42nd IUPAC Council Meeting
Nominee for Vice President
Prof. Hitoshi
Ohtaki (Japan)
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Hitoshi Ohtaki
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Prof. Ohtaki ’s research interests cover various areas of solution
chemistry and coordination chemistry, especially structural chemistry
of solutions, including solvents, solvated ions, and complexes existing
in solution by means of solution X-ray diffraction. Recently, he has focused
on structural studies of supercritical water and other liquids and solvation
structures of ions in supercritical fluids. He has been determining structures
of short-lived reaction intermediates by the stopped-flow-EXAFS method
developed by his group.
Education and Career
Prof. Ohtaki obtained M.S and Ph.D. degrees in 1957 and 1961, respectively,
from Nagoya University. From 1961 to 1964 he was a postdoctoral research
fellow at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. Following
are just a few highlights from Ohtaki ’s illustrious career, which
began in 1959. He was director of the Coordination Chemistry Laboratories
of the Institute for Molecular Science of the Okazaki National Research
Institute, dean of the School of Mathematical and Physical Science of
the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, director of the Institute
of Science and Engineering at Ritsumeikan University. In 1993 he was
named emeritus professor of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the
Graduate University for Advanced Studies. In March 2003 he retired from
Ritsumeikan University where he had been a professor since 1993 and
director of the Institute of Science and Engineering since 1994. Over
the course of his career Ohtaki has served as a visiting professor in
Sweden, Austria, Thailand, and the Philippines.
IUPAC Involvement
Prof.Ohtaki was a member of the Commission on Equilibrium Data (V.6)
of the Analytical Chemistry Division of IUPAC from 1975 to 1993 (associate
member, 1975 79; titular member, 1979-85; secretary, 1981-83; chairman,
1983 85; national representative, 1985-89 and coopted member,1989 93).
He was also a member of the Inorganic Chemistry Division from 1987 to
1991. He is currently a Bureau member of IUPAC, as well as a member
of the Executive Committee. Recently, he was chairman of the Committee
on Conferences in Developing Countries and of the Membership Development
Committee.
Related Professional Activities
Prof. Ohtaki has served as president of the Science Council of Japan,
Federation of Asian Chemical Societies, the Japanese Society of Coordination
Chemistry, and the Association of Japanese Solution Chemists. Currently
he is the chairman of the Committee for International Affairs of the
Chemical Society of Japan. For three decades Ohtaki has been organizing
and leading major international chemistry conferences. Most recently
he was chairman of the International Organizing committee for the 12th
Eurasia Conferences on Chemical Sciences held in Karachi, Pakistan,
in 2002. Ohtaki has published more than 300 research papers and reviews.
He has authored and coauthored five books and edited and coedited three
books. His book Chemistry of Reactions in Solutions has been translated
into Chinese. Ohtaki is also a member of the editorial boards of the
Journals of Molecular Liquids, Solution Chemistry, the Brazilian
Chemical Society, and the Malaysian Chemical Society.
Awards
Prof. Ohtaki received the Matsunaga Prize in 1976, the Tejima Memorial
Award in 1989, the Takei Prize of the Electrochemical Society of Japan
in 1990, the National Medal of Purple Ribbon in 1995, and the Prize
for Scientific Merits of the Electrochemical Society of Japan in 2000.
In 2002, Ohtaki was awarded the 17th M.H. Khundkar Memorial Lectureship
(University of Dhaka,Bangladesh) and he was named Honorary Professor
of St.Petersburg University, Russia, and a Honorary Member of the Japan
Society of Coordination Chemistry.
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