Youth Daily·Youth Shanghai Reporter Liu Jingjing
"A topic that you know before you do it is actually not a real research topic. It is at best a work for beginners to practice; a real research topic should be that you don't know whether it will succeed before you do it. This requires us to explore and overcome difficulties." This is the view of Hu Jinbo, director of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who has just been rated as the 17th Shanghai Science and Technology Elite. He did not take the ordinary path. He turned "unpopular" into "popular" in the research of organic fluorochemistry. Just as the supervisor once shared with him, he also shared his experience with young researchers: "Don't be led by others in research."
※You can only go far from the basics ※
In 2005, Hu Jinbo completed 7 and a half years of study abroad in the United States (5 years of studying for a doctorate degree and 2 and a half years of postdoctoral research). With a love for chemistry and a pursuit of science, he chose to return to China to serve as a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. At that time, the tutor didn't understand and even asked him: "Does there be an elevator in China?"
Hu Jinbo's tutor Professor George A. Olah is one of the main founders of super acid chemistry and carbon positive ion chemistry. He was also awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his outstanding contribution to charcoal positive ion chemistry. Hu Jinbo always remembers the scientific research experience taught to him by this chemist who is passionate about scientific research: when you first start engaging in scientific research, you must start from a basic point in order to go far.
Therefore, Hu Jinbo's long-term scientific research career has focused on a scientific issue, proposed a concept, and developed a new research system based on the concept. The research on organic fluorine chemistry he is engaged in is the most basic research.
fluorine is a relatively dangerous chemical element . Hu Jinbo had a scar on his finger, which was caused by an experimental explosion when he was studying in the United States. But this "dangerous element" can play an important role in functional materials and medical pesticides. "The film material of Beijing Olympic water cube contains fluorine. The beautiful red coating outside the China Pavilion of the World Expo is also a fluorine-containing coating. Because the fluorine-containing materials have good durability and stability, they can last for decades after sun exposure, wind and rain. There are many applications in medicine, such as the familiar offloxacin . You can tell that it is a fluorine-containing component by name. Many drugs have immediate effects when added to fluorine, because the metabolism of fluorine-containing drugs has a stable and high bioavailability, so the efficacy will be very good." Hu Jinbo introduced.
. Natural organic fluorine-containing compounds are very rare in nature. By understanding and mastering the rules of fluorine chemical reactions, especially the fluorine effect, to achieve efficient synthesis of fluorine-containing organic molecules, it is the forefront of research in the field of chemistry. The second experience that the tutor of
transmitted to him was: "Don't do popular fields. There are many people doing things. Whether you do or not, what is difficult to do, and what has not been broken for a long time is worth doing. Everyone has limited working time, so they have to spend limited time on the edge. To do it, they have to be a pioneer who has few people involved in the field." After returning to China, he did not choose the more popular trifluoromethylation and perfluoroalkylation at the time, but chose difluoro and monofluoromethylation that were studied less, and persisted.
※ Only when it becomes unpopular can it be labeled ※
“Only when it becomes unpopular can it be labeled.” In recent years, Hu Jinbo has innovatively put forward the academic view of the "negative fluorine effect" of fluorine-containing carbon negative ions, and has made a series of important breakthroughs, many of which have been reported by internationally renowned academic journals.
In 2007, Hu Jinbo, who had returned to China for two years, quickly became the deputy director of the Key Laboratory of Fluorochemistry of Organic All Machines. This is an opportunity for scientific and technological talents under the national science and technology strategy of "transforming my country's fluorine resource advantages into my country's fluorine technology advantages". In Hu Jinbo's view, the discovery of the "negative fluorine effect" was also an "opportunity".Why is there more research and popular research in the field of fluorine chemistry, trifluoromethylation and perfluoroalkylation, and there are very few studies on difluoromethylation and monofluoromethylation? Because many colleagues believe that if trifluoromethylation is done, difluoro and monofluoro are not a problem, and there is no research significance. In general, if trifluoro cannot be produced, don’t mention difluoro. But Hu Jinbo felt that nothing was absolutely absolute. "You have to be trembling when doing anything, just like walking on thin ice, and you must do it roughly and finely. Many people think that fluorine atoms are not easy to study, so I will check them all in a carpet-style manner with my students."
When doing experiments on the reaction of fluorine-containing carbon negative ions, they found amazing results - compared with nucleophilic trifluoromethylation, the results of nucleophilic difluoromethylation are better. Further research has also found that the ring opening reaction of CF3, RCF2, and R2CF carbon anions on alkylene oxide is also easier to contain less fluorine. Not only is it contrary to traditional understanding, it also overturns the explanation of "big boss". Because it is generally believed that fluorine atoms are electron-removing groups, the more fluorine is, the more stable the carbon negative ions are and the better their nucleophilicity is, but the experimental results are exactly the opposite.
"If one fluorine is missing, the effect is better. There may be a so-called 'negative fluorine effect' here. The more fluorine atoms are replaced, the worse the thermal stability of the carbon negative ions, and the worse the nucleophilicity of some electrophilic substrates." This is something that has never been discovered and proposed in previous studies. Hu Jinbo also submitted a paper on the concept of "negative fluorine effect". Interestingly, he was immediately rejected after his first submission, "and he didn't even review the manuscript." He wrote an email again. Later his paper was accepted, and the editor responded to the email for the first time to explain his omissions.
proposed the concept of "negative fluorine effect" for the first time, and Hu Jinbo still welcomes any peers to verify it at any time. "I have a WeChat group of 'no fluoride, no fluoride' with the students. I have always hoped that the students in the group will argue with me and overthrow me. Whoever can argue me will mean that they are excellent." Hu Jinbo said with a smile. Until today, his views have not been overturned. Just as over the years, the original academic view of "negative fluorine effect" has gradually been proved by a large number of experimental facts and has gradually been recognized by international peers.
He and his team have developed fluorochemical reagents and reaction systems with their own characteristics, and have been widely used by domestic and foreign peers. The original difluoromethyl-2-pyridyl sulfone reagent and difluoromethyl sulfoxide imine reagent are even called "Hu Reagent" by foreign peers.
※ Find "chemical reaction" in persistence ※
Hu Jinbo, who developed the "name" chemical reagent , actually didn't like chemistry when he was a child. "I like to edit newspapers, my hobbies are calligraphy and printing, and my dream is to work in a publishing house." Hu Jinbo did not hesitate to enter the chemistry department and he was "adjusted" and only completed his undergraduate studies step by step, but he never had much confidence in whether he could make achievements in this field.
Until he went to the United States to study for a master's degree, he found that his mentor, Professor Oula, was originally from a Latin school. He was always in liberal arts and was very good at liberal arts and philosophy. He had no impression of chemistry before entering university, but in the end he won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Under the influence of his mentor, Hu Jinbo realized that organic chemistry can also be "half-liberal arts". The study of chemistry requires a clear historical trajectory of chemistry and analytical ability to dig "gold mines" among the complex elements. "Many chemical reactions require memory, and many reaction principles need to be resolved through the idea of 'solving cases'." With this new understanding, Hu Jinbo suddenly "inspired" in chemistry.
The instructor likes to collect chemistry books, so Hu Jinbo borrowed them one by one and read all the history of fluorine. He quickly found his expertise in chemistry learning: knowing why. People who like history can use the methods they are good at in new fields. Familiar with the history and all the chemistry behind it, he will be very sensitive to seeing abnormalities."I will also record all the strange reactions and phenomena I encountered, sort them out, and accumulate a lot of small notebooks." It was an abnormal phenomenon he discovered 10 years ago that helped him quickly solve the problems encountered by an American pharmaceutical company in the development of product .
"Everyone has his own unique and good side." Hu Jinbo wanted to tell all young people engaged in scientific research that no matter what they do, they should have fun. "Don't be boring. Do research that is bold, ambitious, adventurous, but has great potential for innovation. It is better to have glorious failure than mediocre success."
From unknown to knowledge, research is the process of repetitive search in a large number of failures. "Don't be afraid of failure. There will be 'unexpected' chemical reactions in the long persistence." Hu Jinbo said that in terms of original innovation, if every scientist can do one thing in his life, it is highly likely to succeed. "Young people can work in this direction."
Youth Daily·Youth Shanghai Reporter Liu Jingjing
Editor: Zhang Hongye
