【Pioneer in HaiChuan Chemicals】Chen Qingyun: Over 60 years of research on a single chemical element
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Chen Qingyun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is a renowned organic chemist in China and an internationally famous expert in organic fluorine chemistry. He pioneered perfluorohomochemistry and obtained a Soviet patent for the production of hexafluorobisphenol A, a method that is still used by major chemical companies around the world to this day ； He developed F-53, an innovative chromium fume inhibitor of Chinese origin, which is used by over a thousand electroplating factories across the country, making significant contributions to environmental protection and energy conservation efforts ； He conducted systematic research on perfluorosulfonic acid chemistry, and based on his studies of difluorocarbene chemistry, he synthesized and developed various reagents and systems capable of achieving trifluoromethylation efficiently. Methyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate, the most widely used of these reagents, is known as the \"Chen reagent\", and it remains listed in the catalogs of major reagent companies to this day. He introduced single-electron transfer reactions, one of the most important theories in contemporary organic chemistry, into fluorine chemistry research, and his work has won numerous awards at the national, provincial, and municipal levels ； He is regarded as one of the founders of the field of organic fluorine chemistry in our country, and has made significant contributions to the development of organic chemistry in our nation.
In the autumn of 1945, Chen Qingyun was admitted to Hunan Provincial No. 1 Middle School, where he studied subjects such as chemistry. It was from this moment that he developed a strong interest in chemistry. In July 1948, Chen Qingyun was admitted to Peking University’s program in Western Languages and Literatures. After careful consideration, he transferred to the chemistry department his sophomore year. At that time, the Department of Chemistry had a group of highly knowledgeable professors, especially Professor Xing Qiyi. After class, Chen Qingyun would often ask Professor Xing Qiyi questions related to organic chemistry. Professor Xing was always happy to discuss these issues with him, answering his questions patiently while encouraging and guiding Chen Qingyun to think more deeply. This laid a solid foundation for Chen Qingyun to carry out chemical research in the future. In 1952, Chen Qingyun graduated from Peking University and was assigned to the Instrumentation Museum of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (now the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences). His main task was to analyze the composition of optical glass during its manufacturing process, and he also participated in the development of standard batteries.
In 1955, Chen Qingyun was admitted as a graduate student to study in the Soviet Union. After a year of studying Russian literature*, he entered the Institute of Elemental Organic Compounds of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, where he studied under I. L. Knunyants, an academician of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and a major general in the Soviet **Academy of Sciences. During his time studying abroad, Chen Qingyun would often start working in the laboratory at 9 a.m. and not leave until 8 p.m. After having a simple meal back in his dormitory, he would continue studying until the midnight bells of the Kremlin rang, at which point he would go to bed. After spending some time in the laboratory, under the guidance of his supervisor, Chen Qingyun began to study hexafluoropropane and some of its basic reactions. During this research process, hexafluoropropane produced toxic gases such as perfluoroisobutylene under high-temperature pyrolysis conditions, resulting in an abnormally low white blood cell count in Chen Qingyun and affecting his health. Faced with this situation, his mentor, Dr. N. P. Gambaryn, provided his own manuscript fees for Chen Qingyun to purchase vitamin B12 injections in order to increase his white blood cell count. Through numerous experiments, in 1958, Chen Qingyun synthesized hexafluorobisphenol A for the first time and obtained a Soviet patent. This synthetic route has the advantages of simple preparation method and low cost. To this day, major chemical companies around the world still use this method for production. In June 1959, due to his significant achievements in research on fluorinated propyl compounds, Chen Qingyun was awarded a certificate of honor at the conference for young experts held by the Institute of Organic Elements of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. A year later, he successfully passed his thesis defense and set off for home.
Daring to innovate, he developed new types of chromium mist inhibitors. After returning to China, Chen Qingyun started working at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and later transferred to the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he has been working to this day. He was involved in the development of a range of defense and military-related products such as fluororubber, fluorine-based oils, and high-energy adhesives, making significant contributions to his country’s defense efforts. In the 1970s, China’s light industry, including bicycles and sewing machines, was in a period of rapid development, which led to a significant increase in the demand for electroplating. However, due to issues with the manufacturing process and a lack of chromium mist inhibitors, a highly toxic and strong oxidizing agent known as chromium mist is formed during electroplating, posing a direct threat to the health of workers. To address this issue, the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry appointed Chen Qingyun as team leader to explore the production of chromium mist inhibitors. Based on his own research foundation and after more than two years of exploration, Chen Qingyun successfully synthesized a new class of perfluorosulfonates containing ether bonds, namely F-53, in 1977; this compound was produced on a pilot scale in an experimental factory. It is an electroplating anti-chromium misting agent developed uniquely in China, capable of being used under various harsh conditions. It effectively protects the health of workers and prevents environmental pollution. Compared with similar foreign products, the F-53 offers a longer effective duration and greater effectiveness in suppressing chromium mist, and it also helps to increase the hardness of chrome-plated parts as well as improve issues related to cracks in the chromium layer. Due to the excellent performance of the F-53 chromium mist inhibitor, it has been widely adopted in thousands of electroplating plants across the country. In October 1982, the development of \"Chromium-suppressing spray F-53\" won the Third Prize for Invention Awards as well as the First Prize for significant scientific research achievements in Shanghai.
By pooling wisdom, it has helped to establish the reputation of \"Shanghai Fluorine Chemistry\". In his research work, Chen Qingyun insists on taking a leading role and never follows others. When it comes to training students, he adheres to the philosophy of “cultivating researchers, rather than operators”. In the first and second years of school, Chen Qingyun was very strict with them, but in the third and fourth years he allowed the students to carry out research on their own. Guo Yong, a student of Chen Qingyun, said, “He (Chen Qingyun) lets you do things on your own and doesn’t interfere too much, but when major problems arise, he provides you with the necessary guidance. I think this is of great help to us.” ”Regarding the research results presented by students, Chen Qingyun would listen very carefully and consider some key issues to help them advance their work further. In 2009, Chen Qingyun wrote in \"My Obsession with Fluorine Chemistry\": \"I consider myself ordinary, without exceptional intelligence, but I have a persistent pursuit.\" I am fortunate to be able to work at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, which has a strong tradition of research. It is filled with a passion for exploration and a spirit of hard work and diligence, featuring an atmosphere of patient guidance and subtle influence. There are many renowned teachers and talented individuals here. I have benefited greatly from this. If I must say that I have done something over the 45 years I’ve spent at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, it is first and foremost thanks to this great collective – any individual, no matter how talented, will achieve nothing without the support of the collective. ” Chen Qingyun has always emphasized a sense of community; by community, he refers not only to the research team or laboratory, nor just the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, but also to the entire invisible fluorine chemistry community. It is through this sense of collective identity that Chen Qingyun brought together the collective wisdom. With such an open-minded approach, the Key Laboratory of Organofluorine Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry is able to attract researchers from various regions; it is also open to researchers across the country and the world, working together to advance the field. For this reason, this research team brought together to develop fluorine has earned a well-known reputation in the international fluorine chemistry community – “Shanghai Fluorine Chemistry”.
On July 19, 2007, Feng Zhibin, vice president of Sinochem Group, and Jiang Biao, director of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, jointly announced in Taicang the official establishment of the Sinochem Taicang Chemical Industry Park and the Joint Laboratory for Fluorine Chemistry at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. Sinochem Taicang Chemical Industrial Park, which is part of Sinochem Group, and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences signed an agreement to establish a joint laboratory as early as July 2006. After one year of operation, the joint laboratory has made further progress in terms of site preparation and collaborative research on certain experimental projects. In order to consolidate these achievements and increase investment in project development funds, experimental equipment, and high-level research personnel, thereby enhancing the joint laboratory’s research capabilities in the field of fluorine chemistry, both parties decided to expand and officially put into use the joint laboratory located at the Sinochem Taicang R&D Center. While working to facilitate the operation of the joint laboratory, Sinochem Taicang completed the integration of the Yuhang R&D center and the Suzhou R&D center, establishing a fluorine chemicals R&D center composed of five research laboratories. The scope of research includes ODS substitutes, fluorine-based fine chemicals, fluoropolymers, and related catalysts. As a foundation for the industrialization of the fluorine chemical industry development strategy, in 2007 Sinochem Taicang will also establish four corresponding pilot-scale production units based on the various research laboratories in its R&D center, thereby creating a relatively complete platform for research on technology industrialization. The Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, boasts strong capabilities in the field of fluorine chemistry, and has a team of experts in this area led by Academician Chen Qingyun. The cooperation between the two parties will enable the integration of Sinochem Taicang’s strategies in the fluorine chemical industry, its project investment capabilities, with the robust R&D resources of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, thus creating a powerful alliance. By establishing a joint laboratory for fluorine chemicals, the two parties to the agreement will achieve resource sharing and complementary strengths, work together to research and develop new products and technologies with high technological content and added value, enhance the innovation capabilities of the Taicang Industrial Park in the field of fluorine chemicals, accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, and jointly build an industrialization technology platform to contribute to the development of China’s fluorine chemicals industry.