Zhao Yufen

Zhao Yufen (simplified Chinese: 赵玉芬; traditional Chinese: 趙玉芬; pinyin: Zhào Yùfēn; born 1948) is a Chinese chemist at the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Xiamen University.[1] She has been an outspoken critic of chemical plants.[2] She was the youngest female member elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.[3]

Biography

Zhao was born in Qi County, Hebi, Henan, and moved to Taiwan in 1949 with her parents.[4] Zhao graduated from National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) in 1971, and received her Ph.D from State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1975.[3] In 1979, she went on to become a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.[4] She became a professor at Tsinghua University (Beijing) in 1988 and in 1991, was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, then the youngest female academician.[4]

In March 2007, Zhao created a petition to halt the construction of a chemical plant in Xiamen.[5][6] Zhao was against the plant, which was going to produce paraxylene (PX), a carcinogenic petrochemical, due to health risks and pollution of the environment.[7] She said that "As a project with a high risk of poisonous emissions and explosions, the project should not be located close to a city."[8] She also started writing letters to propose a relocation of the plant to He Lefeng, the Party chief of Xiamen.[8] Months later, protesters used text messages to spread the word of a demonstration against the plant.[5] Xiamen lawmakers voted overwhelmingly against the plant, which was located to Gulei Peninsula.[7]

June 15, 2014, Zhao, as the head of the Academy Zhao Yufen of Xiamen University, along with BIOasis, signed on for the construction of a Phosphorus & Marine Science Research Center to be built at the Shandong International Biotechnology Park.[9]

Zhao has work published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Organic Chemistry,[10] Angewandte Chemie,[11] Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry,[12] Chemical Communications,[13] Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis,[14] and other journals.

References

  1. Qiu, Jane (2008-01-09). "China bows to public over chemical plant". Nature News. 451 (7175): 117. Bibcode:2008Natur.451..117Q. doi:10.1038/451117a. PMID 18185552.
  2. Dawei, Yu (7 April 2015). "PX Plant Explosion Sparks Echoes of Warnings Past". Caixin Online. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. "Prof. Yufen Zhao Ph.D". Tsinghua University. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  4. "Zhao Yufen: Two Hometowns, Same Deep Love". People.com.cn. 21 July 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2015 via Zonaeuropa.
  5. Cody, Edward (28 June 2007). "Text Messages Giving Voice to Chinese". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  6. Gang, Qian; Bandurski, David (2011). "China's Emerging Public Sphere". In Shirk, Susan L. (ed.). Changing Media, Changing China. Oxford University Press. pp. 66–67. ISBN 9780199751983.
  7. "People vs. Chemical Plant". China.org. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  8. Li, Li (3 January 2008). "Power to the People". Beijing Review. 51 (1): 20–21. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  9. "Academy Zhao Yufen and Her Research Team Start Cooperation with BIOasis". Luye Investment. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  10. Jiang, Deshou; Fu, Hua; Jiang, Yuyang; Zhao, Yufen (2007-01-01). "CuBr/rac-BINOL-Catalyzed N-Arylations of Aliphatic Amines at Room Temperature". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 72 (2): 672–674. doi:10.1021/jo062060e. ISSN 0022-3263. PMID 17221996.
  11. Liu, Xiaowei; Fu, Hua; Jiang, Yuyang; Zhao, Yufen (3 December 2008). "A Simple and Efficient Approach to Quinazolinones under Mild Copper-Catalyzed Conditions". Angewandte Chemie. 121 (2): 354–357. doi:10.1002/ange.200804675.
  12. Zhang, Ting; Chen, Xiaolan; Qu, Lingbo; Wu, Jinglan; Cui, Ran; Zhao, Yufen (2004-12-01). "Chrysin and its phosphate ester inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in Hela cells". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. 12 (23): 6097–6105. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2004.09.013. PMID 15519155.
  13. Huang, Cheng; Fu, Yuan; Fu, Hua; Jiang, Yuyang; Zhao, Yufen (2008-12-21). "Highly efficient copper-catalyzed cascade synthesis of quinazoline and quinazolinone derivatives". Chemical Communications. 0 (47): 6333–6335. doi:10.1039/b814011a. PMID 19048146.
  14. Guo, Xun; Rao, Honghua; Fu, Hua; Jiang, Yuyang; Zhao, Yufen (2006-10-01). "An Inexpensive and Efficient Copper Catalyst for N-Arylation of Amines, Amides and Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles". Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis. 348 (15): 2197–2202. doi:10.1002/adsc.200606198. ISSN 1615-4169.
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