Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich (1828-1886), Russian chemist, creator of the theory of the chemical structure of substances.

Born on September 15, 1828 in the city of Chistopol, Kazan province, into a noble family (in the 17th century, Butlerov’s ancestors owned large plots of land near Kazan).

In 1844 he entered Kazan University. Butlerov’s scientific career as a whole developed successfully. Just eight years later, the university graduate became an ordinary professor and in 1857-1858. was sent abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, England, Czech Republic). There Butlerov became directly acquainted with new ideas in chemistry. But the main thing for him was visiting laboratories and meeting the largest chemists in the West.

Returning to Russia, the scientist began re-equipping the chemical laboratory. Then he carried out a series of experimental works, during which the world's first complete synthesis of a sugary substance was carried out (Butlerov called this compound methylenenitane).

Butlerov's second trip abroad became a turning point in the development of all organic chemistry. Speaking at the 36th Congress of German Naturalists and Physicians in Speyer (1861), the scientist first outlined the main provisions of his theory of chemical structure in his report “Something about the chemical structure of bodies.” According to it, the chemical behavior of molecules depends on their topology (sequence of connection of atoms), the mutual influence of atoms and the inequality of chemical bonds between atoms in the molecule.

In 1864, Butlerov's monograph “Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry” appeared - the first guide based on the theory of chemical structure. The work had a profound impact on the development of chemistry throughout the world. Butlerov's theory of chemical structure serves as the foundation of modern organic chemistry. In 1869, the scientist moved to St. Petersburg, where he continued his experimental, theoretical and pedagogical activities.

In 1852-1862 in Kazan and St. Petersburg he gave public lectures on chemistry.

In 1870, Butlerov took part in the organization of St. Petersburg and Vladimir women's courses, where he began giving lectures on chemistry. In 1880, Butlerov began lecturing at the Bestuzhev Women's Courses and set up a chemical laboratory here.

Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich, whose brief biography is found in almost all chemistry textbooks, is a famous Russian chemist, the founder of the scientific school of organic chemistry, the founder of the theory of the structure of organic substances, who predicted and explained the isomerism of a large number of organic compounds and synthesized some of them (urotropine, formaldehyde polymer and etc.). Also, Alexander Mikhailovich, whose contribution to science was highly appreciated by D.I. Mendeleev, wrote works on beekeeping and agriculture.

Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich: short biography

The future scientist was born on September 15, 1828 in the family of a former military man, at that time a landowner. His father Mikhail Vasilyevich took part in the War of 1812, and after retirement he lived with his family in the family village of Butlerovka. Mom, Sofya Alexandrovna, died at the age of 19, immediately after the birth of her child. Alexander spent his childhood in Butlerovka and his grandfather’s estate - the village of Podlesnaya Shantala, where he was raised by his aunts. At the age of 10, the boy was sent to a private boarding school, where he mastered the French and German languages ​​well. In 1842, after a terrible fire in Kazan, the boarding school was closed, and Sasha was transferred to the 1st Kazan gymnasium. In these educational institutions, Butlerov collected insects and plants, was very interested in chemistry and conducted his first experiments. The result of one of them was an explosion, and Alexander’s punishment for what he had done was imprisonment in a punishment cell with a plaque on his chest reading “The Great Chemist.”

Student years

In 1844, Butlerov A.M., whose biography is permeated with a love of chemistry, became a student at Kazan University, which was at that time a center of natural scientific research. At first, the young man became very interested in zoology and botany, but then his interest, under the influence of lectures by K. K. Klaus and N. N. Zinin, spread to chemistry. On their advice, the young man organized a home laboratory, but the topic of his thesis, perhaps due to Zinin’s move to St. Petersburg, was butterflies.

After graduating from the university in 1849, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov, who was petitioned by N.I. Lobachevsky and K.K. Klaus, devoted himself to teaching and lectured on physical geography, physics and chemistry. Moreover, Alexander Mikhailovich was an excellent speaker, able to command the undivided attention of the audience thanks to the clarity and rigor of his presentation. In addition to lectures within the university, Butlerov gave lectures available to the public. The Kazan public sometimes preferred these performances to fashionable theatrical productions. He received his master's degree in 1851, and in the same year he married Nadezhda Mikhailovna Glumilina, the niece of Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov. After 3 years, he defended his doctoral dissertation at Moscow University on the topic “About Essential Oils.” After this, he was elected extraordinary at Kazan University, and a few years later ordinary professor of chemistry. From 1860 to 1863, he was rector twice against his own will, and the rectorship occurred during a rather difficult period in the history of the university: the Kurta memorial service and the Bezdnensky unrest, which affected students and faculty.

Trip to Europe

Alexander Mikhailovich actively participated in the activities of the economic society of the city of Kazan, published articles on agriculture, botany and floriculture. The biography of Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov includes three trips abroad, the first of which took place in 1857-1858. The Russian scientist visited Europe, where he visited chemical industry enterprises and became acquainted with leading chemical laboratories. In one of them, in Paris, he worked for almost six months. During the same period, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov listened to lectures by such outstanding European minds as A. Becquerel, E. Mitscherlich, J. Liebig, R. V. Bunsen, and made acquaintance with Friedrich August Kekule, a German chemist.

Upon returning to Kazan, A.M. Butlerov, whose biography is of interest not only in Russia but also abroad, re-equipped the chemical laboratory and continued the research on methylene derivatives begun by Wurtz. In 1858, the scientist discovered a new method for synthesizing methylene iodide and carried out a number of works related to the extraction of its derivatives. During the synthesis of methylene diacetate, a polymer of formaldehyde was obtained - a saponification product of the substance under study, the result of experiments on which was hexamethylenetetramine and methylenetinate. Thus, Butlerov was the first to produce a complete synthesis of a sugary substance.

Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich: briefly about the achievements of the scientist

In 1861, Butlerov spoke in Speyer, at the Congress of German Physicians and Naturalists, with a lecture “On the Chemical Structure of Matter,” which was based on his acquaintance with the state of chemistry abroad, an irresistible interest in the fundamentals of chemistry from a theoretical point of view, and his own experiments carried out throughout his scientific career.

His theory, which included ideas about the ability of carbon atoms to form chains by A. Cooper and on the valence of A. Kekule, assumed the chemical structure of molecules, by which the scientist understood the method of connecting atoms with each other depending on a certain amount of chemical force (affinity) inherent in each atom.

Important aspects of Butlerov's theory

The Russian scientist established a close connection between the structure and chemical properties of a complex organic compound, which was able to explain the isomerism of many of them, including three pentanes, two isomeric butanes, and various alcohols. Butlerov’s theory also made it possible to predict possible chemical revolutions and explain them.

Thus, in his theory, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov:

• showed the insufficiency of the theories of chemistry that existed at that time;
• emphasized the most important atomicity;
• defined as the distribution of affinity forces belonging to atoms, as a result of which the atoms, exerting an influence on each other (mediocre or direct), combine into a chemical particle;
• identified 8 rules for the formation of chemical compounds;
• was the first to draw attention to the difference in the reactivity of dissimilar compounds, explained by the lower or higher energy with which atoms combine, as well as the incomplete or complete consumption of affinity units when forming a bond.

Scientific achievements of the Russian chemist

The biography of Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov is briefly described in school textbooks, with the dates of his life and his greatest achievements. The Russian scientist has a huge number of experiments aimed at confirming his theory. The scientist, having previously synthesized, determined in 1864 the structure of tertiary in 1866 - isobutane, in 1867 - isobutylene. He also learned the structure of a number of ethylene carbons and polymerized them.

In 1867-1868 Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich, whose short biography evokes scientists all over the world, was appointed professor of chemistry at St. Petersburg University. Introducing him to the staff of this institution, Mendeleev emphasized the originality of Butlerov’s teaching, which was not a continuation of anyone else’s works, but belonged to him personally.

In 1869, Butlerov finally settled in St. Petersburg, where he was elected extraordinary and then ordinary academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. The period of his life in St. Petersburg was very active: the professor continued his experiments, polished the theory of chemical structure, and participated in public life.

Hobbies in the life of a scientist

In 1873, he began studying and gave lectures on this topic. He wrote the first manual in scientific history based on the theory of chemical structure - “An Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry.” Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov is the founder of the school of Russian chemists, otherwise called the “Butlerov school.” In parallel with the study of chemistry, he was actively interested in agriculture. In particular, he was interested in growing tea in the Caucasus, gardening and beekeeping. His brochures “How to Keep Bees” and “The Bee, Its Life and the Main Rules of Intelligent Beekeeping” were reprinted many times, and in 1886 he founded the magazine “Russian Beekeeping List”.

In 1880-1883 Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich, whose short biography is interesting and replete with important discoveries for science, was the president of the Russian Physical and Technical Society. During the same period, the scientist became very interested in spiritualism, which he met at the Aksakov estate in 1854. Later he became close friends with his wife’s cousin A.N. Aksakov, who published the journal on spiritualism “Psychical Research,” and passionately defended his passion to his acquaintances and friends who condemned him.

The value of the works of Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov for chemistry

Alexander Mikhailovich was supposed to retire in 1875, after 25 years of service. The Council of St. Petersburg University twice extended this period by 5 years. The last lecture of Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov took place on March 14, 1885. His health failed, undermined by intensive scientific work and social activities: unexpectedly for everyone, Butlerov died on his estate on August 5, 1886. The scientist was buried in the rural cemetery of his native Butlerovka, now defunct, in the family chapel.

Butlerov’s works received worldwide recognition during his lifetime; his scientific school is considered an integral component of the development of chemistry in Russia, and the biography of Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov arouses genuine interest among scientists and students. Alexander Mikhailovich himself was a very charming and versatile person with a sociable character, open-mindedness, good nature and a condescending attitude towards his students.

Butlerov's biography, which you will read in this article, is marked by the creation of a theory. This theory still underlies the science of the nature of chemical compounds today.

Butlerov’s biography begins in 1828, when Alexander Mikhailovich was born in the small village of Butlerovka, located near Kazan. This event took place on his father's estate.

Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich: childhood

Alexander did not remember his mother, since she died 11 days after the birth of his son. His father was an educated man, and the future scientist wanted to be like him in everything. At first the boy went to a boarding school, and then began to study at the First Kazan Gymnasium. This educational institution had very experienced teachers who knew how to arouse interest in their subjects. Alexander found his studies easy, and he was especially attracted to natural sciences.

Classes at Kazan University, moving to Kazan

Contrary to his father’s wishes, after graduating from high school, Alexander Mikhailovich decided to become a student in the natural science department of the university in Kazan. A year later, in 1845, he was accepted into the first year. At this time the young man turned 17 years old.

Butlerov's biography was marked in 1846 by an unpleasant event - he fell ill with typhus. The guy miraculously survived, but his father, who became infected from him, died. Butlerov moved with his aunt to Kazan in the fall. At the university, he studied diligently, but soon noticed that what he liked most were the lectures on chemistry. He was not satisfied with the lectures of Professor Klaus, so he began to attend classes taught by Nikolai Nikolaevich Zinin. The latter, observing Alexander during laboratory work, noticed that he was gifted.

Defense of the candidate's work

To receive a candidate's degree, Alexander Mikhailovich had to submit a dissertation upon graduation. Zinin by this time had left for St. Petersburg from Kazan. Therefore, Alexander had to take up the natural sciences. He prepared an article for his candidate's work entitled "Day butterflies of the Volga-Ural fauna." But after some time, circumstances developed in such a way that Butlerov nevertheless returned to chemistry.

Work at Kazan University

After receiving his degree, Alexander remained to work at Klaus, the only professor of chemistry, could not conduct all the classes himself and needed an assistant, which Alexander Mikhailovich became. Butlerov passed the exams in the fall of 1850 and became a master of chemistry. He immediately began working on his doctoral dissertation on the topic of essential oils. Butlerov defended this work early next year. Simultaneously with the preparation of lectures, Alexander Mikhailovich began a thorough study

Butlerov botanist

Butlerov’s biography interests not only chemists, but also botanists. Alexander Mikhailovich conducted experiments in his greenhouses located in Butlerovka and Kazan. Also wrote articles on the topics of floriculture, gardening and agriculture Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich. A photo of the monument to Alexander Mikhailovich, located in Kazan, near the university, is presented below.

Doctorate, travel abroad, contribution to chemistry

Butlerov received his doctorate in physics and chemistry on June 4, 1854. Immediately after this, he was appointed to the position of acting professor of chemistry at his native Kazan University. By the beginning of 1857, Butlerov was already a professor. That same year, in the summer, he received permission to go on a business trip abroad.

Alexander Mikhailovich arrived in Berlin at the end of summer. After some time, he continued traveling through Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. Paris was the final destination of the trip. At that time it was the world center for the study of chemistry. Butlerov was attracted mainly by his meeting with Adolf Wurtz. Alexander Butlerov worked in his laboratory for 2 months. The chemist began to conduct his experiments here. After some time, his research bore first fruit. Over the next 20 years, Alexander Butlerov discovered dozens of reactions and substances. His contribution to chemistry was simply enormous. In addition, his exemplary syntheses of ethylene and ethanol, tertiary alcohols, dinzobutylene, trioxymethylene, and urotropine are at the origins of a number of industries. They had a stimulating influence on her development. As you can see, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov did a lot for science and industry. His achievements are difficult to overestimate. Let us now talk about the theory created by this chemist.

Butlerov's theory

Butlerov, studying hydrocarbons, realized that this is a separate class of chemicals. The scientist, analyzing their properties and structure, noticed a strict pattern that formed the basis of the theory of chemical structure created by him.

Butlerov's report at the Paris Academy of Sciences was met with interest. A lively debate began. A few years later, during his 2nd business trip abroad, Alexander Mikhailovich presented the theory he had created. He made a report at the 36th Congress of Doctors and Naturalists in Speyer, held in September 1861. Butlerov read his report on the topic “Something about the chemical structure of bodies.” The scientist introduced the audience to the new theory of the structure of organic substances he created. He said that every atom that is part of a body takes part in its formation and acts with forces directed towards the atoms surrounding it. It is because of this effect that atoms bond into a molecule, a chemical particle. He called chemical structure the distribution of the action of these forces, which leads to the connection of atoms. Thus, complex particles have a chemical basis, which is determined by the nature of the constituent parts, their chemical structure and quantity.

Let us note that even before Butlerov, the term “chemical structure” was encountered in the literature. However, the scientist rethought it and began to use it to define a new concept. The theory of chemical structure is the basis of all branches of modern synthetic chemistry.

Preparation of trimethylcarbinol

The happiest year in Butlerov’s life can be considered 1863. By acting on acetyl chloride with dimethylzinc, the scientist for the first time in history obtained tertiary, otherwise called trimethylcarbinol. Soon after this, reports appeared in the literature on the synthesis of butyl alcohols, primary and secondary. Isobutyl alcohol has been around since 1852. Then it was first isolated from vegetable oil. Now there could be no question of any dispute, since there were 4 butyl alcohols, each of which was an isomer. This was a real triumph for structural theory.

Tautomerism theory

The main position of the new theory put forward by Butlerov, now the reversible isomerization of tautomerism, dates back to the period from 1862 to 1865. Its author believed that its mechanism consists in the splitting of molecules with the same structure and the combination of their residues to form new molecules with a different structure. The scientist spoke about the need to apply a dynamic approach to chemical processes. In other words, they should be considered as equilibrium. The authority of Alexander Mikhailovich as the author of the theory of tautomerism was recognized even by Peter Laar, a German chemist who coined the word “tautomerism.”

Chemistry textbook

Now Butlerov’s task was to apply his structural theory to all compounds and reactions of organic chemistry, and also to create a new textbook on organic chemistry. In the textbook, all phenomena should be considered through the prism of the theory created by him. Butlerov worked on its creation for almost 2 years. Alexander Mikhailovich’s book “Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry” was published in three editions (from 1864 to 1866). It was far superior to all textbooks known at that time. Butlerov's work caused a revolution in science. Already in 1867, preparations began for the translation and publication of this book in German. Then translations appeared in other major European languages.

Holidays in Butlerovka, work at St. Petersburg University

After finishing work on the book, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov was increasingly on his estate. His family came here several times a week. The youngest son, Volodya, who was 2 years old, loved to play in the meadow located near the house. Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich also loved to relax here. Interesting facts about him include his passion for growing flowers, as well as the creation of a collection of insects.

Butlerov now spent less time in the laboratory, but followed the discoveries of scientists. On the initiative of Mendeleev, in the spring of 1868 Alexander was invited to work at St. Petersburg University. Here he began to give lectures and also organized his own chemical laboratory. The scientist created a new teaching method. He proposed a laboratory workshop, now accepted everywhere. During classes, students learned to work with chemical equipment.

Obtaining isobutylene

Butlerov continued his research in which he developed the structural theory. He wanted to prove that all types of organic compounds can have straight and branched carbon chains. This assumption followed from his theory. However, it was necessary to prove this in practice. Finally, the efforts of Alexander Mikhailovich were crowned with success. He received the long-awaited isobutylene. Thus, the presence of a branched hydrocarbon chain was proven.

Involvement in the public life of St. Petersburg

Butlerov, in addition to being actively involved in the public life of the Russian capital. The progressive public of that time was especially concerned about the issue of female education. It was necessary for women to gain access to higher education. For this purpose, Higher Women's Courses were created at the Medical-Surgical Academy. In addition, the Bestuzhev Women's Courses were organized, at which Alexander Mikhailovich gave his lectures on chemistry.

Membership in the Academy of Sciences

The activities of this scientist were noted by the Academy of Sciences. Butlerov was elected an extraordinary academician in 1871, and 3 years later - an ordinary one. Thanks to this, he received an apartment in a building owned by the academy. Zinin Nikolai Nikolaevich also lived here. The long-standing friendship with him was further strengthened by the close proximity.

last years of life

The life and work of Alexander Butlerov until recent years were connected with science. However, the years passed, and classes with students became too difficult for Butlerov. The scientist decided to leave the university. He gave a farewell lecture on April 4, 1880. This decision was met with deep sorrow. It is known that the academic council asked Alexander Mikhailovich to stay. He was elected for another 5 years.

Butlerov limited his activities at the university as much as possible. He taught only the main course and conducted classes in the laboratory several times a week. On August 5, 1886, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov died from blockage of blood vessels. A photo of the chapel at Butlerov’s grave is presented above.

The contribution to chemistry of the Russian chemist, academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and professor of St. Petersburg University, the creator of the theory of chemical structure is presented in this article.

Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich contribution to chemistry:

Alexander Mikhailovich in 1858 discovered a new method for the synthesis of methylene iodide. At the same time, he performed many tasks and works on its derivatives.

The chemist was able to synthesize methylene diacetate and, through the process of saponification, obtained a polymer of formaldehyde. On its basis, in 1861, Butlerov first obtained urotropine and methylenenitane, thereby carrying out the first synthesis of a sugar element.

Butlerov's contribution to the study of chemistry was fully revealed in his revealing message of 1861. In it he:

1. He proved the imperfection of the theories of chemistry existing at that time.
2. Emphasized the importance of atomic theory.
3. Defined the concept of chemical structure.
4. Formulated 8 rules for the formation of chemical compounds.
5. Butlerov was the first to show the difference between the reactivity of different compounds.

Alexander Mikhailovich put forward the idea that atoms in molecules mutually influence each other. He explained in 1864 the process of isomerism in most organic compounds. In the process of experiments to benefit his idea, the scientist studied the structure of butyl tertiary alcohol and isobutylene. He also carried out the polymerization of ethylene hydrocarbons.

Butlerov's main role in chemistry is that he is the founder of the doctrine of tautomerism, laying its foundations.

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Russian empire

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Russian empire

Scientific field: Alma mater: Notable students: Known as:

Creator of the theory of the chemical structure of organic substances, founder of the “Butlerov school”

Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov(September 3 [September 15], Chistopol - August 5 [August 17], Butlerovka village, now Alekseevsky district of Tatarstan) - Russian chemist, creator of the theory of the chemical structure of organic substances, founder of the “Butlerov school” of Russian chemists, beekeeper and lepidopterist, public figure, rector of the Imperial Kazan University in 1860-1863.

Biography

Born into the family of a landowner, a retired officer - a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812.

He received his initial education at a private boarding school, and then at a gymnasium in Kazan, in 1844-1849 he was a student of the Kazan University “class of natural sciences”. From 1849 he was a teacher, from 1854 he was an extraordinary professor, and from 1857 he was an ordinary professor of chemistry at the same university. In 1860-1863 he was its rector twice.

In 1868-1885 ordinary professor of chemistry at St. Petersburg University. In 1885 he retired, but continued to give special courses of lectures at the university. In 1870 he was elected adjunct, in 1871 - extraordinary, and in 1874 - ordinary academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In 1878-1882 he succeeded N.N. Zinin as chairman of the Chemistry Department of the Russian Chemical Society. Honorary member of many other scientific societies in Russia and abroad.

Addresses in St. Petersburg

1870 - 08/05/1886 - 8th line, 17, apt. 2.

Scientific activity

While still a student at the boarding school, he began to become interested in chemistry: together with his comrades, they tried to make either gunpowder or “sparklers”. Once, when one of the experiments led to a strong explosion, the teacher severely punished him. For three days in a row, Sasha was taken out and put in a corner the entire time while the others were having lunch. A black board was hung around his neck with the words “Great Chemist” written on it. Subsequently, these words became prophetic. At Kazan University, Butlerov became interested in teaching chemistry, whose professors were K. K. Klaus and N. N. Zinin. Since 1852, after Klaus moved to the University of Dorpat, Butlerov headed the teaching of all chemistry at Kazan University. In 1851 Butlerov defended his master's thesis “On the oxidation of organic compounds”, and in 1854 at Moscow University - his doctoral thesis “On essential oils”. During a trip abroad in 1857-1858, he became close to many prominent chemists, including F.A. Kekule and E. Erlenmeyer, and spent about six months in Paris, actively participating in meetings of the newly organized Paris Chemical Society. In Paris, in the laboratory of S. A. Wurtz, Butlerov began the first cycle of experimental research. Having discovered a new method for producing methylene iodide, Butlerov obtained and studied numerous of its derivatives; first synthesized hexamethylenetetramine (urotropine) and a polymer of formaldehyde, which, when treated with lime water, turned into a sugary substance (containing, as was established by E. Fischer, a-acrose). According to Butlerov, this is the first complete synthesis of a sugary substance.

Scientific contribution

Key Ideas theories of chemical structure Butlerov first expressed the main provisions of his theory in a report “On the chemical structure of matter,” read in the chemical section of the Congress of German Naturalists and Doctors in Speyer (September 1861). The basics of this theory are formulated as follows:

All other provisions of the classical theory of chemical structure are directly or indirectly related to this postulate. Butlerov outlines the path for determining the chemical structure and formulates rules that can be followed in this case. He gives preference to synthetic reactions carried out under conditions where the radicals involved in them retain their chemical structure. However, Butlerov also foresees the possibility of regroupings, believing that subsequently “general laws” will be derived for these cases as well. Leaving open the question of the preferred form of formulas for chemical structure, Butlerov spoke about their meaning: “... when the general laws of the dependence of the chemical properties of bodies on their chemical structure become known, then such a formula will be an expression of all these properties.”

Butlerov was the first to explain the phenomenon of isomerism by the fact that isomers are compounds that have the same elementary composition but different chemical structures. In turn, the dependence of the properties of isomers and organic compounds in general on their chemical structure is explained by the existence in them of the “mutual influence of atoms” transmitted along the bonds, as a result of which atoms, depending on their structural environment, acquire different “chemical meanings”. Butlerov himself and especially his students V.V. Markovnikov and A.N. Popov concretized this general position in the form of numerous “rules”. Already in the 20th century, these rules, like the entire concept of the mutual influence of atoms, received an electronic interpretation.

Of great importance for the development of the theory of chemical structure was its experimental confirmation in the works of both Butlerov himself and his school. He foresaw and then proved the existence of positional and skeletal isomerism. Having obtained tertiary butyl alcohol, he was able to decipher its structure and proved (together with his students) the presence of isomers. In 1864, Butlerov predicted the existence of two butanes and three pentanes, and later isobutylene. In order to carry the ideas of the theory of chemical structure through all organic chemistry, Butlerov published in 1864-1866 in Kazan in 3 editions “Introduction to the complete study of organic chemistry”, the 2nd edition of which was published in 1867-1868 in German.

Butlerov was the first to begin, based on the theory of chemical structure, a systematic study of polymerization, which was continued in Russia by his followers and culminated in the discovery by S. V. Lebedev of an industrial method for producing synthetic rubber.

Pedagogical activity

Butlerov's great merit is the creation of the first Russian school of chemists. Even during his lifetime, Butlerov’s students at Kazan University V.V. Markovnikov, A.N. Popov, A.M. Zaitsev occupied professorial chairs at universities. Of Butlerov's students at St. Petersburg University, the most famous are A. E. Favorsky, M. D. Lvov and I. L. Kondakov. At different times, E. E. Vagner, D. P. Konovalov, F. M. Flavitsky, A. I. Bazarov, A. A. Krakau and other prominent Russian chemists worked as trainees in the Butlerov laboratory. A distinctive feature of Butlerov as a leader was that he taught by example - students could always observe for themselves what and how the professor was working on.

Social activity

Butlerov took a lot of energy in the struggle for recognition of the merits of Russian scientists by the Academy of Sciences. In 1882, in connection with the academic elections, Butlerov turned directly to public opinion, publishing in the Moscow newspaper Rus an accusatory article “Russian or only the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg?”

Butlerov was a champion of higher education for women, participated in the organization of the Higher Women's Courses in 1878, and created the chemical laboratories of these courses. In Kazan and St. Petersburg, Butlerov gave many popular lectures, mainly on chemical and technical topics.

In addition to chemistry, Butlerov paid a lot of attention to practical issues of agriculture, gardening, beekeeping, and later also to tea cultivation in the Caucasus. He was the founder and, at first, editor-in-chief of the Russian Beekeeping List. Being one of the organizers of the Russian Society for the Acclimatization of Animals and Plants, he made a great contribution to the development of gardening and beekeeping. The book he wrote, “The Bee, Its Life and the Main Rules of Intelligent Beekeeping,” went through more than 10 reprints before the revolution, and was also published during Soviet times.

• From the late 1860s, Butlerov showed interest in spiritualism.

Memory

The memory of Butlerov was perpetuated only under Soviet rule; An academic publication of his works was carried out.

Notes

Essays

1. Butlerov A. M. Daytime butterflies of the Volga-Ural fauna. - Kazan: type. Imp. Kazansk University, 1848. - 60 p.
2. Butlerov A. M. Report on the experience of transforming oats into rye // Notes of the Kazan Economic Society, 1855, part 2, dep. 2. - pp. 109-112.
3. Butlerov A. M. Introduction to the complete study of organic chemistry, c. 1-3, Kazan, 1864-1866.
4. Butlerov A. M. The bee, its life and the main rules of intelligent beekeeping. A short guide for bees, mainly for peasants. - St. Petersburg. , 1871.
5. Butlerov A. M. Articles on beekeeping. - St. Petersburg. , 1891.
6. Butlerov A. M. Selected works on organic chemistry. - M., 1951 (bib. of works on chemistry).
7. Butlerov A. M. Works: In 3 volumes - M., 1953-1958 (bib. of works).
8. Butlerov A. M. Scientific and pedagogical activity: Collection of documents. - M., 1961.

Literature

1. A. M. Butlerov. 1828-1928: Collection of articles. - L., 1929.
2. Gumilevsky L. I. Butlerov. - M.: Young Guard, 1951. - 336 p. - (ZhZL).
3. Bykov G.V. Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov. - M., 1961.
4. Bykov G.V. History of the classical theory of chemical structure. - M., 1960.
5. Markovnikov V.V. Moscow speech about Butlerov // Proceedings of the Institute of History of Natural Sciences and Technology. - 1956. - T. 12. - P. 135-181.
6. Melnikov N. M. On A. M. Butlerov’s research on the fauna of the local region // In the book: Solemn public meeting of the Council of the Imperial Kazan University, dedicated to the memory of its late honorary member, academician A. M. Butlerov, February 5, 1887. Kazan, 1887. - S. 62-67.
7. Letters from Russian chemists to A.M. Butlerov // Scientific heritage. - T. 4. - M., 1961.

Links

• Graham, Lauren.“Natural science, philosophy and the sciences of human behavior in the Soviet Union, Chapter IX. Chemistry"

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See what “Butlerov, Alexander Mikhailovich” is in other dictionaries: Famous Russian chemist, head of the so-called “Butlerov school”; genus. August 25, 1828 in Chistopol, Kazan province, d. August 5, 1886 in the same province, on his own estate, the village of Butlerovka, Spassky district. Son… …

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