Sima Lozanic
Encyclopedia
Sima Lozanić (1847-1935) was a Serbian chemist
, president of the Serbian Royal Academy, the first rector of the University of Belgrade
, minister of foreign affairs, minister of industry and diplomat.
, Serbia. He completed legal studies in Belgrade, studied chemistry under Professor Johannes Wislicenius in Zurich
and later with Professor August Wilhelm von Hofmann
in Berlin
. He earned his doctorate degree on March 19, 1870 at the University of Zurich
. He was a professor at the "Great School" from 1872 and at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
until 1924.
When the University of Belgrade was founded in 1905, he was among the first eight full-time professors who selected the entire remaining academic staff. Sima Lozanić was then chosen as the first rector of the university. His 1905 opening ceremony words remained recorded as the following:
His chemistry classes paralleled, perhaps exceeded in some cases, those of the top Europe
an universities. They were organized with well-equipped laboratories and libraries, and produced some of the first chemistry textbooks. Lozanić himself wrote a number of textbooks, which covered various subject areas of chemistry: Inorganic chemistry
, Organic chemistry
, Analytical chemistry
and Chemical technology
. His textbooks were internationally renowned and in some areas groundbreaking. For example, Lozanić's Inorganic Chemistry textbook was the first European university textbook with Dmitriy Mendeleyev
's periodic table
of elements
and one of the first containing a chapter on Thermochemistry
. His Organic Chemistry textbooks are among the first books in which the compounds
were represented by structural formula
s.
He also did scientific and professional work related to all areas of Chemistry
; some of his most valued works were about electrosynthesis
in which he researched the reactions of CO
and CO2
with other substances
under the effect of electric discharge
. He published over 200 scientific papers in applied
and experimental
chemistry.
He performed the first analysis of thermal water of Gamzigrad
spa
in 1889. He became a member of Serbian Academic Society on January 30, 1873, associate member of Serbian Royal Academy on January 23, 1888 and became a full member on January 6, 1890. He was a president of Serbian Royal Academy twice - 1899 to 1900 and 1903 to 1906. From 1907 to 1912 he was a preseident of Serbian Chemistry Society.
He was the minister of industry from January 12, 1894 to March 21, 1894, and October 15, 1894 to June 25, 1895 and October 11, 1897 to June 30, 1899, minister of foreign affairs from March 21, 1894 to October 15, 1894 and from December 23, 1902 to March 23, 1903, as well as a diplomat and participant in all wars of the time. Lozanić was the ambassador of the Serbian government in London
from 1900. He was a president of Serbian refugee aid committee in 1916 and a head of US
mission for aid and support of Serbia from 1917.
He was voted the first honored doctor of sciences of the University of Belgrade. He died July 7, 1935 in Belgrade, in the age of 89. His son Milivoje S. Lozanić was also a chemist and inherited his university position as the professor of Chemistry courses.
An exhibition "Sima Lozanić in Serbian science and culture" was held in his honor, organized by Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
from January to March 1993, in Academy's gallery in Knez Mihailova
street in Belgrade
. His life and work was especially investigated by chemist Snežana Bojović, who wrote a 262-page book Sima Lozanić.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, president of the Serbian Royal Academy, the first rector of the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
, minister of foreign affairs, minister of industry and diplomat.
Biography
Lozanić was born February 24, 1847 in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia. He completed legal studies in Belgrade, studied chemistry under Professor Johannes Wislicenius in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and later with Professor August Wilhelm von Hofmann
August Wilhelm von Hofmann
August Wilhelm von Hofmann was a German chemist.-Biography:Hofmann was born at Gießen, Grand Duchy of Hesse. Not intending originally to devote himself to physical science, he first took up the study of law and philology at Göttingen. But he then turned to chemistry, and studied under Justus von...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He earned his doctorate degree on March 19, 1870 at the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
. He was a professor at the "Great School" from 1872 and at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century within the Belgrade Higher School...
until 1924.
When the University of Belgrade was founded in 1905, he was among the first eight full-time professors who selected the entire remaining academic staff. Sima Lozanić was then chosen as the first rector of the university. His 1905 opening ceremony words remained recorded as the following:
- "Our previous belief that SerbianSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
people will unite not by spelling books but by weapons was disastrous for our people's intellect. I believe the contrary - that education will be the main factor in solving that important question of ours and that it would have already been solved if we had better cared for our education. Therefore, I believe that education is the force that achieves all the goals. Had our education been more advanced, everything in the life of our people would have been better and more successful."
His chemistry classes paralleled, perhaps exceeded in some cases, those of the top Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an universities. They were organized with well-equipped laboratories and libraries, and produced some of the first chemistry textbooks. Lozanić himself wrote a number of textbooks, which covered various subject areas of chemistry: 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...
, Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
, Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
and Chemical technology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
. His textbooks were internationally renowned and in some areas groundbreaking. For example, Lozanić's Inorganic Chemistry textbook was the first European university textbook with Dmitriy Mendeleyev
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...
's periodic table
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
of elements
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
and one of the first containing a chapter on Thermochemistry
Thermochemistry
Thermochemistry is the study of the energy and heat associated with chemical reactions and/or physical transformations. A reaction may release or absorb energy, and a phase change may do the same, such as in melting and boiling. Thermochemistry focuses on these energy changes, particularly on the...
. His Organic Chemistry textbooks are among the first books in which the compounds
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
were represented by structural formula
Structural formula
The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphical representation of the molecular structure, showing how the atoms are arranged. The chemical bonding within the molecule is also shown, either explicitly or implicitly...
s.
He also did scientific and professional work related to all areas of Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
; some of his most valued works were about electrosynthesis
Electrosynthesis
Electrosynthesis in organic chemistry is the synthesis of chemical compounds in a electrochemical cell The main advantage of electrosynthesis over an ordinary redox reaction is avoidance of the potential wasteful other half-reaction and the ability to precisely tune the required potential...
in which he researched the reactions of CO
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
and CO2
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
with other substances
Chemical substance
In chemistry, a chemical substance is a form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. It cannot be separated into components by physical separation methods, i.e. without breaking chemical bonds. They can be solids, liquids or gases.Chemical substances are...
under the effect of electric discharge
Electric discharge
Electric discharge describes any flow of electric charge through a gas, liquid or solid. Electric discharges include:*Electric glow discharge*Electric arc*Electrostatic discharge*Electric discharge in gases*Leader *Partial discharge...
. He published over 200 scientific papers in applied
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and experimental
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
chemistry.
He performed the first analysis of thermal water of Gamzigrad
Gamzigrad
Gamzigrad is an archaeological site, spa resort and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serbia, located south of the Danube river, near the city of Zaječar. It is the location of the ancient Roman complex of palaces and temples Felix Romuliana, built by Emperor Galerius...
spa
Destination spa
A destination spa is a short term residential/lodging facility with the primary purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or sources of mineral waters...
in 1889. He became a member of Serbian Academic Society on January 30, 1873, associate member of Serbian Royal Academy on January 23, 1888 and became a full member on January 6, 1890. He was a president of Serbian Royal Academy twice - 1899 to 1900 and 1903 to 1906. From 1907 to 1912 he was a preseident of Serbian Chemistry Society.
He was the minister of industry from January 12, 1894 to March 21, 1894, and October 15, 1894 to June 25, 1895 and October 11, 1897 to June 30, 1899, minister of foreign affairs from March 21, 1894 to October 15, 1894 and from December 23, 1902 to March 23, 1903, as well as a diplomat and participant in all wars of the time. Lozanić was the ambassador of the Serbian government in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1900. He was a president of Serbian refugee aid committee in 1916 and a head of US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mission for aid and support of Serbia from 1917.
He was voted the first honored doctor of sciences of the University of Belgrade. He died July 7, 1935 in Belgrade, in the age of 89. His son Milivoje S. Lozanić was also a chemist and inherited his university position as the professor of Chemistry courses.
An exhibition "Sima Lozanić in Serbian science and culture" was held in his honor, organized by Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
from January to March 1993, in Academy's gallery in Knez Mihailova
Knez Mihailova
Knez Mihailova Street or Prince Michael Street is the main pedestrian and shopping zone in Belgrade, and is protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city...
street in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. His life and work was especially investigated by chemist Snežana Bojović, who wrote a 262-page book Sima Lozanić.