School of Chemical Science and Technology
Add:No.2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, P. R. China
Yunnan is well-known for its sufficient natural resources in particular of biological and mineral resources. Our discipline has recently performed studies and developed technologies, taking advantages of the active ingredients from biologically natural products and the rare and noble metals from minerals, on organic chemistry using biological resources, separation and analytical chemistry in low grade or used rare and noble metals, waste-water treatment via catalytic degradation and chemical processes. The department focuses on the fundamental and cutting-edge research in many aspects of chemistry in order to propose solutions to the sustainable and environmentally friendly development of the nation and regions. With the hard-working and accumulation of faculty members for decades, our discipline have comprised five competitive and characteristic research areas, i.e., organic synthesis, functionalized materials and catalysis, separation-analysis-utilization of rare and noble metals, natural products and pharmaceuticals, and computational chemistry.
In organic synthesis team, a Creative Research Group on “synthesis of natural products and natural-products-like compounds” was founded by the Ministry of Education. The team achieved several excellent accomplishments, such as synthesis of brassinolide entitled “Yunda-120” that is commercialized as a famous plant growth regulator for Chinese agriculture, industrialization of coenzyme-Q10 and vitamin-K2 through solanesol that is extracted from waste tobacco leaves. In the team of functionalized materials and catalysis, a Province Innovation Group on “Photocatalytic Technology of Waste-Water Treatment” was granted. They were skilled at treatment of concentrated waste-water and designed a “Photocatalytic Complex Enzyme Device for Highly Effective Treatment of Flax Waste-Water”, which turned out effective in the treatment of polluted water inflowing to Dian-Chi Lake. In the team of separation-analysis-utilization of rare and noble metals, Prof. J. Chen (academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering) and his colleagues developed novel solid-phase extraction technology for enrichment and separation of rare and noble metals. That was closely associated with the region development. A Teaching and Research Group on “utilization of featured chemical resources” was rewarded as National Advanced Team of Professional and Technical Talents. In the team of natural products and pharmaceuticals, a Province Innovation Group on “design, synthesis and exploration of biologically active molecules” was granted. The team in charge of a shared academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences performed leading studies on the active pharmaceutical ingredients of Yi nationality in Yunnan. The computational chemistry team, founded by Prof. S. S. Dai who was the winner of the first prize of the National Natural Science Award shared with Prof. A. Q. Tang, were highly recognized and long maintained in a good reputation due to their characteristic contributions to quantum chemistry particularly related to transition metal compounds.
Our Chemistry discipline is authorized to offer postdoctoral research station, doctorate and master degree programs in all the first disciplines in Chemistry. In addition, we offer master degrees in Medicinal Chemistry, Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Pharmaceutical Engineering. The whole discipline has been recognized as the key discipline of Yunnan Province, as also the key discipline under construction in the frame of National 211 Project and Midwest Universities Comprehensive Strength Promotion Project. Chemistry has been selected as a specialty major in national grade, and the teaching team for undergraduates has been also granted in national grade. Our Chemistry discipline comprises Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry for Natural Resources – Ministry of Education, National Demonstration Center of Experimental Teaching of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Advanced Analysis and Measurement Center of National Metrology Accreditation, Engineering and Technology Research Center of Photocatalytic Treatment of Industrial Waste Water (Yunnan Province), and Engineering Research Center of Drug Intermediates Synthesis (Yunnan Province). All of those are equipped with first-rate instruments and facilities that are valued over 50 million yuan in total and provide more than 30 thousand m2 of laboratory space. The department remains at the forefront of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering for providing systematic and high-quality experimental trainings for fundamental chemical education and research. During the last five years, several postgraduates have been awarded the national scholarship, and five students have obtained the excellent doctoral/master dissertation of Yunnan Province.
During the last years, more than 50 projects has been founded and performed in our department, including National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program), National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, Key Technologies R & D Program of Yunnan Province, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Joint Foundation of NSFC and Yunnan Province, and etc. The grants reach over 50 million yuan in total. A series of accomplishments are obtained in the department, typically discovery of biologically active natural products and development of new strategies for total synthesis, design and preparation of novel advanced functional materials for highly selective asymmetric catalytic synthesis, proposition of new interpretations on the theory and method of the enrichment and separation of rare and noble metals, development of new catalytic materials based on biological resources in Yunnan like bio-templating technology for environmental application, treatment of arsenic pollution of Yang-Zong-Hai Lake in highlands by using precipitation-adsorption method. All the-above-mentioned have significantly contributed to the national and local economic and social development. Our Chemistry discipline has globally ranked as ESI top 1% and won several research and education awards from Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and local government. The representative scientific output has been published and reported in the international prestigious journals such as Nat. Commun., Chem. Rev., Chem. Soc. Rev., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Chem. Sci., in addition to many granted patents.
The Chemistry discipline of Yunnan University is now gearing up to become a worldwide-known, national-influential and western-leading institution for chemical education and research, and endeavoring to make a significant contribution to spurring the development of chemical education and research in China.