AbstractCatalysis, in Chinese “cuihua” (催化), was transmitted to China in the second half of the 19th century. In the earliest chemistry books, like Huaxue chujie (化学初阶,Wells's Principle and Application of Chemistry) and Huaxue jianyuan (化学鉴原,Wells's Principle and Application of Chemistry), it was merely introduced through a description of the concept, but not translated using a specific Chinese term. The same situation occurred with the preparation methods for oxygen and sulfuric acid. However, much observation was conducted on the properties and mechanisms of catalysis. The first Chinese term for catalysis was “jiechu zuoyong” (接触作用), which arrived from Japan at the beginning of 20th century. Then, in 1930’s, “cuihua” became the final translation, and is still used today. The concept of catalysis also became known and developed in modern China through elementary/middle school and college education as well as academic research.
LI Zhiliang. The Transmission and Preliminary Development of the Chemical Concept Catalysis in Modern China. Studies in the History of Natural Sciences, 2021, 40(1): 37-48.
