The third Future Science Prize awards ceremony opened in Beijing on the afternoon of November 18th. Xiaoming Feng, a professor of the College of Chemistry and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, received a Future Science Prize in the category of Physical Science for his creative contributions to the invention of new catalysts and reactions, which have provided a new approach to the synthesis of organic molecules, especially drug molecules.
“Thanks to all my teachers! They have helped me every step of the way, imparting to us knowledge and bringing us into the arena of knowledge creation and scientific research. Thanks to my team! We stood united in times of the toughest hardship. Thanks to my students! It is their ardor and enthusiasm that has taken our research to a success. They learn and grow in the process of overcoming difficulties. And they have made me smarter by enriching my knowledge. Thanks to my parents, my wife and my child for their understanding and support. I have spent most of my time in the laboratory. Thanks to my colleagues and counterparts! They share with me their successes and offer me plans and suggestions when I come across difficulties. Thanks to my work unit that has provided me with a platform for scientific research. What’s more. My thanks go to the Future Science Prize and the panel of judges for their hard work.” In his award-winning speech, Xiaoming Feng indicates that he will uphold originality, innovation, leadership and usefulness in his future work and make efforts in contributing to social progress, state prosperity and strength, and national revival.
Prior to the awards ceremony, Xiaoming Feng took part in a future science summit “Dialogue Between the Youths and Future Science Prize Laureates”. He had a talk with youths, introducing chiral chemistry as well as chiral chemistry research. Looking back on his own study experiences, he encouraged the youths to form a habit to become excellent and nurture the qualifications of innovation so that they can become a vanguard in their personal development and the development of their family, country and nation.
According to the introduction, academician Xiaoming Feng is mainly focused on research into asymmetric synthesis methods and chiral medicine, pesticides and the synthesis of physiological active compounds. He has designed and synthesizedchiral nitrogen-oxygen asymmetric catalysts. Being dedicated to the designation of new chiral ligand and organocatalyst, metal-mediated catalysis, organocatalysis, and total synthesis of pharmaceuticals, he has achieved a variety of chiral Lewis acid catalyzed carbon-carbon bonding new reaction. And his team used a special N,N’-dioxide-Sc(OTF)3chiral ligands (0.05 mol %) to realize the first case of asymmetric Roskamp reaction in 2010. This reaction is named Roskamp-Feng. Roskamp Reaction is well-known for its mild reaction condition, high conversion rates as well as broad substrate scope.
