Cai Qirui (; 7 January 1914 – 3 October 2016) was a Chinese chemist, educator and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He was known as the founder of Chinese catalytic chemistry.

Biography

Cai graduated from Xiamen University in 1937, majoring in

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. He later became a teaching assistant at Xiamen University. He moved to Ohio State University by government study abroad scholarship in 1947 and earned his doctoral degree in 1950. He was forbidden to leave the United States after the start of the Korean War. The travel ban on Cai was lifted in 1955 as the result of a

swap Swap or SWAP may refer to: Finance * Swap (finance), a derivative in which two parties agree to exchange one stream of cash flows against another * Barter Science and technology * Swap (computer programming), exchanging two variables in t ...

for 11 U.S. airmen held captive by China since the end of the Korean War. He then returned to Xiamen University in April 1956. He studied catalytic chemistry instead of

structural chemistry Structural chemistry is a part of chemistry and deals with spatial structures of molecules (in the gaseous, liquid or solid state) and solids (with extended structures that cannot be subdivided into molecules). The main tasks are: * The formulat ...

for Chinese national needs. Cai played an important role in coordination complex catalysis theory, nitrogen fixation into ammonia and C-1 chemistry which made him the founder of Chinese catalytic chemistry. He won China's State Natural Science Award three times and was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980. Cai died on 3 October 2016 at the age of 102 in Xiamen.

References

1914 births 2016 deaths Chemists from Fujian Chinese centenarians Educators from Fujian Hokkien scientists Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Men centenarians Ohio State University Graduate School alumni People from Xiamen Prisoner exchanges Xiamen University alumni Academic staff of Xiamen University {{China-scientist-stub