AWARDEE OF CHEMISTRY PRIZE

XIAO LUN

Abstract

Doctor Xiao Lun (also known as Lun Xiao),a radiochemist and radioisotope expert,was born in Pixian,Sichuan Province in January,1912.He received his BS degree in chemistry in 1939 from the National Tsing Hua University.He entered the University of Illinois in 1947 in Chemistry Department and was admitted to the degree of MS in 1948.He worked since as a half time Teaching Assistant,was duly initiated in 1949 a member of the Honorary Chemical Society of Phi Lambda Upsilon and duly elected in 1951 a member of the Society of Sigma Xi devoted to the promotion of research in science.He was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1951 from the University of Illinois.He then was employed as Research Associate and Health Physicist in the Betatron Laboratory of the Physics Department.Before his return to China in 1955 he was a physical chemist in the US Bureau of Mines and one of “American Men of Science” published in 1953.
Dr.Xiao served in 1956 as research professor in the Institute of Atomic Energy ever since,and in 1957 as teaching professor opening the first radiochemistry course in Peking University.He was in charge of research,development and production of radioisotopes for a quarter of a century.He was a Congressman of the 5th National Peoples Congress.He is now a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.He holds positions of senior advisor,Science and Technology Committee,China National Nuclear Corporation;and also of senior advisor,Expert Team,Nanjing Research Center of Nuclear Technology,and of advisor,China Institute of Atomic Energy.He is honorary chairman,the Engineering and Technology Committee,the State Research Center of Isotope Engineering and Technology,the Honorary President of the Isotope Society of China,and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Isotopes.He was appointed research professor by Shanghai Institute of Nuclear Research and is an advisor of its Journal of “Nuclear Techniques”。
Dr.Xiao has been quite active in international scientific exchanges.He served in international Programme Committees as session chairmen and International advisors.He presided over the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Activation Analysis and Its Applications.He was the general chairman of the lst International Conference on Isotopes(ICI)and an international advisor in the 2nd ICI.He was invited to nominate the candidate for the award of the 1995 Nobel Prize for Chemistry by the Nobel Committee for Chemistry on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Dr.Xiao found three new radioisotopes of185Wm，183Ta and 185Ta in his Ph.D.thesis and later transformed mercury into gold by the nuclear reaction of Hg(γ,p)Au,Thus,becoming a Chinese Alchemist.He directed the production of a special radioactive source for atomic weaponry,and the tritium technology for large scale production of raw materials used in hydrogen bombs.He has been devoting himself to research,production and application of radioisotopes.