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Fluorine chemistry in Japan (1952–)
Journal of Fluorine Chemistry 105 (2000) 179
Fluorine chemistry in Japan (1952±) Yoshiro Kobayashia,*, Takashi Abeb a
Tokyo University of Pharmacy & Life Science, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan b National Industrial Research Institute of Nagoya, Hirate-cho, Kita-ku, Nagoya 462-8510, Japan
Abstract The history of ¯uorine chemistry in Japan and the internationalization of the Japanese ¯uorine chemistry is brie¯y described. # 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. Keywords: Fluorine chemistry; Japan; Internationalization
It is generally accepted that the development of ¯uorine chemistry has been exploited by the military requirement for the nuclear technologies in the US and the European countries. However, ¯uorine chemistry in Japan has been developed, independent from such background, as one of the basic and general scienti®c technologies. Before World War II, there was no remarkable academic outcome of Japanese ¯uorine chemistry. However, an episode has been known as a bud of ¯uorine chemical industry in Japan, when in 1935 Daikin Co. succeeded in the synthesis of CFC12. Immediately, it was tested on request from Japanese Imperial Navy as the refrigerant instead of ammonia for the Japanese new model submarine `I go 171'. During War, CFC12 was made as much as 120 t [1]. After the war, the study of ¯uorine chemistry was initiated at the Government Industrial Institute of Nagoya in the ®eld of organic chemistry and also at the Kyoto University, but in the ®eld of inorganic one. Consequently, several researchers from academic and industrial ®eld started the study on ¯uorine chemistry by considering it as one of the prospective and unexplored area of chemistry. Many researchers have developed their ¯uorine chemistry independently. The meeting for the interchange of the ¯uorine chemists
*
was organized by the effort of Late Prof. Nobuo Ishikawa (1926±1991) and Prof. Nobuatu Watanabe. As a result, the first Fluorine Conference of Japan was held in Tokyo in 1972 and since then this conference has been held regularly. Thus, the fluorine chemistry was considered as one of the fields of chemistry. In 1976, the 8th International Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry was held in Kyoto which was organized by Prof. Watanabe and Prof. Ishikawa. This was the first time when a symposium on fluorine chemistry was held outside the advanced countries (like the USA, Russia, and European countries). With this as a start, Late Prof. Ishikawa made a track for the internationalization of Japanese fluorine chemistry and as a consequence several bilateral meetings came to be held with Soviet and Chinese fluorine chemists. In 1990, Japan Society for the Promotion Science, the 155th Committee on Fluorine Chemistry has been constituted by the effort of Prof. Emer. Watanabe of Kyoto University In 1994, the 14th International Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry was held in Yokohama, Japan. Reference [1] H. Suzuki, Kagaku (Chemistry) 48 (1993) 470.
Corresponding author.
0022-1139/00/$ ± see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 0 2 2 - 1 1 3 9 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 2 6 8 - 2
Fluorine chemistry in Japan (1952±) Yoshiro Kobayashia,*, Takashi Abeb a
Tokyo University of Pharmacy & Life Science, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan b National Industrial Research Institute of Nagoya, Hirate-cho, Kita-ku, Nagoya 462-8510, Japan
Abstract The history of ¯uorine chemistry in Japan and the internationalization of the Japanese ¯uorine chemistry is brie¯y described. # 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. Keywords: Fluorine chemistry; Japan; Internationalization
It is generally accepted that the development of ¯uorine chemistry has been exploited by the military requirement for the nuclear technologies in the US and the European countries. However, ¯uorine chemistry in Japan has been developed, independent from such background, as one of the basic and general scienti®c technologies. Before World War II, there was no remarkable academic outcome of Japanese ¯uorine chemistry. However, an episode has been known as a bud of ¯uorine chemical industry in Japan, when in 1935 Daikin Co. succeeded in the synthesis of CFC12. Immediately, it was tested on request from Japanese Imperial Navy as the refrigerant instead of ammonia for the Japanese new model submarine `I go 171'. During War, CFC12 was made as much as 120 t [1]. After the war, the study of ¯uorine chemistry was initiated at the Government Industrial Institute of Nagoya in the ®eld of organic chemistry and also at the Kyoto University, but in the ®eld of inorganic one. Consequently, several researchers from academic and industrial ®eld started the study on ¯uorine chemistry by considering it as one of the prospective and unexplored area of chemistry. Many researchers have developed their ¯uorine chemistry independently. The meeting for the interchange of the ¯uorine chemists
*
was organized by the effort of Late Prof. Nobuo Ishikawa (1926±1991) and Prof. Nobuatu Watanabe. As a result, the first Fluorine Conference of Japan was held in Tokyo in 1972 and since then this conference has been held regularly. Thus, the fluorine chemistry was considered as one of the fields of chemistry. In 1976, the 8th International Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry was held in Kyoto which was organized by Prof. Watanabe and Prof. Ishikawa. This was the first time when a symposium on fluorine chemistry was held outside the advanced countries (like the USA, Russia, and European countries). With this as a start, Late Prof. Ishikawa made a track for the internationalization of Japanese fluorine chemistry and as a consequence several bilateral meetings came to be held with Soviet and Chinese fluorine chemists. In 1990, Japan Society for the Promotion Science, the 155th Committee on Fluorine Chemistry has been constituted by the effort of Prof. Emer. Watanabe of Kyoto University In 1994, the 14th International Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry was held in Yokohama, Japan. Reference [1] H. Suzuki, Kagaku (Chemistry) 48 (1993) 470.
Corresponding author.
0022-1139/00/$ ± see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 0 2 2 - 1 1 3 9 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 2 6 8 - 2