Xu Guangxian facts for kids

Xu Guangxian (Chinese: 徐光宪; November 7, 1920 – April 28, 2015) was a very important Chinese chemist. He was also known as Kwang-hsien Hsu. People respected him for his amazing work in both the ideas (theoretical) and experiments (experimental) of chemistry. He used to be the leader of the Chinese Chemical Society. Many people call him "The Father of Chinese Rare Earths Chemistry" because of his big impact.

Early Life and School

Xu Guangxian was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China, on November 7, 1920. He started school at Hangzhou Advanced Industrial Vocational School. Because of the Anti-Japanese War, his school moved to Ningbo. He finished his studies there in 1939.

In 1940, Xu went to Jiaotong University in Shanghai. This school is now called Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). The war caused problems for the university again. Xu earned his first degree (B.Sc.) in 1944. In 1945, he worked as a teaching assistant at SJTU. He married a fellow chemist, Gao Xiaoxia, in 1946.

Studying in America

In 1946, Xu and Gao passed exams to study abroad. Xu traveled to the United States in 1948. He went to graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City. From 1948 to 1951, he studied quantum chemistry. This is a field that uses physics and math to understand how atoms and molecules work. He also worked as a teaching assistant. This helped his wife, Gao Xiaoxia, join him to study analytical chemistry at New York University.

Xu earned his master's degree (MS) in 1949. He then got his highest degree, a PhD, in 1951. His PhD work was about "Optically Active Quantum Chemical Theory." This was about how light interacts with chemicals. He also joined two important chemistry societies: Phi Lambda Upsilon in 1949 and Sigma Xi in 1950.

Returning to China

While Xu was in America, big changes happened in China. The People's Republic of China was formed in 1949. Then, the Korean War started in 1950. The United States government made a rule that Chinese students could not go back to China. Xu and Gao were worried they might not be able to return home. So, they quickly applied for short-term visas. On April 15, 1951, they left for China on a ship called the USS General Gordon. This was one of the last ships to leave before the American ban became very strict.

Amazing Chemistry Work

After returning to China in 1951, Xu Guangxian became a professor at Peking University. He taught in both the Chemistry Department and the Technical Physics Department. He was a leader in different parts of the university. His main work was in quantum chemistry and understanding how atoms bond together. He studied how molecules connect. He also created a formula that helped explain how elements fit into the periodic table. This helped scientists better understand special elements called lanthanides and actinides.

Nuclear Research

In 1956, Xu became the head of the radiation chemistry department. He was part of China's program to develop nuclear weapons. He helped separate and get elements needed for nuclear fuels. He did experiments to separate different types of uranium, like Uranium-235 and Uranium-238. After 1966, during a time called the Cultural Revolution, his department stopped doing atomic research.

During the Cultural Revolution, Xu and his wife were sent to a place where they had to do hard labor. This was from 1969 to 1972.

Rare Earth Elements

The element praseodymium is a rare earth element.

When Xu returned to Peking University in 1972, he started working on something new. He began studying how to get a rare earth element called praseodymium. Rare earth elements are a group of 17 special metals. They are very important for modern technology, like cell phones and computers.

In the 1970s, Xu studied how to separate these rare earth elements. He developed new ways to do this, using a method called solvent extraction. He created mathematical models and made big improvements to the process. His wife, Gao Xiaoxia, also helped with her skills in microanalytical techniques. Xu developed a process called countercurrent extraction. This method made it much faster and cheaper to get rare earth materials.

In 1986, Xu started the Research Center of Rare Earth Chemistry. He also helped create the State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Materials Chemistry and Applications in 1989. He was the director and chairman of this important laboratory.

In 2005, Xu Guangxian spoke out about mining thorium in the Baotou area. He was worried because waste from the mines was going into the Yellow River. This river is a source of drinking water for many people. He suggested that China should save rare earth elements to prevent future shortages.

Xu wrote over 500 scientific papers and several books. These books include Principle of Extraction Chemistry and Rare Earth Solvent Extraction. He also taught and guided hundreds of students.

Awards and Special Honors

Xu Guangxian received many important awards for his work:

• He won China's State Natural Science Award twice (in 1987).
• He also won the State Science and Technology Progress Award twice (in 1991 and 1998).
• In 1994, he received the Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress.

China's Highest Science Award

In 2008, Xu received the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award. This is the highest science award in China. It is like China's version of the Nobel Prize. The award was given to him on January 9, 2009, in Beijing, by the Chinese leader Hu Jintao.

In 2009, Xu Guangxian and three other famous people received the first SJTU Outstanding Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Asteroid Named After Him

An asteroid, a small rocky body in space, was named after him! It is called 345871 Xuguangxian. Astronomers discovered it in 2007. The official naming was announced on January 9, 2020.

Xu Guangxian passed away in Beijing on April 28, 2015. He was 94 years old.

Memberships and Leadership Roles

• He became a member of the Chinese Academy of Science in 1980.
• He was the President of the Chinese Chemical Society from 1986 to 1990.
• He was the Vice-president of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths from 1980 to 1999. After that, he was an honorary vice-president.
• He was the main editor for Rare Earths, a big book series about rare earth science in China.
• He was also the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Rare Earths.

See also

• Project 596 – This was China's first nuclear weapons test.