Post World War II Developments

Post-World War II Developments. The nuclear bombs that ended World War II did not end requirements for conventional explosives and... 

In the post-World War II years, synthesis attained a different level of sophistication partly as a result of the confluence of five stimuli (1) the formulation of detailed electronic mechanisms for the fundamental organic reactions, (2) the introduction of conformational analysis of organic structures and transition states based on stereochemical principles, (3) the development of spectroscopic and other physical methods for structural analysis, (4) the use of chromatographic methods of analysis and separation, and (5) the discovery and application of new selective chemical reagents. As a result, the period 1945 to 1960 encompassed the synthesis of such complex molecules as vitamin A (O. Isler, 1949), cortisone (R. Woodward, R. Robinson, 1951), strychnine (R. Woodward, 1954), cedrol (G. Stork, 1955), morphine (M. Gates, 1956), reserpine (R. Woodward, 1956), penicillin V (J. Sheehan, 1957), colchicine (A. Eschenmoser, 1959), and chlorophyll (R. Woodward, 1960) (page 5). ... 

Confidence in government also characterized the time after World War II and during the Cold War. Over the history of our country it has been seen that one of the legitimate roles for the federal government is to provide for the national defense. There s been a lot of disagreement about many other tasks but not over this one. Military and security needs carried a lot of development throughout the post-World War II period. Of course, the Vietnam War led to less confidence in the government and caused the termination of classified research projects at universities. 

Post World War II, the most influential developments were (Chatt, 1980 Ber-gersen Postgate, 1980) ... 

Packaging in the post-World War II period benefited immensely from the commercialization of plastics, which were little known or used in prior years. Since then, the packaging industry has openly adopted plastics as a powerful new tool in the development of new packaging forms and functions. 

CACs were developed in response to the need for cements resistant to groundwater and seawater attack and are the only cements, other than Portland cement, that are in continuous long-term production [2], The property of CAC that was most important in their commercial development is the resistance to sulfate attack, which contrasted with the poor-sulfate resistance of contemporary Portland cements [2], and CAC was first patented in 1908 [2], Most early applications, in construction projects following the First World War, were in structures exposed to seawater, such as harbor pilings. Because CAC hardens rapidly, it was adopted for prestressed concrete beams in the post World War II construction boom, with some unfortunate results. Poor understanding of the material properties of CAC and incorrect water to cement ratios led to the collapse of several buildings, and the use of Portland cements, which are cheaper, has replaced CAC in prestressed concrete beams[2]. 

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