Viktor Petrik
Encyclopedia
Viktor Petrik (born 1946) is a controversial Russia
n inventor. He claims to have made a number of scientific breakthroughs which he markets through his company Goldformula. His supporters have compared him to Thomas Edison
, but many scientists dismiss his inventions as pseudoscience
.
, Ukrainian SSR. Petrik attended Leningrad State University and received a degree in Psychology in 1976. He later worked in the export business. In the 1980s he spent time in prison for fraud
and extortion
. After his release he started a laboratory and began working on several inventions. In the early 1990s he became friends with Vladimir Putin, then a city official in Saint Petersburg
. Petrik lives in Saint Petersburg.
when breathed upon, a filter which turns radioactive waste
into potable water, a device which extracts rhenium
from scrap material, and a compound which turns light into electricity. He also claims to have discovered a method of producing silicon
from fertilizer
.
Petrik does not claim to be a scientist, rather he maintains that he makes discoveries while in a state of self-hypnosis
. He is adamant, however, that all of these discoveries are scientifically sound.
He claims that the filter he invented uses nanotechnology
to clean water. He has received a $2.6 million grant from the Russian nanotechnology company Rusnano to continue his nanotechnology experiments.
Eduard Kruglyakov, the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences
pseudoscience commission, however, has stated that he examined Petrik's technology with high powered equipment and found no trace of nanotechnology. Kruglyakov maintains that "[Petrik] hasn't discovered anything." In addition, a Russian nuclear agency has tested Petrik's radioactive waste filter and found it to be inadequate. Petrik counters that the test was poorly designed.
Upon the presentation of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics to Andre Geim
and Konstantin Novoselov
for their graphene
related experiements, Petrik claimed that he was the first person to describe how to produce graphene and deserved a share of the prize. Novoselov disputed Petrik's claim.
In 2010 Petrik sued two Russian newspapers for defamation after articles they ran about him. He won a judgment against them in which they were ordered to run a retraction and pay damages to him. The settlement awarded him significantly less than he had sought, however. The papers have since insisted that their reports were accurate.
. Boris Gryzlov
, the Speaker
of Russia's State Duma
(the lower house
of parliament), is a staunch defender of Petrik's work. Gryzlov has claimed that criticism of Petrik is modern day obscurantism
. Gryzlov collaborated with Petrik for a filter which they claim is capable of turning radioactive waste into potable water. Petrik states that Gryzlov has participated in many of his experiments and they share a common patent on a "Method of cleaning liquid radioactive waste".
Petrik has named one of his filters after Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu
and used the logo of United Russia on other filters. Shoigu and United Russia have requested Petrik cease using their names in his marketing.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n inventor. He claims to have made a number of scientific breakthroughs which he markets through his company Goldformula. His supporters have compared him to Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
, but many scientists dismiss his inventions as pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
.
Early life
Viktor Petrik was born in 1946 in ZhytomyrZhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
, Ukrainian SSR. Petrik attended Leningrad State University and received a degree in Psychology in 1976. He later worked in the export business. In the 1980s he spent time in prison for fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. After his release he started a laboratory and began working on several inventions. In the early 1990s he became friends with Vladimir Putin, then a city official in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. Petrik lives in Saint Petersburg.
Inventions
Petrik claims to have invented several groundbreaking devices. Some of these include a cell which generates electricityElectricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
when breathed upon, a filter which turns radioactive waste
Radioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
into potable water, a device which extracts rhenium
Rhenium
Rhenium is a chemical element with the symbol Re and atomic number 75. It is a silvery-white, heavy, third-row transition metal in group 7 of the periodic table. With an average concentration of 1 part per billion , rhenium is one of the rarest elements in the Earth's crust. The free element has...
from scrap material, and a compound which turns light into electricity. He also claims to have discovered a method of producing silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
from fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
.
Petrik does not claim to be a scientist, rather he maintains that he makes discoveries while in a state of self-hypnosis
Self-hypnosis
Self-hypnosis is a form of hypnosis which is self-induced, and normally makes use of self-suggestion . Listening to pre-recorded audio or other media is often mistaken for self-hypnosis, but is just another form of hypnosis....
. He is adamant, however, that all of these discoveries are scientifically sound.
He claims that the filter he invented uses nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
to clean water. He has received a $2.6 million grant from the Russian nanotechnology company Rusnano to continue his nanotechnology experiments.
Eduard Kruglyakov, the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
pseudoscience commission, however, has stated that he examined Petrik's technology with high powered equipment and found no trace of nanotechnology. Kruglyakov maintains that "[Petrik] hasn't discovered anything." In addition, a Russian nuclear agency has tested Petrik's radioactive waste filter and found it to be inadequate. Petrik counters that the test was poorly designed.
Upon the presentation of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics to Andre Geim
Andre Geim
Andre Konstantin Geim, FRS is a Dutch-Russian-British physicist working at the University of Manchester. Geim was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Konstantin Novoselov for his work on graphene...
and Konstantin Novoselov
Konstantin Novoselov
Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov FRS is a Russo-British physicist, most notably known for his works on graphene together with Andre Geim, which earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Novoselov is currently a member of the mesoscopic physics research group at the University of Manchester as...
for their graphene
Graphene
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, whose structure is one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The term graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix -ene by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer...
related experiements, Petrik claimed that he was the first person to describe how to produce graphene and deserved a share of the prize. Novoselov disputed Petrik's claim.
In 2010 Petrik sued two Russian newspapers for defamation after articles they ran about him. He won a judgment against them in which they were ordered to run a retraction and pay damages to him. The settlement awarded him significantly less than he had sought, however. The papers have since insisted that their reports were accurate.
Politics
Petrik has close ties with many Russian politicians, particularly members of United RussiaUnited Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
. Boris Gryzlov
Boris Gryzlov
Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov , is a Russian politician and current Speaker of Russia's State Duma . He is one of the leaders of the largest Russian political party, United Russia...
, the Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of Russia's State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
(the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of parliament), is a staunch defender of Petrik's work. Gryzlov has claimed that criticism of Petrik is modern day obscurantism
Obscurantism
Obscurantism is the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or the full details of some matter from becoming known. There are two, common, historical and intellectual, denotations: 1) restricting knowledge—opposition to the spread of knowledge, a policy of withholding knowledge from the...
. Gryzlov collaborated with Petrik for a filter which they claim is capable of turning radioactive waste into potable water. Petrik states that Gryzlov has participated in many of his experiments and they share a common patent on a "Method of cleaning liquid radioactive waste".
Petrik has named one of his filters after Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu
Sergei Shoigu
Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu is a Russian political figure who has been Minister of Emergency Situations since 1994. He is a ethnic Tuvan and holds the military rank of General of the Army. He is also the President of the International Sport Federation of Firefighters and Rescuers...
and used the logo of United Russia on other filters. Shoigu and United Russia have requested Petrik cease using their names in his marketing.