.1. Overall trends -- situation in Japan -- Characteristic features of the science of chemistry in the second half of the 20th century -- 5.2. Progress in observational, measurement, and analytical techniques and the maturation of structural chemistry -- Progress in methods of structural analysis: Structural determination via diffraction techniques -- Dramatic progress in microscopy techniques: Direct observation of cells and surface atoms and molecules -- Column 17 Dorothy Hodgkin and the structural determination of complex molecules -- Advances in optical microscopy -- Column 18 life of Osamu Shimomura and the discovery of GFP: A wealth of serendipitous blessings -- emergence of lasers and the development of molecular spectroscopy: Observations of molecular structure and electronic state -- development of electron spectroscopy techniques: Observing the inner shells of atoms and the configurations of surfaces -- Magnetic resonance methods: Spectroscopic techniques that use spin as a probe -- Column 19 Lauterbur and the birth of MRI -- Progress in methods of separation and analysis -- 5.3. Advances in theoretical and computational chemistry: Understanding and predicting chemical phenomena -- Computational quantum chemistry -- Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics -- 5.4. increasing precision of chemical reaction studies -- Experimental studies of reaction rates and reaction intermediaries -- Observation of short-lived species and studies of fast reactions -- Dynamics of elemental reactions -- Dynamics of excited molecules -- Photochemistry -- Advances in reaction theory -- Surface reactions and catalytic reactions -- 5.5. Discovery and synthesis of new substances -- New elements and new material groups -- New synthetic methods for organic compounds -- Synthesis of naturally-occurring organic compounds -- Column 20 Woodward: A prodigal organic chemist -- Column 21 Research on the fugu pufferfish and the competition surrounding its structural determination -- Supramolecular chemistry (guest-host chemistry) -- Fullerenes: A new type of carbon compound -- 5.6. chemistry of functional and physical properties: The foundations of materials science -- New functional materials -- Electrically conducting substances -- Magnetism and magnetic materials -- Optical properties -- 5.7. Chemistry of the Earth, the atmosphere, and outer space -- chemistry of the Earth and its environment -- chemistry of outer space -- origins of life -- References -- 6. Chemistry in the second half of the 20th century (II) -- understanding of the phenomena of life based on molecules -- 6.1. Birth of molecular biology and structural biology -- Road to structural analysis of DNA -- Column 22 Linus Pauling's successes and failures -- Structural analysis of proteins and the birth of structural biology -- 6.2. Development of biochemistry (I): Chemistry of DNA and RNA -- Transcription and translation of DNA information -- Replication, repair, and lifetime of DNA -- Column 23 Mullis, an unusual chemist, and the development of PCR -- Manipulating and sequencing nucleic acid -- Sequencing nucleic acid -- Column 24 Sanger, the two-time Nobel laureate in Chemistry -- Functions of RNA and synthesis and degradation of proteins -- 6.3. Development of biochemistry (II): Enzymes, metabolism and molecular physiology -- Elucidating enzyme structures and reaction mechanisms -- Developments in metabolic research and their impact -- Biological membranes and membrane transport -- In vivo electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation -- Column 25 Mitchell, the man who built a laboratory on his own -- Photosynthesis -- Signaling -- Immunity and gene rearrangement -- Reference -- 7. Chemistry from the 20th century into the future -- 7.1. 20th century chemistry and the Nobel Prize -- 20th-century chemistry through the lens of the Nobel Prize in chemistry -- Pauling's predictions and chemistry in the second half of the 20th century -- 7.2. Chemistry at the dawn of the 21st century -- changing climate surrounding the practice of science -- current status of chemistry-and the challenges it faces -- What are the big questions in chemistry? -- 7.3. future of chemistry-and what we can expect from it -- Reference.
Funding Information Note:	Translation and production of the book was supported by a Grant-in Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) No. 266007
Language Note:	Text in English, translated from the original Japanese.