Nikolai Semenovich Kurnakov
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Semenovich Kurnakov was a Russian chemist.
, Kirov Oblast
. He attended a high school at Nizhny Novgorod
and later studied at the mining institute in St. Petersburg. He published his first paper on alum
crystallization and sodium thioantimoniate
in 1882. In the same year he graduated as a mining engineer. During his visit to France, Germany and Austria Kurnakov studied salt manufacturing in several locations. The scientific work of this trip became his Ph.D. thesis, which he completed in 1884. He then worked for several years at the mining institute, mostly on the formation of salts and potash deposits and mining and benefication of salt and potash. In 1893, Kurnakov became professor of inorganic chemistry
for his work on the reactions of cis- and trans- platinum complexes with thiourea
, today known as the Kurnakov test
. In 1902 he became professor at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, which he established together with Dmitri Mendeleev
and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Menshutkin. He held the position until 1930. In his later years, he focused his work on platinum chemistry and platinum production. He received several prizes, for example the Mendeleev Prize in 1936, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
in 1939 and the Stalin Prize in 1941. He was also awarded a Doctor honoris causa by University of Moscow in 1909. After the death of his wife in 1940 his health deteriorated and he died in a sanatorium in Barvikha
on 19 March 1941.
A mineral was named kurnakovite
in his honor.
Biography
Kurnakov was born in NolinskNolinsk
Nolinsk is a town and the administrative center of Nolinsky District of Kirov Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Voya River , south of Kirov. Population:...
, Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: -History:In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures.In 1920, a number of...
. He attended a high school at Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
and later studied at the mining institute in St. Petersburg. He published his first paper on alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
crystallization and sodium thioantimoniate
Sodium thioantimoniate
Sodium thioantimoniate, also known as Schlippe's salt, is an inorganic compound with the formula Na3SbS4.9H2O. This sulfosalt is named after K. F. Schlippe . Sodium thioantimoniate is used to make "quinsulfide antimony," Sb2S5. This salt consists of the tetrahedral SbS43- anion and sodium...
in 1882. In the same year he graduated as a mining engineer. During his visit to France, Germany and Austria Kurnakov studied salt manufacturing in several locations. The scientific work of this trip became his Ph.D. thesis, which he completed in 1884. He then worked for several years at the mining institute, mostly on the formation of salts and potash deposits and mining and benefication of salt and potash. In 1893, Kurnakov became professor of inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
for his work on the reactions of cis- and trans- platinum complexes with thiourea
Thiourea
Thiourea is an organosulfur compound of with the formula SC2 . It is structurally similar to urea, except that the oxygen atom is replaced by a sulfur atom, but the properties of urea and thiourea differ significantly. Thiourea is a reagent in organic synthesis. "Thioureas" refers to a broad...
, today known as the Kurnakov test
Kurnakov test
Soviet chemist Nikolai Semenovich Kurnakov utilised the phenomonon of trans-effect in distinguishing the pairs of cis- and trans-isomers of square complexes of [PtA2X2] type by treating them with thiourea. This is as know the famous kurnakov reaction.-Uses:Kurnakov test is used to distinguish...
. In 1902 he became professor at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, which he established together with Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev , was a Russian chemist and inventor. He is credited as being the creator of the first version of the periodic table of elements...
and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Menshutkin. He held the position until 1930. In his later years, he focused his work on platinum chemistry and platinum production. He received several prizes, for example the Mendeleev Prize in 1936, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
in 1939 and the Stalin Prize in 1941. He was also awarded a Doctor honoris causa by University of Moscow in 1909. After the death of his wife in 1940 his health deteriorated and he died in a sanatorium in Barvikha
Barvikha
Barvikha is a village in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is the site of the Barvikha Sanatorium, the health resort of the President of Russia...
on 19 March 1941.
A mineral was named kurnakovite
Kurnakovite
Kurnakovite is a hydrated borate mineral with the chemical composition MgB3O35·5. It is a member of the inderite group and is a triclinic dimorph of the monoclinic inderite.-Discovery and occurrence:...
in his honor.
Further reading
- Курнаков Н. С. Непрерывность химических превращений вещества // УФН. 1924. Т.4, Вып. 6. С.339–356 (Continuity of the chemical transformations of matter)
- Биография Н. С. Курнакова на сайте химфака МГУ (Scientist: Kurnakov, Nikolai Semenovich)
- Биография Н. С. Курнакова на кругосвете (Biography of N. S. Kurnakov)
- К 140-летию со дня рождения Н. С. Курнакова (To the 140 anniversary of his birth N. S. Kurnakov)
- Image of Nikolai Semenovich Kurnakov's grave