Oral history interview with Koji Nakanishi
- 1985-Feb-15
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.This interview covers the life of Koji Nakanishi from his early education in Egypt to his current work as Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University and Director of the Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research in Japan. He discusses his education in wartime Japan, his fellowship years at Harvard University working with Louis Fieser, a succession of positions at various Japanese universities, and his eventual decision to go to Columbia University. Nakanishi's research on the structure of natural products and, more recently, their mode of action, and the development and use of infrared spectroscopy, NMR, and circular dichroism is discussed in some detail. The interview concludes with a brief discussion of his avocation, magic, and some general comments on the future of organic chemistry.
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About the Interviewer
Leon Gortler is a professor of chemistry at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. He holds AB and MS degrees from the University of Chicago and a PhD from Harvard University where he worked with Paul Bartlett. He has long been interested in the history of chemistry, in particular the development of physical organic chemistry, and has conducted over fifty oral and videotaped interviews with major American chemists.
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| Oral history number | 0059 |
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Related Items
Interviewee biographical information
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Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Nagoya Daigaku | BSc | Chemistry |
| 1954 | Nagoya Daigaku | PhD | Chemistry |
Professional Experience
Harvard University
- 1950 to 1952 Garioa Fellow
Nagoya Daigaku
- 1955 to 1958 Assistant Professor
Tōkyō Kyōiku Daigaku
- 1958 to 1963 Professor
Tōhoku Daigaku
- 1963 to 1969 Professor
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
- 1968 to 1977 Director of Research
Columbia University
- 1969 to 1980 Professor
- 1980 to 1986 Centennial Professor
- 1987 to 1988 Chairman, Chemistry Department
Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research
- 1979 to 1986 Director
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Award in Pure Chemistry, Chemical Society of Japan |
| 1968 | Asahi Cultural Award |
| 1978 | Ernest Guenther Award, American Chemical Society |
| 1979 | Chemical Society of Japan Award |
| 1979 | E. E. Smissman Medal, University of Kansas |
| 1979 | Centenary Medal, British Chemical Society |
| 1980 | H. C. Urey Award, Phi Lambda Upsilon, Columbia University |
| 1981 | Remsen Award, Maryland Section, American Chemical Society |
| 1985 | First Research Award, American Society of Pharmacognosy |
| 1986 | Alcon Award in Opthamology |
| 1986 | Paul Karrer Gold Medal, University of Zürich |
| 1987 | Honorary D. Sc. , Williams College |
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The published version of the transcript may diverge from the interview audio due to edits to the transcript made by staff of the Center for Oral History, often at the request of the interviewee, during the transcript review process.