History of Organic Chemistry in the Field of Pharmaceuticals-Agrochemicals until the End of 20th Century in Japan Part 4 : Prominent Organic Chemists in the Field of Agricultural Sciences in the 20th Century

Abstract

In this paper, as the sequel to Part 3 of the series, the progress of research on organic chemistry in the field of agricultural sciences, in particular agricultural chemistry, is overviewed. The Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (JSBBA), founded by Umetaro Suzuki in 1924, will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary. The Pesticide Science Society of Japan (PSSJ), founded in 1975, will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. In the 20th century, JSBBA and PSSJ have actively conducted organic chemical research focusing on natural product chemistry, and have made significant contributions not only to agricultural sciences, but also to medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Here, the authors focus on the field of agrochemicals and touch on the histories of JSBBA and PSSJ. In the process, they mention their predecessors who have contributed to organic chemical research, mainly in the fields of natural product chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, and pesticide chemistry.