Prof. Zhuo Zheng (born: 1962, Xishui, Hubei, China)
    B.S.,Hubei EnShi Normal Collage, 1983.
    M.S., Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1990.
    Ph.D., Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 2001.

    The central theme of my research is asymmetric homogeneous coordination catalysis and its applications. One major focus of my research is to develop the novel synthetic routes and process technologies for specialty fine chemicals such as fluorine -containing, heterocycle and chiral structures. The ultimate goal of the research and development should lead to the commercialization of some unique fine chemicals.

    In the field of asymmetric catalysis, three classes of ligands such as the chiral Schiff bases, the chiral ferrocenes, and the carbohydrate derivatives were designed and synthesized, a series of transition metal complexes were characterized and examined for their catalytic activities and selectivities for the asymmetric reactions such as cyclopropanation, hydrogenation, epoxidation, the kinetic resolution of epoxides, allylic substitution, and transfer hydrogenation etc. Several chiral catalyst systems based on these metal complexes have been found their direct applications to chiral pharmaceuticals, pesticides and their intermediates. More than twenty scientific papers in the fields of asymmetric catalysis and related subjects have been published.

    The studies of these novel asymmetric catalysts have led to the development and commercialization of close to ten fine chemicals, exemplified by technically challenging deltamethrin, the new mode of action pesticide. Fifteen new invention patent applications have been filed in China.