Nozoe Tetsuo's Chemical Research at Taihoku Imperial Universityin Taiwan and Its Colonial Context

摘要

Nozoe Tetsuo was born in Sendai, one of the major cities in northern Japan, and studiedchemistry at Tohoku Imperial University in that city. Shortly after his graduation in1926, he was sent by his mentor, Majima Riko, a leading organic chemist, to Formosaor Taiwan, then a Japanese colony, to become one of the first professors of chemistry ina colonial Imperial University. While working in Taiwan, Nozoe discovered hinokitiol,the first, seven-membered aromatic compound in oil, extracted from Taiwan hinoki, anative conifer found in high mountainous areas in Taiwan. The paper will analyze andsituate Nozoe's research in its colonial context, especially the role played by the ImperialUniversity's Faculty of Science and Agriculture in Nozoe's work.