Early Russian organic chemists and their legacy

More about the book

The organic chemists of pre-revolutionary Russia were among the most innovative of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as evidenced by numerous reactions and empirical rules named after them. This volume appeals to both historians of chemistry and organic chemists interested in the historical evolution of their field in Russia. Initially, from the establishment of the Russian Academy of Sciences by Peter the Great in 1725 until the early nineteenth century, organic chemistry was predominantly led by foreign scientists. However, the Russification of the discipline began before the mid-nineteenth century and peaked in the latter half, leading to the emergence of vibrant chemistry schools in Kazan', Moscow, and St. Petersburg. By the century's end, Russian chemists occupied the Chairs of organic chemistry at universities across the empire, with nearly half trained in Kazan'. The volume highlights their significant contributions, including the structural theory of organic chemistry, empirical rules for addition and elimination, reactions involving carbon nucleophiles like the aldol reaction, alcohol synthesis using organozinc nucleophiles, and the discovery of sulfoxides and sulfonium salts, along with various important redox reactions.