On the Instrumental Revolution in Chemistry:Retrospect and Prospect

摘要

Chemistry has experienced several transformations for centuries.In the eighteenth century,there was a transition from”chymistry”to chemistry.1’In the mid-nineteenth century,organic chemistry was changed.Advances in experimental techniques and new theoretical insights drove this shift.This change paved the way for modern organic chemistry.Alan J.Rocke portrayed the transformation as the Quiet Revolution^ Subsequently,the 1920s to 1960s were a period of transformation in chemistry under the influences of quantum physics.In the 1930s,chemists introduced physical methods with X-rays or electrons to investigate the structures of molecules and chemical reactions.Then,after World War II’the Instrumental Revolution occurred.