前置詞の働きをする「in spite of」と「despite*」はほぼ同じ意味を持ち、どちらを使っても文全体の趣旨が変わらないケースはよく見られます。

しかし両者には微妙な違いもありますので、意味のうえでの正確性が必要とされる場合はきちんと使い分けるべきです。

「in spite of」と「despite」は両方とも第一義が日本語の「にも関わらず」に相当します。

しかし「in spite of」の方は語気が若干強く、「despite」が「…と関係なく」という消極的なニュアンスを持つのに対して「…に反して」という積極的なニュアンスを含みます。この違いは以下のように例示することができます。

(1) Despite the risk, I would like to proceed with the plan.
(2) In spite of his parents’ warning, the child continued to play with the toy.

なお、「despite」の用法に関して、もうひとつ注意していただきたいことがあります。「despite」を用いる際、「in spite of」と混同してしまい「despite of」と表記してしまうケースがたまに見うけられます。これは文法的に誤りです。

*despiteには名詞としての用法もありますが、その用法はまれです。

関連した解説についてはグレン・パケット：『科学論文の英語用法百科〈第1編〉よく誤用される単語と表現』（京都大学学術出版会，2004）の第45、第66章をご参照下さい。

出典元：エナゴ学術英語アカデミー

化学論文での「in spite ofとdespite」の利用例

in spite of 

1. Gratifyingly, anisidine 2e was successfully employed for the three-component coupling reaction in spite of its limited nucleophilicity. DOI; 10.1002/anie.201206082
2. In both cases, high levels of selectivity are observed for CF₃ and CF₂H radical addition, in spite of the multiple potentially reactive sites. DOI: 10.1021/ja211422g
3. In spite of x-ray studies that have focused attention on the seven-Fe cluster in Fe/Mo nitrogenase as the site of N₂ reduction, we believe that reduction of N₂ in Fe/Mo nitrogenase at the single Mo center, favored before the structure of Fe/Mo nitrogenase was eluci- dated through x-ray studies, again must be considered a strong possibility. DOI: 10.1126/science.1085326
4. Until very recently, to the best of our knowledge, only the chiral complex 35 was reported in literature for the intermolecular amination of C–H bonds in spite of the potential application of chiral amines as pharmaceuticals. DOI: 10.1039/c4cc03016h 

despite

1. It is noteworthy that Mn^III sources also gave the desired products but in lower yields, despite the oxidative conditions of the reaction. DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201601390
2. Despite recent advances in C–C bond-forming reactions, the direct coupling of two different heteroaromatic motifs still constitutes a remarkable synthetic challenge. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201208843
3. Furthermore, despite the development of many methods in heterocyclic chemistry and cross-coupling reactions for the synthesis of β-arylpyrroles, the current state- of-the-art method involves catalytic C−H borylation of pyrroles, followed by Pd-catalyzed Suzuki−Miyaura cross- coupling. DOI: 10.1021/ja508449y
4. Despite their impressive invitro profile, their poor pharmacokinetic properties, especially low aqueous solubility, have limited their use as therapeutic agents, which to date has been restricted to topical use and only for the treatment of animal infections. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201307288