Butlerov and Mendeleev. Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich - interesting facts. General information about life

Scientist and great original Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov(1828-1886) was born on his father’s family estate, the village of Butlerovka, Spassky district, Kazan province. His father Mikhail Vasilyevich was a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812 and retired as a lieutenant colonel. There were about 100 serfs on my father’s estate. Alexander was his father's only son. Butlerov did not remember his mother; she died shortly after his birth. At the age of seventeen, Alexander entered Kazan University. He had an athletic build and was distinguished by great physical strength: he could easily lift two comrades into his arms and bend a poker into the letter “B”.

During a trip to the Caspian Sea in 1846, Alexander Butlerov fell ill with typhoid fever, was transported to Simbirsk and gradually recovered; however, his father, while caring for his son, fell ill, became infected, and soon died.

Butlerov was unable to defend his doctoral dissertation at Kazan University on the topic “On Essential Oils” for the degree of Doctor of Chemistry and Physics (at that time there was no separate Doctor of Chemistry degree), since the professor of physics A.S. Solovyov gave a negative review. Butlerov took his dissertation and defended it at Moscow University. Later, he himself said that this dissertation “represents nothing interesting.”

Butlerov married Nadezhda Mikhailovna Glumilina, the niece of the writer S. T. Aksakov, in whose family he lived for a time after the death of his father. Nadezhda Mikhailovna bore him two sons.

On the door of his apartment in Kazan, Butlerov pasted a notice with approximately the following content: “Al. M. Butlerov does not make or give visits, but he is always very glad to see his good friends.” The announcement shocked the townspeople, since visits were held sacred in the provinces.

Then in Nice, Butlerov and his wife met with the English medium Hume, who later married Butlerov’s sister-in-law. Alexander Mikhailovich actively promoted spiritualism, which caused Mendeleev’s indignation. In one article, Mendeleev wrote (meaning Butlerov): “...There are also those who, if they believe something, will believe it completely, with all their hearts.”

In 1870-1880 Mendeleev opposed the theory of chemical structure developed by Butlerov. He formulated his attitude to this theory especially sharply in the third edition of the textbook “Fundamentals of Chemistry” (1877): “...The concepts of the structuralists cannot be considered true.” It turned out that university students took a course in inorganic chemistry from Mendeleev, where he denied the theory of chemical structure, and then listened to Butlerov, who taught a course in organic chemistry, in which the usefulness of this theory was stated. After 1880, Mendeleev stopped his attacks against the theory of chemical structure.

Storm in the Mediterranean Sea

In January 1868, Butlerov decided to visit Algeria. The journey almost ended tragically: a 12-point storm broke out in the Mediterranean Sea. The storm carried eight sailors and all the cargo on deck out to sea from the ship. Butlerov had to work as a sailor and, while saving people, he almost died himself. This is how Alexander Mikhailovich told about this journey.

“Looking at the sea made me forget the deck. Without having seen it, you can’t imagine anything like it: the sides of the steamer, which had previously stood high above the water, now seemed to be equal to it, and a little further away, both to the right and to the left, rose watery black-blue mountains, all dotted with brown foamy ridges.

The steamer seemed to be squeezed by them. Another moment - and one of them collapsed through the left side, a whole waterfall spilled into the engine hatch. Almost unconsciously, I jumped onto the rope ladder on the right side, closer to the boat, hanging on the raster and already broken by the blows of the waves. Without noticing this, I saw in her hope for salvation. But the streams of water stopped pouring over the side for a minute, I stepped onto the deck and from it, turning to the stern, I saw how a mountain of water suddenly rose behind it... For a moment I closed my eyes, expecting sinking, the steamer was jumping, swaying terribly, but I didn’t scoop up water with the sides every time... I myself managed to grab the ropes at the mast when... a new mass of water poured through the starboard side and doused us from head to toe. I frantically clung to the rope and, fortunately, held on. For two seconds I was completely in the water, involuntarily - with open eyes - I saw the blue of the water mass, my mouth was full of water. All wet, I remained in my place at the mast... The water mountains rose and collapsed meanwhile as before... one of them hit the poop, where the captain and two helmsmen were located. The captain raised his hands and screamed, the steering wheel and crossbar were broken and crushed, but the people survived. A minute before, the captain tied himself and them with ropes. They hastened to somehow attach the rudder and, turning the ship into the wind, left it to the will of the storm and waves.”

The storm continued for ten whole days. Finally, the ship reached Algeria.

Literature

B. D. Stepin, L. Yu. Alikberova / Book on chemistry for home reading. - M.: Chemistry, 1994.

Sections: Chemistry, Extracurricular activities

Goals:

Compare the life and work of two great Russian scientists and find commonality in fate, scientific theories, significance for science
Feel proud of our Russian land, which gave these great people to the world.
Development of research skills and creative abilities.

A.M. Butlerov - one of the greatest Russian scientists, he is Russian both in his scientific education and in the originality of his works.

(D.I.Mendeleev)

“... I love my country like a mother, and my science like a spirit that blesses, illuminates and unites all peoples for the good and peaceful development of spiritual and material wealth.”

(D.I.Mendeleev)

When studying this section, my students and I chose the form of defending educational projects.

Defense of an educational project includes writing an essay and presenting it to other participants.

Preparation for the conference included several stages:

Choosing a topic for an educational project.
Writing an abstract.
Project protection.

Abstract topics:

Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev is a brilliant Russian chemist.
Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov is the greatest Russian scientist.

Literature:

Grosse E. Chemistry for the curious. 1987
Tishchenko V.E., Mladentsev M.N. Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, his life and work (University period) 1861-1890 M. 1993
Dmitriev I.S. “Special mission of Mendeleev - Arguments and facts, St. Petersburg University” 1996
Starikov V.I. "DI. Mendeleev” 1984 Sverdlovsk.
Makarenya A.A. “Mendeleev in St. Petersburg” Lenizdat. 1982

At the first stage of preparation, students are given an approximate list of topics to work on:

Years of life. Place of Birth. Family. Enthusiasm.
Personal qualities.
Cooperative activity
Prerequisites.
History of discovery.
Scientific theories
Triumph.
The main directions of development of the two theories.
Philosophical laws of development.
Meaning

Stage P – the stage of students’ independent work with the textbook and additional literature.

Stage III - exchange of information, students recording the main content in a notebook.

Years of life. Place of birth Family. Hobbies.

Butlerov Alexander Mikhailovich 1828-1886

Mendeleev Dmitry Ivanovich 1834-1907

Student presentations in theses:

Butlerov A.M. – born on September 15, 1828 in the city of Chistonol, Kazan province. Butlerov's father, Mikhail Vasilyevich, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, after retirement with the rank of lieutenant colonel, lived in the ancestral village of Butlerovka; mother Sofya Alexandrovna, died at the age of 19, a few days after the birth of her son. Raised by his father, an educated man, Sasha wanted to be like him in everything.

Butlerov studied at a private boarding school, then at the first Kazan gymnasium. At the age of 10, he was fluent in French and German, was engaged in chemical experiments (one of them ended in an explosion, and the boarding school teachers sent the offender to a punishment cell, hanging a plaque on his chest with the inscription “great chemist”), collected collections of plants and insects.

In 1846, Alexander fell ill with typhus and miraculously survived, but his father, who became infected from him, died. Butlerov was 18 years old, he studied at the natural sciences department of Kazan University.

Mendeleev D.I. – was born in Siberia, in the city of Tobolsk. February 8, 1834, the seventeenth and last child in the family of Ivan Pavlovich Mindeleev, director of the Tobolsk gymnasium. In the same year, father D.I. Mindeleeva is blind. When Dmitry was 13 years old, his father died and all concerns about the family passed to his mother, Maria Dmitrievna, a woman of outstanding intelligence and energy. She managed to simultaneously run a small glass factory and take care of the children, to whom she gave an excellent education for that time. She died in 1850. Mendeleev retained a grateful memory of her until the end of his days.

Studied D.I. Mendeleev at the Main Pedagogical Institute in St. Petersburg with outstanding teachers who knew how to arouse deep interest in science. These were the best scientific forces of that time, academicians and professors of St. Petersburg University, such as mathematician M.V. Ostrogradsky, physicist E.Kh. Lenz, chemist A.A. Voskresensky.

At 23 years old D.I. Mendeleev defended his master's thesis and became an associate professor at St. Petersburg University, where he taught first inorganic and then organic chemistry.

In 1865, he defended his thesis “On the combination of alcohol with water” for the degree of Doctor of Chemistry and two years later became the head of the department of inorganic (general) chemistry.

Personal qualities.

A.M. Butlerov

According to contemporaries, Butlerov was one of the best lecturers of his time: he completely dominated the audience thanks to the clarity and rigor of his presentation, which he combined with figurative language.

The ability to relax, both in his student and mature years, helped Alexander Mikhailovich to work selflessly.

Sociable and friendly, ready for a joke and an argument, modest and hardworking - this is how Butlerov was remembered by numerous friends, colleagues and students.

D.I. Mendeleev

DI. Mendeleev had an amazingly clear chemical thinking; he always clearly understood the ultimate goals of his creative work: foresight and benefit.

He was a mighty man, because only a giant could do what he did, thanks to his strength of spirit and confidence that his work was necessary.

DI. Mendeleev is a true patriot. This is a person who loves his homeland, the country where he was born. With his work and his whole life, he contributed to the good and prosperity of his homeland. Dmitry Ivanovich is a classic example of a Russian patriot.

Both scientists were distinguished from other chemists:

Encyclopedic nature of chemical knowledge;
Ability to analyze and summarize facts;
Scientific forecasting;
Russian mentality and Russian patriotism.

Cooperative activity.

In the spring of 1868, on the initiative of the famous chemist Mendeleev, Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov was invited to St. Petersburg University, where he began to lecture and was given the opportunity to organize a private chemical laboratory. Butlerov developed a new method of teaching students, proposing the now universally accepted laboratory workshop.

Information about the joint teaching work of Butlerov and Mendeleev at the Department of Chemistry of St. Petersburg University has been preserved:

Repeatedly D.I. Mendeleev and A.M. The Butlerovs took chemistry exams together.

Jointly participated in the work of the dissertation defense council.

In their relationship there was mutual support and the practice of delusions.

In 1861, Butlerov outlined his theory of the structure of organic compounds, and, an interesting coincidence

In the same year, Mendeleev published two works entirely devoted to organic chemistry. His textbook “Organic Chemistry” was published, and two years later the second edition appeared. For his work D.I. Mendeleev was awarded the Demidov Prize, the highest scientific award in Russia at that time.

Prerequisites for the periodic law:

By the time the Periodic Law was discovered, 63 elements were known and the properties of their numerous compounds were described.

Works of scientists - predecessors of D.I. Mendeleev: Berzelius classification, Döbereiner triads, Chancourtois spiral, Newlands octaves, Meyer table.

Congress of chemists in Karlsruhe, when atomic-molecular science was finally established.

Prerequisites for the theory of chemical structure:

Hundreds of thousands of organic compounds are known, consisting of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and, less commonly, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur.

Works of predecessors A.M. Butlerov: introduction of the term radical and theory of radicals; type theory; introduction of the term “isometry”; Frankland and Kekule approved the concept of the valency of elements; Kekule developed the idea of carbon tetravalency; Cannizzaro clarified the atomic and molecular masses.

Both recognized the merits of Berzelius as the developer of the fundamental principles of classification.

The history of the discovery of the Periodic Law and the theory of structure.

DI. Mendeleev and A.M. Butlerov summarized the accumulated factual material and, adding to it, made it the basis of their works.

However, D.I. Mendeleev arranged the elements in order of increasing atomic weight.

The main feature of the table D.I. Mendeleev is that chemically similar elements are placed in vertical rows: lithium and sodium, beryllium and magnesium, fluorine and chlorine, oxygen and sulfur. With this arrangement, the periodicity of the properties of chemical elements clearly emerged. Thus the greatest discovery of the era was made.

Scientific theories:

Theory of periodicity.

Periodic law and periodic system of chemical elements D.I. Mendeleev.

Theory of structure.

Theory of the structure of organic compounds A.M. Butlerov.

Both leading theories of modern chemistry were created by great Russian scientists and constitute the contribution of Russian chemistry to world chemical science. Both theories have stood the test of time and have stood the test of time brilliantly, developing and enriched by modern discoveries in chemistry.

DI. Mendeleev predicts, describes and indicates the path to the discovery of gallium, scandium and germanium, still unknown to science, calling them ekaboron, ekaaluminium, ekasilicon.

Less than six years later, D.I.’s predictions. Mendeleev were confirmed. Life continued to test the strength of Mendeleev's law.

Finally the time for triumph has come. Gallium was discovered in 1875, scandium in 1879, and germanium in 1886. The existence of more than 10 elements in nature was predicted by D.I. Mendeleev.

The triumph of Butlerov's theory of the chemical structure of organic compounds was the correct explanation of isometric phenomena based on this theory.

In 1864-1866, Butlerov’s book “Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry” was published in three editions. This inspired work was the revelation of Butlerov, an experimental chemist and philosopher who rearranged all the material accumulated by science according to the principle of chemical structure.

Butlerov's book caused a real revolution in chemical science. It has become a guiding light in the vast majority of research in the field of organic chemistry. Publications have been published in almost all European languages.

The main directions of development of the two theories:

The development of both theories occurs according to philosophical laws (in a spiral): the formulations of the provisions are adjusted in connection with the latest scientific discoveries, but their essence remains the same.

Philosophical laws of development:

The properties of chemical elements depend on:

Their relative masses,

Charges of their atomic nuclei;

Periodicity in changes in the outer electronic layers of atoms;

The properties of organic substances depend on:

Their chemical structure

Their spatial structure,

Their electronic structure.

Meaning:

The periodic law turned out to be a powerful scientific research tool, because all further searches for elements were carried out with the help of this law.

The periodic law is a universal law of nature, because all physical and chemical properties of a substance are determined by the structure of atoms.

Created by D.I. Mendeleev, based on the periodic law, the periodic system of chemical elements plays the role of a guiding star in the development of chemistry, physics and all natural sciences.

The subsequent development of atomic physics and the discovery of the structure of atoms made it possible to reveal the reasons for the periodicity in the properties of chemical elements discovered by D.I. Mendeleev.

The creation of the theory of the chemical structure of organic substances played a crucial role in the development of organic chemistry. From a descriptive science it turns into a creative, synthesizing science; it becomes possible to judge the mutual influence of atoms in the molecules of various substances.

The theory of chemical structure has created the prerequisites for explaining and predicting various types of isomerism of organic molecules, as well as the directions and mechanisms of chemical reactions.

Based on this theory, chemists create substances that replace natural ones and sometimes even surpass them in properties (rubbers, plastics, dyes).

Both theories have so much in common in the ways of their formation, directions of development, common in their predictive role, general scientific significance.

Will of D.I. Mendeleev.

“The future does not threaten the periodic law with destruction, but only development and superstructures are promised.”

Will of A.M. Butlerov.

“... when we know more closely the nature of chemical energy, the very type of atomic motion - when the laws of mechanics are applied here too, then the doctrine of chemical structure will fall ... in order to enter in a base form into the circle of new, broader views.”

“Mendeleev and Butlerov! These are two titans who hold on their shoulders the eastern portal of the world-wide international building of chemistry,” Academician A.E. highly appreciated the merits of scientists. Arbuzov at the Mendeleev Congress held in Kazan in 1928.

So all the issues of the plan have been considered. Students have written down the most important information on this topic in their notebooks.

They heard a lot of additional information.

Conducting a scientific and practical conference dedicated to the study of the life and work of outstanding Russian scientists Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev and Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov instills in students a sense of pride in their country and develops interest in the subject being studied.

XX. MENDELEEV IS SELECTED TO THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES BY ALL RUSSIA

The persecution of advanced science undertaken by the reactionaries was reflected in everything.

Timiryazev wrote about the invigorating upsurge of the sixties: “Had our society not awakened in general to new, vigorous activity, perhaps Mendeleev and Tsenkovsky would have spent their lives as teachers in Simferopol and Yaroslavl, the lawyer Kovalevsky would have been a prosecutor, the cadet Beketov would have been a squadron commander, and the sapper Sechenov would dig trenches according to all the rules of his art.”

The ensuing reaction would have willingly returned Sechenov to digging trenches - there was no place for him in scientific medical institutions. For several years he huddled in the laboratory of his friend Mendeleev, where he unsuccessfully tried to switch to chemical research. Mechnikov found himself outside the staff of Odessa University. The same Sechenov wrote to him: “I have already heard... about your intention to leave the university; I find it, of course, completely natural and naturally I curse those conditions that make a person like you superfluous.” The immediate goal of the reaction was to oust the leading representatives of the natural sciences from everywhere - from all departments from where their living words could be heard. Complete ignorance in the field of natural sciences in ruling circles was considered “the best defense against those abuses of scientific data from which materialism follows.”

Not loving and not appreciating Russian science, the noble nobility preferred to rely on foreign mediocrity, which seeped freely into all pores of Russian scientific life. Alien nonentities, they hated everything bright and original. Devoted to their patrons, they shared their fear of the development of independent Russian science.

If Pobedonostsev was the inspirer, and Katkov the tireless publicist of the reaction, then it had its own reliable executor of all sentences - Count Dmitry Tolstoy, a man of the “strong hand,” as the executioner was called in the Middle Ages. This provincial leader of the nobility was called by Pobedonostsev to broad government activities and consistently occupied the most important, key positions in the government apparatus. He was the Minister of Education, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod - the body that directed the policy of the Orthodox Church, the chief of a special corps of gendarmes and - concurrently - the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences... It sounded like a joke - a gendarme in the role of trustee of sciences! But it was a sad joke: Tolstoy, too, carried out his life’s task with gendarme diligence and protected the Academy from the penetration of any progressive, democratic, creative forces into it.

The circles, whose representative was Count D. A. Tolstoy, could most directly influence the selection of members of the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the Academy of Sciences, people from whom one could least expect a desire to make Russian forces participants in the scientific movement constituted the majority.

In 1882, under circumstances that will be discussed later, A. M. Butlerov spoke in the wider press with a protest against academic practices. This speech summed up the result of a great campaign, long ago, as one can judge from his own statements, conceived and brilliantly carried out by Butlerov. Its goal was to use a number of convincing examples to show all of Russia the disastrous government policy towards science and scientists and to achieve an outburst of public indignation that would prompt those in power to change this policy.

Butlerov said that since 1870, when he was elected academician, he already had reasons “to treat the actions of the academic majority with some caution.” “I was prompted to do this,” he wrote, “by dissatisfaction with the state of the academic environment, which I heard expressed by some of my fellow members who had long been known to me and sincerely respected. This was, for example, my late teacher, Academician N.N. Zinin. The conspicuous predominance of foreign names among not only the two branches of the Academy themselves, but also those institutions that adjoin them, did not encourage credulity. One couldn’t help but ask: aren’t the principles that Lomonosov so bitterly complained about at the time dominant in the Academy?

...I was far from making any hasty conclusions based on appearance, and only based on facts could I decide to draw conclusions about the environment around me. These facts presented themselves quickly, and, accumulating little by little, they not only did not dispel my initial doubts, but revealed the unsuitability of the academic atmosphere to such an extent that it became difficult, almost unbearable, to breathe. It is not surprising that a person who is suffocating strives with all his might for clean air and resorts to heroic means to make his way to it.”

For Butlerov, such a “heroic means” was the printed word.

What worried Butlerov?

“The Academy should, it seemed, combine in itself, if possible, all those scientific forces that are dominant in Russia, and it should ... serve as a mirror reflecting the state of Russian science in its highest development.” This was his main requirement for the Academy. It was not fulfilled.

“Only a lack of worthy scientists could excuse the existence of vacancies in the Academy, and yet I constantly saw vacancies unfilled, and Russian naturalists, who have every right to fill them, remained ... on the sidelines.”

The closest example of this was Academician A.S. Famintsyn, who waited eight years for election to a vacant chair of botany.

“At first, it was difficult for me, as one of the younger members of the Academy, to express the thoughts expressed to her,” wrote Butlerov, “and then I soon had to become convinced that such frankness would be completely unnecessary, as it had no chance of gaining the sympathy of the majority. I decided to remain silent until the opportunity..."

The necessary reason to speak out presented itself, and, as we will see later, it was far from “accidental.”

In the fall of 1874, academicians A. M. Butlerov and N. N. Zinin decided to try to introduce Professor D. I. Mendeleev into the Academy, “whose right to a place in the Russian Academy of Sciences, of course, no one will dare to challenge.”

The hangers-on of the reaction in the Academy of Sciences did not immediately decide to challenge this. In 1874, to get around Mendeleev's idea, they resorted to a diplomatic move. The question that was put to the vote was not about Mendeleev, but about the advisability of providing one of the available vacancies for chemistry. They decided not to open vacancies for chemistry, although in the Academy of Sciences since 1838 there have always been three or four so-called “adjuncts” in chemistry, and since 1870 only two. Permanent Secretary of the Academy of Sciences, reactionary scientist-statistician and climatologist-K. S. Veselovsky, who interfered in the affairs of all departments, including physics and mathematics, alien to him

in a scientific specialty, hypocritically reprimanded Butlerov: “Why was the question of the place not raised separately from the question of persons? After all, you could lead us to the need to vote out a worthy person.” At the same time, in his notes stored in the handwritten funds of the academic archive, he wrote: “Academician Butlerov, who was at the same time a university professor, waged a constant open war against the Academy and... tried to get Mendeleev into academicianship... Mendeleev’s candidacy was eliminated with the help of a preliminary question "

Several years have passed. Still complete nonentities, discharged from abroad, sat in academic chairs; as before, entrance to the Academy was closed to creative Russian science. Knowing for sure that hostility towards Mendeleev both at the top and in the Academy of Sciences itself not only did not decrease, but, on the contrary, increased, Butlerov decided to fight the reaction on this basis.

K. S. Veselovsky, in his unpublished notes, wrote about it this way: “Several years later, when a vacancy for an ordinary academician in technology opened up, Butlerov, stubborn and angry at the Academy, proposed Mendeleev for him, knowing very well that this candidate would not be favored the required majority of votes, but maliciously hoped to cause an unpleasant scandal for the Academy. It was impossible to eliminate the danger, as before, with the help of a “preliminary question,” since the position of a technologist was prescribed by the charter and was vacant at that time. The only way to eliminate the balloting scandal was the right of “veto” granted by the Charter to the President. Therefore, at the request of the majority of academicians, I went to Litka, pointed out to him the almost complete certainty of the negative result of the ballot, the scandal that could result from it, in view of the hostility towards the Academy of those individuals who pushed Butlerov to make the said proposal, and explained that Only by his right can danger be prevented. No matter how much I explained this to the dull old man, he did not agree, saying: “On what basis can I not allow Butlerov to submit his proposal to the Academy?” – No matter how much I fought with him, I could not explain to him that the right of the presidential “veto” does not mean that the President should be included in the assessment of the scientific merits of the proposed candidate; he cannot and should not do this; but the use of this right is completely appropriate and even mandatory in cases where a negative result of voting and undesirable consequences from it are foreseen. Nothing helped; The voting took place."

“With the consent of Mr. President, we have the honor to propose for the election of a corresponding member of the Academy, Professor of St. Petersburg University Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev,” - this is how the proposal for the election of D. I. Mendeleev to academician began, signed by A. Butlerov, P. Chebyshev, F. Ovsyannikov, N. Koksharov.

On November 11, 1880, a vote for Mendeleev’s candidacy took place at the meeting of the physics and mathematics department. In addition to the president, Count F. P. Litke, the meeting was attended by: vice-president V. Ya. Bunyakovsky, permanent secretary of the academy K. S. Veselovsky, academicians: G. P. Gelmersen, G. I. Wild, A. A. Strauch, F.B. Schmidt, L.I. Shrenk, O.V. Struve, who voted, as the press subsequently announced, against Mendeleev, and A.M. Butlerov, P.L. Chebyshev, A.S. Famintsyn , F.V. Ovsyannikov, N.N. Alekseev, N.I. Koksharov, A.N. Savich, K.I. Maksimovich, N.I. Zheleznov, who cast their votes for Mendeleev. Voting was carried out with balls: a white ball dropped into the ballot box meant voting “for”, a black ball – “against”. The President had two votes. “The most curious thing was,” wrote K. S. Veselovsky in his notes, “that Litke, who did not agree to reject the ballot with his authority, gave Mendeleev his two black balls during the ballot.”

The final report of the meeting stated that “Mr. Mendeleev combined 9 electoral votes against 10 non-elective votes in his favor. As a result, he is recognized as unelected.”

When rewriting the protocol, Veselovsky softened this wording, writing “not recognized as elected.” But what did subtle expressions mean here?!

The news of Mendeleev being voted out of office in the Russian Academy of Sciences was met with angry protest from the scientific community throughout the country. Moscow professors wrote to Mendeleev: “For people who followed the actions of the institution, which, according to its charter, should be the “premier scientific class of Russia,” such news was not unexpected. The history of many academic elections has shown that in the environment of this institution the voice of people of science is suppressed by the opposition of dark forces that jealously close the doors of the academy to Russian talents.” All Russian authorities in the field of chemistry communicated with each other by telegraph within a few days and presented Mendeleev with a solemn certificate, decorated with numerous signatures of “the most competent connoisseurs and judges,” as the press reported, “representatives of all our universities.” It was followed by a stream of addresses, statements, letters, appeals from scientific corporations and individuals both from Russia and abroad. Following the example of Kyiv University, all Russian universities and many foreign universities and scientific societies, as a sign of protest, elected Mendeleev as an honorary member. Mendeleev responded to the rector of Kyiv University: “I sincerely thank you and the council of Kyiv University. I understand that this is about the Russian name, and not about me. What is sown in the scientific field will come up for the benefit of the people.”

Unanimously, throughout scientific Russia, Mendeleev was elected to the “premier scientific class.”

It should be noted that in the progressive liberal press of that time, the “Mendeleev case” received the widest publicity. The presentation of academicians Butlerov, Chebyshev and others was published in its entirety. Who are these people of science who dared to vote out Mendeleev? - the newspapers asked. -What are they doing? Counting letters in calendars? By compiling a grammar of the Ashanti language, which disappeared thousands of years ago, or by solving the question: how many permanent judges were appointed for Rome under Sulla - 350 or 375?

The Academy of Sciences was ridiculed by depicting a meeting “In the Sanctuary of the Sciences”, where the following were sitting: Georg von Klopstoss, an ordinary academician in the department of pure mathematics, who withstood the general proofreading of the complete collection of logarithms and wrote the introduction to them, and was elected unanimously to the Academy for his meek disposition; Hans Palmenkranz, an academician in the Department of Mechanics, who invented a lock for fireproof cabinets that opens not according to letters, but according to Goethe’s verse from “Iphigenia”; Wilhelm Holtzdumm, Honored Academician in the Department of Zoology, who tried to crossbream with a hare, compiled a table of the degree of kinship observed in the hostel among fish of the Strait of Magellan (in his youth he had a pleasant baritone and worked as a house clavichordist for Princess Margarita von Siemeringen, who procured him academic chair); Carl Miller, who stands on the line of “promisers” and is currently engaged in private banking work; Wolfgang Schmandkuchen - an extraordinary academician in the additional department of arts and systematization, brother of Holzdumm's wife and Anneschule comrade of Karl Miller, a lover of science and generally involved in systematization, that is, labeling collections, writing catalogues, managing the binding of books and maintaining clothes hangers in order etc., etc. And this whole warm company asked in unison: “However, for God’s sake, who is this Mendeleev and what is he known for?”

The atmosphere became even more tense when it became known that almost simultaneously with Mendeleev’s balloting, Academician Struve’s nephew, Swede Backlund, who did not know the Russian language at all and did not have a single Russian academic degree, was elected to the Academy.

“Backlund! Just think about it: Back-lund! - mocked the newspaper “Molva”1. – Who doesn’t know Backlund?! Who hasn't read about Backlund? There are names that do not require explanation, for example: Galileo, Copernicus, Herschel, Backlund. So what do you think? after all, the other day this Mr. Backlund was elected to the academy by a majority vote. We, therefore, not only make use of Swedish matches, Swedish gloves, Swedish singers and Swedish punch, but also the radiance of the Swedish genius shining imperceptibly among us. And we didn’t even suspect this, rushing around with Mendeleev, who was taken and tucked into the belt by the first assigned adjunct that appeared... “The defeated Mendeleev and the triumphant Backlund” - this picture, after all, could have been put together and staged only for the sake of the most merciless parody. On the one hand, we have Sechenov, Korkin, Pypin, Mendeleev - as the “humiliated” and rejected, and on the other, a “cozy family with a noble soul” of various Shmands, Shultsevs and Millers in the roles of leaders and pillars of the “leading scientific institution in Russia” .

“How can one blame the dilapidated academy,” the newspaper “Golos” ironized, “for the fact that it rejected Mendeleev, an extremely restless man - he cares about everything - he goes to Baku, gives lectures there, teaches how and what to do, having previously visited to Pennsylvania to find out how and what is being done there; Kuindzhi exhibited a painting - he is already at the exhibition; admires a work of art, studies it, thinks about it and expresses new thoughts that came to him while looking at the picture. How to let such a restless person into the sleepy kingdom? But he’ll probably wake everyone up and – God forbid – force them to work for the benefit of their homeland.”

The most dramatic speech was made by A. M. Butlerov, who published an article in the Rus newspaper, excerpts from which we cited at the beginning of this chapter. In its very title, this article posed a bold question: “Russian or only Imperial Academy of Sciences?”

In this article, Butlerov acted as a champion of great, principled science at the Academy. From these positions, he protested against the election of Professor F. F. Beilstein to the very department of chemical technology to which the Academy did not allow Mendeleev. The point was not even that in Beilstein’s presentation “there are many exaggerations that can amaze a specialist,” that “the list contains more than 50 works published by Beilstein not alone, but together with various young chemists.” The main thing is that Beilstein always primarily worked out the details and he “cannot be considered a scientific thinker who added some of his original views to scientific consciousness.” “People who enriched science not only with facts, but also with general principles, people who moved scientific consciousness forward, that is, who contributed to the success of the thoughts of all mankind, should be placed - and are usually placed above those who were exclusively engaged in the development of facts. I am deeply convinced of the justice of such a view and of its obligatory nature for such institutions, scientists par excellence, as the Academy.” “Beilstein is undoubtedly an honored hardworking scientist, but only people who do not have a clear understanding of how and by what scientific merit is measured in chemistry can give him primacy over all other Russian chemists. Giving this Beilstein an honorable place in our science, which he fully deserves, there is no need to demote the scientists who stand above him for this.”

At the end of the meeting of the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, at which F. F. Beilstein was nevertheless accepted as a full member of the Academy, Academician A. V. Gadolin read a letter requested from Kekule, which contained very flattering reviews of Belstein. “We trust him,” he said.

Butlerov wrote about this in his article “Russian or only Imperial Academy of Sciences?”

“So, the Academy is not under the jurisdiction of Russian chemists;

but I, a Russian academician in chemistry, am subject to the jurisdiction of a Bonn professor, pronouncing a verdict from his “beautiful distance.” Let them tell me after this whether I could and should have remained silent?

Butlerov's strong and principled opposition led to the fact that the general meeting of the Academy of Sciences this time did not approve the election of Beilstein to academician. But this success was temporary, just as the revival that occurred in connection with the “Mendeleev case” in the public life of Russian science was temporary.

After Emperor Alexander II was executed by a revolutionary on March 1, 1881, reaction went on a decisive offensive everywhere. In the coming “era of timelessness,” the victory was celebrated by “Moskovskie Vedomosti,” which always argued that the Academy, with the dominant composition of its members made up of foreigners and with the German language in its memoirs, is the best bulwark against the “invasion of nihilism in science” and “the most appropriate establishment of the Russian state."

After the death of Academician A.M. Butlerov, in 1886, the question of electing D.I. Mendeleev as an academician was again raised. Academician A. S. Famintsyn wrote to Count D. A. Tolstoy, who had become president of the Academy by that time:

“Produced several years ago, D.I. Mendeleev was voted out, contrary to the statement

both the representative of chemistry at the Academy and all other Russian chemists, made a depressing impression on Russian scientists. It became clear that the majority of the academic assembly, which voted out Mr. Mendeleev, was not guided by the assessment of scientific works and not by the scientific merits of the candidate, but by some extraneous considerations. Until now, Russian scientists cannot forgive the Academy for this offense... Therefore, the only correct way seems to me to be following the voice of our late fellow member A. M. Butlerov, who, in the presentation of Ave. Mendeleev to the chair of technical chemistry, at the same time, with his characteristic eloquence and force, exposed the merits of D. I. Mendeleev in pure chemistry in such a bright light that for an impartial reader there is not even a shadow of doubt that, in the opinion of our late fellow member, D. I. Mendeleev occupies a leading place among Russian chemists and that he The vacant chair in pure chemistry, which became vacant after the death of A. M. Butlerov, should indisputably belong to no one else.”

But the one to whom this appeal was addressed and who now stood at the helm of the academic board - Count D. A. Tolstoy - after all, he was at one time the main inspirer of those very “extraneous considerations” that Famintsyn wrote about. The obedient majority of the academic assembly this time fulfilled his unspoken command with even greater zeal. Mendeleev’s elections did not take place this time either. Academician F. F. Beilstein was ultimately elected to the department that was intended for Mendeleev. The same Beilstein who

at one time he hurried to send Lothar Meyer a proof of Mendeleev’s message on the “periodic table of elements” that had not yet been published. Being a Russian academician, Beilstein in Peter Burge carefully looked out for everything that could serve German science!..

And yet Butlerov did not fight in vain! “The Mendeleev Case” flashed like a bright comet on the dark horizon of the timeless era. The bright lightnings of the social movement of the sixties found their reflection in it. It left its mark on the self-awareness of society. It called for a fight for free science, serving the people honestly and selflessly. It once again showed that success on this path could be achieved not through minor concessions by the government of the feudal owners, but as a result of a radical breakdown of the rotten foundations of the tsarist system. This conclusion, however, could only be drawn by revolutionary democracy.

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A student of the 11th “t” class and a student of the 11th “p” class of the First University Gymnasium named after Academician V.V. Magpies of the city of Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod region Oligerov Nikolay and Nesterova Lydia.

It is impossible to imagine the life of modern society without organic compounds, which are used in all sectors of human activity. Currently, about 10 million organic substances are known, and this number is constantly increasing. New materials are appearing that meet modern requirements of engineering and technology. The properties of materials depend on their structure, the study of which becomes a matter of paramount importance. To create new materials, it is necessary, first of all, to “design” the structure of a given material.

Organic chemistry, before becoming a science, went through several stages in its development: the first, when only empirical information was accumulated about organic substances; the second, when the first attempts were made to generalize this information, which manifested itself in the fact that organic substances began to differ from mineral ones; third, when chemists came to the correct conclusion about the peculiarities in the composition of organic compounds and organic chemistry received its modern name; the fourth is the creation of the first, not yet perfect, theories that tried to connect the composition of organic compounds with properties and even get an idea of the “blocks” that make up organic compounds. And only then, after the creation of the theory of chemical structure, there came a “harmonious combination” of factual and theoretical knowledge, which contains modern chemistry as a science.

The purpose of this study is to compare the theoretical ideas about the structure of organic compounds by D.I. Mendeleev and A.M. Butlerov.

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Municipal educational institution "First University Gymnasium"

named after Academician V.V. Soroka"

RESEARCH WORK IN CHEMISTRY,

DEDICATED TO THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF D.I. MENDELEEV,

ON THE TOPIC

“ COMPARISON OF VIEWS OF D.I. MENDELEEV AND A.M. BUTLEROV ON THE THEORY OF THE STRUCTURE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS”

Completed:

Student of 11th grade

and a student of 11th grade

First University Gymnasium

named after academician V.V. Magpies

city of Veliky Novgorod

Novgorod region

Oligerov Nikolay and

Nesterova Lydia.

Scientific adviser:

Bazhenkova Nina Semenovna,

chemistry teacher

First University Gymnasium

named after academician V.V. Magpies

Novgorod region, Veliky Novgorod

st. Bolshaya Moskovskaya, 22/3

2008

Introduction 3

Chapter 1. Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov 5

Chapter 2. Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev 7

Chapter 3. Views of Mendeleev and Butlerov on the structure of organic substances 9

Conclusion 16

Bibliography 17

Appendix 1. Portrait of A. M. Butlerov 18

Appendix 2. Cover of the textbook by A. M. Butlerov “Introduction to the complete study of organic chemistry” 19

Appendix 3. Portrait of D. I. Mendeleev 20

Appendix 4. Cover of the textbook by D. I. Mendeleev “Organic Chemistry” 21

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study is to compare the theoretical ideas about the structure of organic compounds by D.I. Mendeleev and A.M. Butlerov.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved:

Study literary sources reflecting the development of views on the structure and properties of organic compounds;

Get acquainted with the main stages of the life and scientific activity of D. I. Mendeleev and A. M. Butlerov;

Familiarize yourself with the original textbooks on organic chemistry by D. I. Mendeleev and A. M. Butlerov.

CHAPTER 1. ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH BUTLEROV

Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov was born on August 25 (old style) 1828 in the city of Chistopol, Kazan province. In 1844, sixteen-year-old A. M. Butlerov entered the natural sciences department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Kazan University, where his teachers were the famous Klaus and Zinin.

Having defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Chemistry in 1854, A.M. Butlerov began experimental work and achieved outstanding results in this activity. Simultaneously with the development of Butlerov's talent as a first-class experimenter, his genius as a theorist awakens. He criticizes the theory of types and the theory of substitutions, dominant at that time in the field of studying organic compounds, and comes to the conclusion that they no longer contain all the factual material.

On September 19, 1861, at a congress of German doctors and naturalists in the city of Speyer, Butlerov gave his famous report “On the chemical structure of bodies.” He develops in a completely complete form new views on the structure of organic compounds and for the first time proposes to introduce into chemical science the term “chemical structure”, or “chemical structure”, meaning by this the distribution of forces of chemical affinity, or, in other words, the distribution of bonds of individual atoms that form a chemical particle.

Butlerov's report and his new views on the structure of organic compounds were coldly received by German chemists, with the exception of certain individuals, of whom Erlenmeyer, later Wislicenus, should be mentioned first of all.

Not content with developing the principles of the theory of chemical structure, Butlerov comes to the conclusion that for the success of the new teaching it is necessary to obtain new facts arising from it. Therefore, soon after returning to Kazan, he began extensive experimental research, the main result of which was, first of all, the famous Butler synthesis of trimethylcarbinol, the first representative of tertiary alcohols.

Butlerov's discovery of an unknown class of tertiary alcohols, predicted by the theory of chemical structure, was undoubtedly of enormous importance for the strengthening and recognition of the new teaching. The discovery of trimethylcarbinol to strengthen the theory of chemical structure was almost as important as the discovery of the unknown elements predicted by Mendeleev to strengthen and recognize the periodic law.

During the same period of greatest development of his talent, Butlerov began publishing his famous textbook “Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry.” The first edition of this textbook was published in 1864, the entire edition was completed in 1866.

The vigorous scientific and social activity of A. M. Butlerov ended suddenly. On August 5 (old style) 1886 Butlerov died at the age of 58 in the village of Butlerovka, Kazan province, where he was buried.

CHAPTER 2. DMITRY IVANOVICH MENDELEEV

1841-1849 - Dmitry Mendeleev takes a course in the same gymnasium where his father was the director. Maria Dmitrievna, seeing her son’s desire and abilities for science, took him first to Moscow, and then to St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg, Mendeleev began studying at the Pedagogical Institute, in the department of natural sciences of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.

1856 - Mendeleev returns to St. Petersburg, enters St. Petersburg University as a private assistant professor. He defends his dissertation on the topic “On specific volumes” and becomes a master of chemistry and physics. At the same time, he lectures at the university on organic and theoretical chemistry. In October of the same year he defended his second dissertation.

1859 - Dmitry Ivanovich was sent abroad. He settles in Heidelberg, sets up a small laboratory there. Actively working on the study of capillarity of liquids. Writes scientific articles “On the expansion of liquids”, “On the absolute boiling point”. In 1860 he took part in the chemical congress in Karlsruhe.

In 1861, Mendeleev returned to St. Petersburg, to his place as a private assistant professor at the university. Publishes the course “Organic Chemistry” - the first textbook in Russia devoted to this topic. For this work, Dmitry Ivanovich was awarded the Demidov Prize. In the same year he wrote an article “On the limit of CnH2n + hydrocarbons.”

In 1863, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev became a professor at the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology.

The beginning of the joint activity of Butlerov and Mendeleev dates back to 1868, when Mendeleev invited Butlerov, who worked at Kazan University, to run for the position of extraordinary professor in the Department of Chemistry of St. Petersburg University.

1869 - Dmitry Ivanovich creates the famous periodic table of elements.

CHAPTER 3. VIEWS OF MENDELEEV AND BUTLEROV ON THE STRUCTURE OF ORGANIC SUBSTANCES

The accumulation of large experimental material in organic chemistry required the creation of a unified theory capable of not only explaining, but, most importantly, scientifically predicting new facts, similar to how, with the help of D.I. Mendeleev’s Periodic Law, it became possible to predict the existence of new elements with certain properties.

The first attempt to organize disparate ideas about the structure of organic substances was the introduction of the concept of “radical” (late 18th century). A radical is an unchanging group of several atoms that, during chemical reactions, can move from the original substance to the reaction product. D.I. Mendeleev partially shared these views: “...The radical of a body is that part of its elements that remains unchanged during the simplest reactions of the body, especially during substitutions.” The theory of radicals was fully developed in the 30s of the 19th century, after the discovery of the benzoyl radical by J. Liebig and F. Wöhler. Then the theory of complex radicals was replaced by the theory of chemical types, created by C. F. Gerard by the middle of the 19th century. According to this theory, all organic substances known at that time were classified according to the nature of chemical transformations into five types: hydrogen type, hydrogen chloride type, water type, ammonia type, methane type. By replacing the hydrogen atom in any of these types with a radical, a variety of organic compounds can be obtained.

The theory of types made it possible to create a clearer system of classification of organic compounds and showed the possibility of the transition of some compounds into others.

The limitation of this theory was that it considered mainly only substitution reactions and could not explain other types of organic transformations, for example, addition reactions. D.I. Mendeleev was one of the first to draw attention to this shortcoming.This outstanding scientist played a significant role in the development of organic chemistry in our country. Despite the fact that organic chemistry was not the main area of his scientific interests, he nevertheless left a noticeable mark in this direction of his scientific activity.

D.I. Mendeleev believed that “inthe knowledge of ... types greatly facilitates the study of reactions, because the reactions of bodies classified as a given type occur in parallel, or, in other words, bodies that have parallel reactions are classified as one type.”

But, basically sharing the provisions of the theory of types, in his experiments he received facts that did not fit into this theory, and tried to give them his own explanation: “...Such a typical idea of the composition of bodies, as can be seen from the very essence of its origin, is valid only for explaining substitution reactions in which there is no change in the radicals; it does not at all explain either addition reactions or those reactions in which changes occur in the radicals themselves. radicals, for example, when a radical changes atomicity or when it changes in composition"

He outlined his views in the famous article “On the Limit of Organic Compounds,” published in 1861 in the Journal of the Chemical Society.

The extensive and original course of “Organic Chemistry” created by D.I. Mendeleev, awarded the Grand Demidov Prize, was perhaps the first textbook of organic chemistry in Russian; Moreover, just two years later this textbook came out in its second edition.

Unlike Mendeleev, Butlerov’s scientific credo was, first of all, that theories are needed to generalize and explain factual material, but facts, especially new facts, should not be forced or artificially squeezed into theoretical ideas, no matter how perfect these ideas may seem: “It is difficult to agree with the opinion... that only research on the physical properties of complex substances can lead to an understanding of the mutual relationships in which their constituent parts are located in these substances. But, at the same time, one cannot help but admit that research into physical properties is of great importance to achieve this goal.”

According to the views of D.I. Mendeleev, all known hydrocarbons can be brought “based on their composition and reactions, under a strictly defined system.” The basis for systematization “is the ability of some of them to enter into very similar reactions and differentiation ... in the ability to form compounds”

D.I. Mendeleev himself understood the shortcomings of the “typical way of representing the composition of bodies.” An attempt to arrange radicals in a series consisting of many groups, according to their reactivity, was unsuccessful. “It is impossible to establish such a series for all reactions... The same element in its different compounds sometimes presents very different reactions.”

Despite the fact that the theory of types was accepted by the majority of scientists, A. M. Butlerov considered it “insufficient.” He proposed to instead rely on the ideas of valency and chemical structure, i.e. “a chemical bond or method of mutual connection of atoms in a complex body.” The chemical properties of a complex substance, according to Butlerov, are determined by “the nature of the elementary components, their quantity and chemical structure,” from which it follows that by the chemical properties of a substance one can determine its chemical structure and vice versa - by the structure one can judge the properties of compounds. Knowing the structure, one can judge the mutual influence of atoms in molecules and the rearrangements that occur during chemical reactions.

If we adhere to the theory of types, then for the same substance we have to create several rational formulas indicating the direction of chemical transformations of molecules. On the contrary, Butlerov's theory of structure indicates that for each individual compound there is only one structure formula that reflects all the properties of the substance.

Based on the theory of chemical structure, a fundamentally new taxonomy of organic compounds was created (“Introduction to the complete study of organic chemistry”): “Chemical classification will be natural if the main basis for the convergence of some bodies and the separation of others is the analogy or difference in their chemical nature; and this nature is determined by the nature of the constituent parts, their quantity and the chemical structure of the particle.”

When writing the “Introduction to the Complete Course of Organic Chemistry,” A. M. Butlerov points out the inaccuracy and lack of validity of D. I. Mendeleev’s judgments and, at the same time, the novelty of views on the development of chemistry in the first Russian textbook of organic chemistry he wrote: “The only and excellent, Mendeleev's original Russian textbook of organic chemistry - a textbook not widespread in Western Europe, no doubt, only because a translator has not yet been found for it - does not place theoretical views completely in the background: he introduces them, but can hardly bring to a clear understanding of the necessary connection existing between theory and facts. Moreover, I dare to think that the theoretical concepts presented here do not simply represent a repetition of what has already been said in the works of other authors.”

In the 70-80s of the nineteenth century. A heated debate broke out between supporters and opponents of the theory of the chemical structure of organic substances. This theory was opposed in Russia mainly by Butlerov’s colleagues at St. Petersburg University - Mendeleev and Menshutkin. Both of them, in the field of organic chemistry, used the theory of types (substitution theory) for many years, contrasting it with the theory of chemical structure. According to Mendeleev, too many hypotheses were associated with the theory of chemical structure, while the theory of types did not have this drawback. Mendeleev formulated his attitude to the theory of chemical structure especially sharply in the third edition of “Fundamentals of Chemistry” in 1872, stating that “the concepts of the structuralists cannot be considered true...”.

Thus, D.I. Mendeleev did not support the theory created by Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov, since he based his experiments to a greater extent on the substitution theory. But, having weighed all the pros and cons, he still did not categorically reject the theory of chemical structure. Subsequently, Mendeleev wrote that Butlerov “... strives, through the study of chemical transformations, to penetrate into the very depths of the bonds that hold dissimilar elements together into one whole, gives each of them the innate ability to enter into a certain number of compounds, and attributes the difference in properties to different ways of connecting the elements . No one pursued these thoughts as consistently as he did, although they were visible earlier... To carry out the same method of view through all classes of organic compounds, Butlerov published in 1864 the book “Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry,” which was translated last year into German. Butlerov, through readings and fascination with ideas, formed around himself in Kazan a school of chemists working in his direction. The names of Markovnikov, Myasnikov, Popov, two Zaitsevs, Morgunov and some others managed to become famous for many discoveries made mainly due to the independence of Butlerov’s direction. I can personally testify that such scientists in France and Germany as Wurtz and Kolbe consider Butlerov to be one of the most influential drivers of the theoretical direction of chemistry in our time.”

In April 1879, A. M. Butlerov spoke at the general meeting of the Russian Physico-Chemical Society with a report “The modern significance of the theory of chemical structure.” In addition to a brilliant presentation of the fundamentals of the theory of chemical structure, Butlerov’s speech contained a response to criticism of this theory, as well as critical remarks about the theory of types. As the strongest argument in favor of the theory of chemical structure, Butlerov put forward the fact that it justifies itself in practice with extraordinary success. After this speech by Butlerov, which made a deep impression on Russian chemists, attacks on the theory of chemical structure ceased.

Butlerov did not consider his teaching to be absolute and unchangeable; he said that his theory would be improved as practical knowledge accumulated. Despite Mendeleev’s disagreement with the theory of chemical structure, Butlerov still managed to maintain friendly relations with him and was able to fully appreciate the achievements of Dmitry Ivanovich.

In December 1879, D.I. Mendeleev proposed to the chemical section of the Congress of Russian Naturalists and Doctors to create a Commission to reconcile the points of view of supporters and opponents of the theory of structure. When preparing the fourth edition of “Fundamentals of Chemistry” (1881), D. I. Mendeleev excluded sharp attacks against the structuralists.

CONCLUSION

Among Russian scientists, the contribution of A. M. Butlerov and D. I. Mendeleev, two outstanding chemists, can undoubtedly be considered an invaluable contribution to the development of domestic and world organic chemistry. They managed to make many discoveries in the field of organic chemistry, and their views diverged more than once. The question of the structure of organic compounds caused great controversy between these two giants of scientific thought. The dispute between the two scientists led to the emergence of the modern theory of the structure of organic compounds, without which modern achievements in organic chemistry would have been impossible.

LIST OF REFERENCES USED

A. M. Butlerov. "Introduction to a complete study of organic chemistry" in 2 volumes. Volume 2. Publishing house of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1953.
D. I. Mendeleev. Collected works in 25 volumes, volume 8, volume 13 used. Publishing house of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Leningrad-Moscow, 1948.
D. I. Mendeleev. "Fundamentals of Chemistry". Thirteenth State Scientific and Technical Publishing House of Chemical Literature. Moscow-Leningrad, 1947.
A. E. Arbuzov. A brief outline of the development of organic chemistry in Russia. - Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences. – Moscow-Leningrad, 1957.

Annex 1

Portrait of A. M. Butlerov

Appendix 2

Cover of the textbook by A. M. Butlerov

"An Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry"

Appendix 3

Portrait of D. I. Mendeleev

Appendix 4

Cover of the textbook by D. I. Mendeleev

"Organic chemistry"

Alexander Mikhailovich - great chemist, who lived at the end of the 19th century. From early childhood he was distinguished by curiosity and a love of acquiring knowledge. After boarding school and university, he quickly climbed the career ladder.

For a provincial boy, young Sasha reached unimaginable heights. He was also recognized best lecturer. Students listened to Butlerov’s lectures in one breath, thanks to his passion and responsible approach to business. Students noted that the professor was a living example for them, whom they watched and learned from.

While working, the scientist and teacher did not forget about his hobbies and made discoveries not only in the scientific field, but also in beekeeping and floriculture. In addition to flowers and bees, he raised tea in the Caucasus.

In addition to books on the exact sciences, he wrote various literature on common topics. Subsequently, his creations were in great demand.

The chemist also worked with the education of women and took part in the creation of higher courses for women.

From his youth he was distinguished good health and no one expected his sudden death on his personal estate in Kazan. But the memory of him is still preserved. The pipe that student Butlerov bent into the number 6 is kept at the university, as is the collection of his favorite butterflies. In the 20th century, a monument was erected in honor of the great lecturer and professor, a lunar crater was named after him, the Faculty of Chemistry of Kazan University was renamed into the Chemical Institute named after A. M. Butlerov. Streets named after him are located in the cities of Kazan, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Dzerzhinsk, in his hometown of Chistopol and Volgograd. In 2011, a congress dedicated to Alexander Mikhailovich was held.

Facts about activities and hobbies

Being a busy man, Butlerov managed to devote a lot of time to his hobby and made his contribution to the development of floriculture and zoology in Russia. The scientist also conscientiously fulfilled his obligations and held high positions at St. Petersburg University.

His most interesting achievements are:

Beekeeping. The chemist's passion was bees. He had many beekeepers at home. This is one of Alexander Mikhailovich’s oldest hobbies. Subsequently, he worked on a brochure on this entertaining topic, for which he was awarded by a famous society.
Breeding butterflies. Butlerov began to become interested in insects during his student years. During his studies, he devoted his dissertation to beautiful butterflies. And the collection of butterflies dear to the owner was preserved even after his death at the university.
Breeding a new variety of roses. In appearance, the variety resembled a rose hip. The flowering time of plants ranged from the beginning of spring until almost the end of autumn. The species was named Butlerov's Zelenushka, a daytime blueberry butterfly.
Music. Playing the piano attracted little Sasha at an early age. Although his attachment to music did not develop into something more, the scientist loved it and was passionate about it.
Spiritualism- This is the belief in the existence of ghosts and various spirits. For this hobby, Alexander Mikhailovich was condemned by society more than once, since this concept completely contradicts the principles of the exact sciences.
Book publication. The lecturer spent quite a long time working on the textbook. The result was the book Introduction to the Complete Study of Organic Chemistry. The publication of the book dates from 1864 to 1866. Due to its popularity, the textbook was also translated into German.
High post. The year 1880 was a significant time for the scientist. Butlerov was elected president of the Russian Physical and Chemical Society. Before that, in the period from 1860-1863, he twice rose to the rank of rector. But at that time it was an unpleasant situation, since these three years were especially turbulent for the university and the learned professors.
Creation of the theory of chemical structure. Its essence lies in the connection of atoms and molecules. Most of Butlerov’s book is devoted precisely to this theory, which is why it gained popularity in Rus' and abroad.

General information about life

In addition to work and hobbies, the busy life of a scientist is full of other interesting facts.

These include:

Hometown- Chistopol. This town was located in the Kazan province. Sasha was born on September 15, 1828. His mother died four days after giving birth. Relatives raised the boy.
Fluent in French and German. The relatives who raised Alexander were his maternal aunts. Thanks to them, upon entering the boarding school, he was already fluent in foreign languages and spoke well. At that time the boy was 10 years old.
Several times Butlerov was refused resignation. Initially, the lecturer's resignation occurred in 1875. But the scientist’s successes made him an indispensable teacher. The University Council postponed this deadline twice for five years. As a result, Butlerov’s last working day was in 1885.
Idol - Nikolay Zinin. Nikolai Nikolaevich was Butlerov’s immediate supervisor, being an organic chemist. While still a student, he studied with Klaus and Zinin. They inspired him to become a teacher.
Alexandra was praised and respected by Mendeleev. After Butlerov was elected professor of chemistry, Mendeleev noticed his works and noted that, unlike other discoveries, the theory of chemical structure belongs only to him and he is the founder of the Butlerov school and direction.
He worked for more than 30 years. As mentioned above, the scientist was not allowed to retire for about 10 years. Thus, instead of the required 25 years, he worked for 35 years.
Brochure about beekeeping was popular. The project was created for rural residents, but soon after publication it was translated into German. For this work, the beekeeper scientist was awarded an award and prize. “A bee, her life. Rules of Intelligent Beekeeping" awarded the professor a gold medal and a prize from the Imperial Free Economic Society.
Was married to Aksakov's niece. In 1851, Butlerov married Glumilina. Sergei Timofeevich was a relative of the girl. Alexander and Sergei became friends and worked together. Aksakov was also interested in spiritualism and published a magazine on this topic, sometimes sharing the opinion of Butlerov, who did not give up his hobby, not noticing the sidelong glances and condemnation of his students and colleagues.