Yang Shixian, one of the greatest chemists and educators in China, is the vanguard of Chinese pesticide chemistry, who was also the president of Nankai University and the founder of the Nankai Chemistry. January 8, 2017 is exactly the 120th anniversary of Yang’s birthday. The College of Chemistry held a seminar to commemorate Yang.

The seminar was held at the Institute of Elemento-organic Chemistry on December 5. The seminar was held by the Collaborative Innovation Center of 2011 and the State Key Laboratory of Elemento-organic Chemistry. The seminar invited 10 well-known chemists from domestic universities and institutes to do academic reports. Professor Cui Chunming, the director of State Key Laboratory, hosted the seminar and deliver the opening remarks. Qu Kai, the secretary of the party committee of the College of Chemistry, and Chen Jun, the Vice President of the College of Chemistry, expressed their welcome and gratitude for the arrival of guests. They praised achievements in the field of organic chemistry and expressed their expectations for a better future.

After the opening, professors did reports of their achievements. Professor Wang Xinping, from Nanjing University, introduced the organic radicals based on crystal structures. Professor Chen Yaofeng, from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, talked about the rare-earth metal complexes and their applications in double bond chemistry. Professor Wu Lizhu, from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, gave a report on photochemical conversion. Professor Xiao Wenjing, did a report on construction of cyclic compounds Involving Sulfur Ylides. Professor Jiang Huanfeng, from the South China University of Technology, highlighted the transition metal-catalyzed oxidation using molecular oxygen. Professor You Jinsong, from Sichuan University, introduced the use of C-H bond to build organic photoelectric molecules. Professor Zhou Yonggui, from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, talked about asymmetric hydrogenation of Indole and Pyridine. Professor Wangwei, from Lanzhou University, talked about "Covalent Organic Framework" (COFs). Professor Zhang Xingang, from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry and professor Ma Junan, from Tianjin University, did reports on "Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Fluoroalkylations from Fluoroalkylhalides" and "New Chiral Quaternary Ammonium (phosphonium) Salt Catalyst Design and Their Applications in Asymmetric Reaction".

The seminar provided a platform for the development of the domestic organic chemistry and promoted the exchange and cooperation of chemists in the field of elemento-organic chemistry. Finally, the seminar ended with enthusiastic applause from the participants.