An analysis is provided both of the change in numbers of members of the Mineralogical Society of Japan, and of papers presented at the annual Meetings of the Society during the lifetime of the Society, from 1952 to 1982 (Fig. 1). It is noticeable that very little change has occurred in these numbers in the last decade by contrast particularly with the decade prior to 1972. The period 1962-1972 was clearly quite different in character : associated with a rapid expansion in the influence of the subject and its contribution to Geology and other subjects. A very similar effect is noticeable in the development of Mineralogy not only in Japan but also in the USA and in Europe. This analysis suggests that it is now time to take active steps to promote Mineralogy further. This may be achieved in three ways. Firstly there should be active exchange of both ideas and personnel between Universities, Research Institutes and Private Companies. Secondly young scientists should be strongly encouraged to be innovative in research, and to study widely among the physical Sciences. There is clearly a need for special financial support for such innovative research studies. Finally an effort should be made to improve and expand the education of students in all aspects of Mineralogy.

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The characteristic feature of mineral structures strongly depends not only on the space symmetry, but also on the bonding relation of them. The implication of graph theoretical approach for understanding the mineral structures on the above view point is discussed with special refence to three dimensioanl frameworks of tectosilicates.

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Trends in modern mineralogy have been reviewed, mainly based on the group efforts of the mineragloical society. Since early 1970 s, a list of scientific research grants of the Ministry of Education directed to specific large projects have shown that mineralogists have been involved in many branc hes of sciences including, crystal growth, information retrieval, material sciences, microstructures, planetary sciences and ceramics. These grants have provided mineralogists with large expensive equipments such as electron microprobe, single crystal diff ractometera analytical transmission electron microscope. However, lack of man power to operate these machines prevented further developments of the fields. Availability of new planetary samples such as lunar samples and Antarctic meteorites, and synthetic minerals opened up new fields of investigation in the past decade. Recommendations to the Government on the promotion of meteorite sciences and development and evolution of lithosphere project (DELP) etc indicate future activities in the mineralogical fields.

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Recently interests in mineralogical studies have been expanded and extended to the manifold fields, besides the descriptive mineralogy and crystallography. Materials for the reseach objects are now not only mineral but also molten salts and glasses, even gas phases, and further the matters of concern therein are enlarged to the extraterrestrial substances, such as moon rock or meteorites. In these days applied mineralogy has been also developed due to the social requirement and mineralogical studies make a great contribution to many other sciences; material science, crystal growth, solid state physics, etc. Several personal wishes and proposals to the further subjects on mineralogy are submitted.

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We obtain a large quantity of precise data by using modern equipments in the second period of the advancement of science. In the third period, we set up a new theory and are awaked in our interest in making new fields of study. Mineralogy in Japan now comes to the third period. In this point ambitious young mineralogists can hope for the future development of mineralogy. We should put emphasis on the study field which develops the different conception from that of physists and chemists. One of such fields is to study the mineral behaviour in the multi-compo-nent systems over an extremely long time and a wide space.

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The present state of education of mineralogy at schools is examined and analysed, and some of its underlying misconceptions are confirmed. Consequently some proposals are made for a radical revision of the school curriculum. In relation to these proposals, a full discussion on the future education in universities for mineralogy leads to a conclusion that it should be carried out on the basic principles cf mineralogy.

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Achievements of the Japanese mineralogists have been highly esteemed the world overduring past thrity years, although rock-forming mineralogy in the fields of materials science of the earth have rather been neglected Here, its importance is demonstrated and discussed.

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A personal view on the current state of mineralogical communities is presented in order to facilitate the expansion of future possibilities.

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Recentry a few artificial minerals have been used for successful implant materials (artificial bone, joint, tooth root, and heart valve etc.), having excellent biocompatibility with a little rejection phenomenon. These minerals are hydroxyapatite, corundum, graphite and whit lockite. In this paper the fundamental and clinical studies on these minerals are described briefly.

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The constituent units of the Allende meteorite are briefly summarized and their possible origins are presented. Among coarse-grained CAI's, type-B2 CAI's are the most primitive, and type-A CAI's (compact type) are considered to have been formed from the type-B2 via type-B1 by gas reactions in the primordial solar nebula. Fine-grained CAI's or amoeboid olivine inclusions may be primarily aggregates consisting mainly of fassaite with small amounts of spinel and melilite or olivine with variable amounts of opaque minerals and aluminous pyroxene, respectively. These inclusions are thought to have reacted with the low-temperature nebular gas, introducing alkalis and FeO components into them. Chondrules and chondritic clasts may have been formed under conditions similar to those of chondrules in ordinary chondrites, and they were driven to the place where the parental body of Allende was formed.

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Technical development tendency on inorganic phosphors is explained. The search of new host crystals, the crystal composition, the technology of crystal growth, and the control of crystal shape or habit have been investigated with practical view of improving the luminescence efficiency of inorganic phosphors.

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An instructive lecture is delivered for mineralogists who intend to devote themselves to or are engaged in the technology of relevant fields. The brief history is given on developments of single crystal devices for optics as well as those for ferromagnetic, ferroelectric and ferroelastic (ferroic) usages. It is emphasized, for the survival of the mineralogists in fields of industry, they should understand functions of physical properties and mechanisms of interactions in addition to their knowledge of symmetry and structure of crystals.

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In spite of the steady progress of thechnology in the glass industry, there still remain many problems. Contributions of mineralogy to the glass industry include a characterization of material minerals and a study of stones grown in the course of glass production. The further contributions are expected to the present problems in the glass industry; for example, prospect of the material supply, origin of stones, development of new devitroceramics and structure of new kinds of glass

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Mineralogy is one of the fundamental science fields for refractories technology or ceramic science. Materials of refractories are “minerals” and its products are also “artificial minerals”. The precise studies of raw materials, products or after-used masses of refractories should contribute not only to refractories technology, but also to mineralogy and petrology.

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Portland cement clinker minerals (C₃S=alite, C₂S=belite, C₃A, C₄AF; C=CaO, S=SiO₂, A=Al₂O₃, F=Fe₂O₃) have engaged interests of some mineralogists and their crystal structure analyses are nearly finished. I hope many mineralogists to have interests about the problems on concrete, awaiting analytical solution. They are the expansive action of sulphate waters, the alkali-aggregate reaction, the destructive of high-alumina cement at long ages, the cabonation from concrete surface and the non explosive demolishing agent made from lime.

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Zeolites, crystalline aluminosilicates, have been widely used as unique catalysts in many petrochemical processes. The first key to their activity is that the proton or multivalent cation-exchanged zeolites usually show extremely strong Brönsted acidity, which is essential for promoting many kinds of organic reactions of hydrocarbons, e, g. dehydration, polymerization, isomerization, alkylation, cracking and so on. The second key is that the anhydrous crystal has a large, regular pore structure, which lets it function efficiently as molecular sieves to sort out molecules, reactants and/or products. This aspect is called the shape selectivity in catalysis, for which the effective sige of pore opening is important. In 1976, MTG (Methanol To Gasoline) process was reported on HZSM-5, which is very strong in Brönted acidity, and has a zigzag pore channel of uniform size. This invention affords us the most typical shape selective reaction. Further extension of the idea is desired in the field of C₁ chemistry to produce ethylene or propylene selectively from methanol.

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The development of sink and float separators for nomagnetic particles of different densities, which utilizes the levitation force of magnetic fluid has been recently proceeded. The system consists of magnetic field generator, separation cell, equipments for recovery of magnetic fluid smeared on the separated products and controlling system. This paper mainly describes the sink and float separation system developed in our laboratory. We used water based magnetic fluid which can be regenerated easily, and permanent magnets with a yoke as a magnetic field generator which are lower in price than electromagnets. If the intensity of external magnetic field and the field gradient are suitably controlled, it is possible to give the levitation force, for example, 10×980 dyne/cm³ to nonmagnetic particles. Thus, the magnetic fluid could be regarded as a liquid of high specific gravity. This phenomenon would be utilized in the separation of the mixture including various ore parpticles with different densities.

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