Croatian Chemistry in the 20th Century. I. From the Turn of the Century to May 8, 1945

Prikazan je razvoj kemije u Hrvatskoj u prvoj polovici XX. stoljeća. Hrvatska je tada prošla kroz tri politička sustava - Austro-Ugarsku Monarhiju (1901.-1918.), monarhističku Jugoslaviju (1918.- 1941.) i Nezavisnu Državu Hrvatsku (1941.-1945.). Prikazani su ključni ljudi i događaji u hrvatskoj kemiji toga vremena. Naglašeni su odlučujući utjecaji Gustava Janečeka i Vladimira Preloga na razvoj hrvatske kemije. Članak logički slijedi naš prethodni Hrvatska kemija u 19. stoljeću (Kem. ind. 55 (2006) 333-339).The development of Croatian chemistry in the first half of the 20th century is outlined. In that period Croatia had gone through three political systems - Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (1901-1918), monarchist Yugoslavia (1918-1941) and Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945). The leading people and important developments in Croatian chemistry in those times are delineated. The ground-breaking influence of Gustav Janeček and Nobel prize winner Vladimir Prelog on Croatian chemistry is emphasized, each in a different way. This article follows logically our earlier article Croatian Chemistry in the 19th Century (Kem. ind. 55 (2006) 333-339)