Lu Jiaxi (; 26 October 1915 – 4 June 2001), or Chia-Si Lu, was a Chinese

physical chemist Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

who is considered a founder of the discipline in China. He served as President of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

, Founding Director of Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM), and Founding President of

Fuzhou University Fuzhou University (FZU; ) is a provincial public university in Fuzhou, Fujian, China. It is affiliated with the Province of Fujian. The university is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction The World First-Class Universi ...

, as well as high-ranking political positions including Chairman of the

Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party The Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (CPWDP) is one of the eight minor Democratic parties (China), democratic parties in the China, People's Republic of China under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. The party was offi ...

, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and

Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress The vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress are deputies to the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, respon ...

Biography

On 26 October 1915, Lu Jiaxi was born to a scholarly family in

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

(Amoy),

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

, China. A child prodigy, he finished elementary school in a single year, before spending another year and a half in junior high school. Before turning 13, he passed the entrance examination to a preparatory class for

Xiamen University Xiamen University (XMU; ) is a public university in Siming, Xiamen, Siming, Xiamen, Fujian, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Pro ...

. He received the

Tan Kah Kee Tan Kah Kee (; also spelled as Chen Jiageng; 21 October 1874 – 12 August 1961) was a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist active in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou. A prominent fig ...

scholarship for four years and graduated from Xiamen University in 1934 with a degree in chemistry. He then taught at the university for three years. In 1937, Lu passed a competitive examination and received a national postgraduate fellowship to study at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, where he studied under Samuel Sugden and obtained a Ph.D. at the age of 24. With the recommendation of Sugden, he was admitted to the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 1939, and studied structural chemistry under

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling ( ; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. ''New Scientist'' called him one of the 20 gre ...

, the future Nobel laureate. In 1944, he worked at the Maryland Research Laboratory of the US

National Defense Research Committee The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the U ...

(NDRC). His research in the area of combustion and explosion earned him an R&D prize from the NDRC. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Lu turned down numerous employment opportunities in the United States, and returned to war-torn China in the winter of 1945. He was appointed professor and dean of the Chemistry Department at Xiamen University. From 1960 to 1981, Lu was director of the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM), and vice president of

. He served as President of the

(CAS) from 1981 to 1988, and as a special advisor to the CAS afterwards. He was also Vice President of the

Third World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting more than 1,400 scientists in some 100 countries. Its principal aim is t ...

. His political positions include Chairman of the

(1988–97, Honorary Chairman afterwards), Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (1988–93 and 1998–2003), and

(1993–98). Lu Jiaxi died on 4 June 2001. On 6 April 2002, a bronze statue of him was erected in front of the Chemistry Department of Xiamen University.

Research and honours

Lu Jiaxi's research focus was on physical, structural, nuclear, and materials chemistry. He proposed a structural model of the center of

nitrogenase Nitrogenases are enzymes () that are produced by certain bacteria, such as cyanobacteria (blue-green bacteria) and rhizobacteria. These enzymes are responsible for the reduction of nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3). Nitrogenases are the only fa ...

, a key

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

used in

biological nitrogen fixation Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen () is converted into ammonia (). It occurs both biologically and abiologically in chemical industries. Biological nitrogen fixation or ''diazotrophy'' is catalyzed by en ...

, and studied the relationship between chemical structure and performance. His work is recognized internationally, and he was elected as a member of the

European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, ) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 38 Nobel Prize laureates. The European Academy of Sciences and ...

and of the

Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB) is a non-governmental association that promotes and organises science and the arts in Belgium by coordinating the national and international activities of its constituent academies su ...

. For his contributions to structural chemistry, he was awarded the Scientific Achievement Prize by the

Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation (HLHL, ) is a Hong Kong–based non-government organisation which annually bestows prizes upon Chinese scientists. It was established on 30 March 1994, with funds donated from the charitable foundations of Ho Sin ...

. In 1998, the asteroid 3844 Lujiaxi was named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Jiaxi 1915 births 2001 deaths Alumni of University College London California Institute of Technology alumni Chemists from Fujian Chinese expatriates in the United Kingdom Chinese expatriates in the United States Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party politicians Chinese physical chemists Educators from Fujian Fuzhou University Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts People from Xiamen People's Republic of China politicians from Fujian Physicists from Fujian Xiamen University alumni Academic staff of Xiamen University Vice chairpersons of the National People's Congress Vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Presidents of Fuzhou University