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.

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Awards

Chosen as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2017 by Choice Magazine!!

In addition, the Choice subject editors have chosen "A History of Modern Chemistry" as one of their top favorite 25 titles!

About Editors and Authors

HIROTA Noboru is Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University. He specializes in chemistry and physical chemistry. He graduated from the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, in 1959 and completed his PhD at Washington University in 1963. After working at the University of Chicago and the State University of New York in the United States, he went on to become Professor in the Faculty of Science at Kyoto University in 1975. He retired from Kyoto University in 2001 and was appointed to his current position.

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