Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

Nails Biting into the Fort

While Yōko was busy making an airplane, Hata and Kumura of the Development Division were working on a research theme proposed by Yōko.

. . .

After the commercialization of the meta-aramid fiber Conex was completed, Hata and Kumura proposed the development of para-aramid fibers, which were expected to have even higher mechanical properties. This is what is called 'Kevlar.' Yōko, however, was not so enthusiastic.

"That's a veeeeeery attractive proposal, however! To my great disappointment! We have to get this one done first!"

And she handed them a proposal.

"Polyurethane development...?"

"What is this?"

The two men tilted their heads as they heard the name of another substance they had never heard of.

"We found that hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) is produced when hexamethylene diamine is passed through phosgene. This substance, like dicarboxylic acid dichloride, has highly reactive functional groups at both ends, so I think it can be used as a resin material in the same way as nylon."

"...Are you sure about this structural formula?"

"It's just a hunch."

"Huh..."

Yōko, unable to reveal her future knowledge, casually brushed it off. However, based on their previous experience with Connex, Hata and Kumura decided not to question her too much for now.

"So, Hata-san and Kumura-san, I would like you to develop various uses for polyurethane obtained by reacting HDI. I haven't confirmed whether we can obtain the resin itself."

"Have you not confirmed whether the resin can be obtained at all?"

"I've been busy with the airplane and schoolwork lately, so I've only been able to confirm that HDI can be purified and that it reacts violently with water to produce carbon dioxide."

"Huh..."

The two were perplexed. However, HDI was an extremely reactive and toxic chemical, and handling it required great care. Handling it casually was very dangerous.

"So, I'm really sorry, but please, please develop polyurethane... I'll start researching para-aramid fibers before I graduate from university..."

Yōko bowed her head desperately. She wanted to at least confirm that the resin could be obtained, but her research on the purification of HDI took up all her time.

"Well, we're company employees..."

"If our boss (Takatsukasa-san) tells us to do it, we have no choice but to do it."

"Thank you... I'm sorry for being such an unreliable boss..." Yōko did her best to sincerely apologize.

"But, Takatsukasa-san, if I may ask, you're a woman, right? Can you go to university?"

"I believe her talent should be further cultivated at a university..."

At that time, it was considered unthinkable for women to enter imperial universities. Even when Tōhoku Imperial University allowed the admission of three female applicants in the original timeline, male students at the same university launched a protest, and the Ministry of Education sent a letter of condemnation.

"Actually, there's Tōhoku Imperial University, you know? The place is so rural that students don't gather there, so they decided to accept female applicants."

"...You're taking advantage of that, aren't you?"

"To put it bluntly, yes."

Yoko was unaware of this, but in OTL, Tōhoku University's "open admission policy" simply meant that "if you held a secondary education teaching license, you could take the entrance exam even without graduating from high school." It was not intended to accommodate female students; rather, its goal was simply to attract applicants from schools other than high schools. Therefore, in the case of OTL, Yōko, who was enrolled in the Gakushuin Women's College, did not have the eligibility to take the exam.

However, in this world, there was a woman named Yōko Takatsukasa who had been active in the field of organic chemistry since a young age, established her own company, created successful products, and had close ties with the army. Consequently, the importance of women's education had permeated the education sector more than in OTL. Therefore, in this world, the eligibility criteria for admission were broadened to include "those who had completed the secondary education program and were at least 17 years old as of March 31" with the awareness of the graduation ages of junior high schools, vocational schools, and high schools. As a result, Yōko managed to obtain eligibility by the skin of her teeth.

"Say whatever you want. Besides, if you go to university and study properly, you might not have to rely on your 'intuition' to explain things like today."

"Indeed, that's extremely important."

"We're also graduates of Tokyo Imperial University. If you have any past exam questions or anything you don't understand, feel free to ask."

Words were said that had an impact.

Afterward, Yōko, struggling with differences in old kana usage and terminology, studied for the entrance exam with the help of Hata and Kumura and passed the entrance exam for the Chemistry Department of Tōhoku Imperial University in 1914. She became the fourth female university student, following Chika Kuroda in 1912, and Ume Tange and Raku Makita in 1913.

. . .

Meanwhile, Hata and Kumura successfully commercialized urethane-based adhesives and flexible urethane foam during this period. In particular, urethane foam received great appreciation from construction material manufacturers worldwide and was used as residential insulation material, significantly improving living environments around the world. In response to this, Nitchitsu established a new production line for phosgene, and Teijin became able to domestically procure raw materials for polyurethane and polycarbonate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm sorry; it's a bit of convenience.

I did consider having her enroll in a teacher training school at this point, but I didn't think Yōko knew that one needs a secondary education teaching license to take the entrance exam for Tōhoku University. Moreover, I thought, "With this girl making waves in the field of chemistry, isn't it strange that the state of women's education hasn't changed from OTL?" So, that's how things turned out this way. As a result, the entrance of Chika Kuroda and Ume (Umeko) Tange was moved up by one year, and combined with Yōko, it means that there were three consecutive female successful applicants at Tōhoku University in this world.

Speaking of which, Yōko will be Chika Kuroda's junior in terms of her department and specialization... which means the supervising professor as well...

- Toshitsugu Utei