Igniting the Chemical Ring of Fire

Historical Evolution of the Chemical Communities of the Pacific Rim

From the rise of chemical technology in antiquity to the present day, Igniting the Chemical Ring of Fire tracks the development of professional chemistry communities in the countries of the Pacific Rim. Critical in this process was the development of local education and training in chemistry. The doctorate in chemistry is generally regarded as coming into existence in early 19th century Germany, with the model spreading globally as time passed. In early years it was common for international chemistry scholars to train at the ranking German or English universities before returning to their home countries to seed a local version of the doctorate. However, little has been formally written about this process outside of Europe.

Representing a first in the field for countries of the Pacific Rim, this book documents the detailed history of chemical communities in ten countries from a team of internationally renowned historians. Providing insights into how and when these countries initiated local chemistry PhD programs and became independent chemical entities, Igniting the Chemical Ring of Fire shows that there is no single path to development.

Contents:

• Preface

• About the Editor

• Introduction: The Pacific Rim — From Early Chemical Technology to Independent Local Chemical Communities (Seth C Rasmussen)

• Australia:

  • Vehicles for the Discussion of Chemistry in Early 19th Century Sydney (Tony T Baker)
  • Australian Chemists Crossing the Pacific to the Promised Land (Ian D Rae)

• Canada:

  • Chemistry in Canada: 1720–2017 (Thomas Tidwell)

• China:

  • History of the Modern Chemistry Doctoral Program in Mainland China (Vera V Mainz)

• Japan:

  • International Relations of the Japanese Chemical Community (Yoshiyuki Kikuchi)
  • Gen-itsu Kita and the Kyoto School's Formation (Yasu Furukawa)

• Korea:

  • A Short Story of Chemistry in South Korea (Choon H Do)
  • A History of the Korean Chemical Society (Gary Patterson)

• New Zealand:

  • The Development of Chemistry in New Zealand (Brian Halton)

• Russia:

  • High Creativity, Historical Invisibility: The Growth of Chemistry in Russia (David E Lewis)

• Taiwan:

  • Development of the Natural Products Chemistry by Tetsuo Nozoe in Taiwan (Masanori Kaji)

• United States:

  • Impact of the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant College Act on Chemistry Education in the United States (Roger Egolf)
  • The Professionalization of American Chemistry: How the German PhD Model Crossed the Atlantic (Ned D Heindel, Jeffrey L Sturchio, and James J Bohning)

• Vietnam:

  • History of Vietnamese Chemistry from Decolonization to the 21st Century (Pham Thi Ngoc Mai, Nguyen Thi Anh Huong, Pham Tien Duc, Hoang Quoc Anh, and Ta Thi Thao)

• Index

Readership: Scientists, students and chemical historians alike will enjoy discovering these untold stories that travel from Canada to Australia, China to Japan and more.
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