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Qian'er Zhang Professor, Xiamen University Founder of Center for Theoretical Chemmistry, Xiamen University (CTC-XMU) In Memory of Academician Zhang
Zhang Qian'er (Chinese: 张乾二, 15 August 1928 - 3 May 2020) was a Chinese chemist who was a professor and doctoral supervisor at Xiamen University. Zhang was a member of the 8th and 9th Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Zhang was a member of the 10th, 11th and 12th Standing Committee of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party. |
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Zhang was born into a highly educated family in the town of Chongwu, Hui'an County, Fujian, on August 15, 1928. He attended Jimei High School. In 1947, he was accepted to Xiamen University, where he majored in chemistry. After graduating in 1951, he became a post-graduate under the supervision of Lu Jiaxi. After completing a three-year graduate course, he stayed at the university and worked as a lecturer, and he was elected associate professor for 1962 and full professor for 1978. In 1978, he became dean of College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He was appointed director of the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Science, serving until 1992. He died in Xiamen, Fujian, on May 3, 2020, aged 92. Mr. Zhang Qian’er devoted his entire life to research in structural chemistry and quantum chemistry. He made significant contributions in various areas, including the ligand field theory method, the graphical approach to Hückel molecular orbital theory, polyhedral molecular orbital theory, group theoretical methods for multi-electron systems, and valence bond theory methods. He published over 200 academic papers in renowned journals both in China and abroad, and authored several influential monographs, such as Ligand Field Theory Methods, Graphical Methods for Hückel Matrices, Polyhedral Molecular Orbitals, Angular Momentum Theory and Atomic Structure, and Fundamentals of Finite Group Theory and Its Applications in Physics and Chemistry. Leading his team, he advanced valence bond theory by developing it at an ab initio level and proposed the “Unitary Group Approach with Bond Tables,” which effectively resolved the issue of basis functions in valence bond theory. He also developed the ab initio valence bond computational program XMVB, which is widely used around the world. Mr. Zhang received numerous prestigious awards, including the First and Second Class Prizes of the State Natural Science Award, the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Award for Scientific and Technological Progress, and the Fujian Provincial Award for Major Contributions to Science and Technology. With a teaching career spanning over six decades, Mr. Zhang was known for his rigorous scholarship, dedication to education, and deep care for his students. He was revered by both students and colleagues alike. Passionate about teaching and fundamental theoretical research, he lectured on more than ten major courses over the years, such as Structure of Matter, Advanced Physical Chemistry, Quantum Chemistry, Group Theory, Angular Momentum Theory and Atomic Structure, Molecular Spectroscopy, and Ligand Field Theory. He trained a large number of outstanding talents in the fields of theoretical and structural chemistry. |
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