Torgov, Igor Vladimirovich

Igor Vladimirovich Torgov was born in 1912 in Kazan. One of his grandmother came from the Polish gentry, the other - from the Ryazan Tatars. Igor Vladimirovich’s father was a professional soldier, he died of typhus in 1920, and his mother died of tuberculosis in 1939, when her son was in the dungeons of the NKVD.

After graduating from school in 1931, he entered the Kazan Institute of Chemical Technology (organized at that time from the Chemical Faculty of Kazan University). In 1937, having received a diploma in chemical engineering, he successfully passed the entrance exam to A. N. Nesmeyanov, and was accepted to graduate school at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

From 1937 to 1939 he was a chemist in the central laboratory of the Kinesham Anilzavod. In 1939-1941 - graduate student. Then four years since 1941 he served in the army and fought on the fronts of World War II. In 1944 he continued his studies in graduate school. From 1947 - the youngest, from 1948 to 1959 - the senior research associate of the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In the period 1953-1973, he was also a senior researcher at the All-Union Institute of Scientific and Technical Information. From 1959-1987 he was appointed head of the steroid chemistry laboratory at the Institute of Chemistry of Natural Compounds (ICPS) of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (now IBCh RAS), since 1987 - adviser to the directorate of the IBCh RAS ^[2] .

He was buried in Moscow at the Kuzminsky cemetery ^[4] .

As a graduate student, Igor Vladimirovich began his research activities in the laboratory of I. N. Nazarov in the field of acetylene chemistry. Then he carried out syntheses of previously not described vinyl-vinyl carbinol and divinyl ketone. The results of these experiments formed the basis of his Ph.D. thesis (“Condensation of Vinyl Acetylene with Tetra-Hydro-4-pyrons and Ketone Alcohol”), which he defended in 1947. The great chemistry of acetylene and its derivatives allowed Torgov to go on to the synthesis of complex polycyclic ketones, in particular steroids. In 1948, at the suggestion of the head of the laboratory, Nazarov proceeded to the synthesis of a cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene skeleton of steroids that carries two angular methyl groups and has oxygen functions suitable for introducing the necessary groups of the native hormone:

In 1953 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Chemical Sciences for his thesis “Synthesis of Polycyclic Compounds Related to Steroids by the Method of Diene Condensation”.

A similar synthesis scheme was striking in its simplicity and elegant monotony. However, the resulting cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene skeleton was different from the natural one. The reason for this was the last stage, carried out by condensation with dienophile. The electronic and spatial laws of this method led to a displaced position of the methyl groups and carbonyl functions, as well as to the formation of only cis-linked cycles, while in nature all are trans-linked. A solution to this problem was obtained by Torgovy and his student S. N. Ananchenko in 1959-1967. They proposed replacing the diene condensation with the open one with the ene condensation with substances already available according to the previous scheme of I. N. Nazarov:

These syntheses led to racemic compounds requiring the introduction of an asymmetrization step for the transition to natural d-isomers. For this, the best solution was to use the microbiological reduction of the 17-keto group in secodiketone using the yeast culture Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The complete synthesis of estrone discovered by Igor Vladimirovich and his associates was the only one that found application in industry. Unfortunately, it was used only abroad in such companies as: Yenafarm (GDR), Schering (Germany). Only a trial batch was developed in the USSR at the Akrikhin plant. The developed synthesis method formed the basis of many modern works in the direction of studying steroids, the influence of their structure on the biological effect, the creation of new steroid preparations. Thanks to his method, it was possible to obtain 18-substituted 14-hydroxysteroids that are difficult to access by other methods:

In addition, many bidding studies have been conducted in the field of directional transformation of natural steroids. For example, the preparation of provitamin D was successfully performed using the reaction of the joint reduction of two ketones, ensuring the introduction of a 25-hydroxysterine side chain directly into the molecule:

The brilliant multi-stage syntheses of I.V. Torgov include the subtle and complex twenty-six-stage conversion of 11α-hydroxyprogesterone to dihydrobatrachotoxin - a powerful toxic cardiotonic. A number of works were devoted to the synthesis of ecdysteroids - hormones of molting insects with a strong adaptogenic effect on humans, as well as the search for cultures that allow microbiological breakdown of natural sterols. In the future, recent works have received powerful development, including as a way of carrying out transformations in the framework of organic synthesis ^[3] .

He was the head of more than 30 theses, including 2 doctoral ones. Torgov actively participated in the dissemination of knowledge about the chemistry of natural compounds in Russia, lectured both abroad and at home, was a lecturer at Moscow State University, wrote a monograph together with N. Kochetkov and M. Botvinnik in 1961, which was the first textbook on the chemistry of natural compounds. He has made many reports.

In 1965, he was awarded the title of professor in the specialty "Chemistry of Natural and Biologically Active Substances."

I.V. Torgov was twice arrested. The first time, while still a 5th year student, on March 28, 1936, he was charged under Art. 58-10, part 1, 58-11 (“did not report on the r / r actions of the other accused”); On August 1, 1936 he was released on his own recognizance, and on August 25 he was acquitted by the Special Board of the Main Court of the TASSR. Perhaps this is due to the fact that, having passed the exams for graduate school of the IOC (1937), Igor Vladimirovich instead appeared not in Moscow, but in Kineshma, at the local anilzavod. Here he was again persecuted: on June 28, 1938 he was arrested on charges of participation in a spy and sabotage terrorist organization. However, by a decision of the Judicial Board of the Supreme Court of the TASSR in April 1939, the case was dismissed for failure to confirm the charges and he was released ^[5] .

Igor Vladimirovich became interested in chemistry quite by accident. From school, he liked two subjects: chemistry and mathematics. When it was necessary to make a choice in favor of one of them, the decisive role was played by his acquaintances, convincing that in chemistry it is much easier to make money. The University of Torgov was not accepted to the Faculty of Chemistry because of its non-working origin, only after the organization of the Chemical-Technological Institute in 1931 was he admitted there. Once Igor Vladimirovich was asked how to raise a creative person, to which he replied: “Creativity is laid down from birth, in other words, is written in genes, but the impetus for its development is often influenced by and conversations with wonderful people, in particular people of science” For Torgov Such a crucial starting point was the praise of Academician A.E. Arbuzov at the examination in organic chemistry in 1933, which, he said, was of great importance to him. Igor Vladimirovich was on good terms with many Nobel laureates. He often talked with Alexander Todd, who later decided to send his student Leslie Jones, Linus Pauling, during his visits to Moscow, Robert Woodward, Leopold Ruzicka, Derek Barton for an internship. “He didn’t respect me for what reason - after all, he was at the peak of fame, and I didn’t. He treated me very well, before as a scientist, but also as a person, ” Torgov later said about Barton. At the initiative of Derek, in 1966, Torgov was invited by the Royal Society to Great Britain with a series of lectures, which were personally chaired by the Nobel laureate ^[6] .

1. Kochetkov N.K., Botvinnik M.M., Torgov I.V. (1961). Chemistry of natural compounds: (Carbohydrates, nucleotides, steroids, proteins). M .: "Science", 559 p.
2. Torgov I.V. (1984). Chemistry of steroids. Bioorg. Chem. 10 (8), 1059-1072
3. Pivnitsky K.K., Torgov I.V. (1967). Reduction of 6-methoxyindanone-1 with alkali metals in liquid ammonia. Proceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences. OKN. (1), 122-126
4. Zaretskaya I.I., Sorkina T.I., Torgov I.V. (1965). Condensation of 1-vinyl-6-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalene with 2,4-dimethyl-Δ2-cyclopentenedione-1,5. Proceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences. OKN. (6), 1058-1061
5. Sorkina TI, Zaretskaya II, Torgov IV (1964). Application de la condensation diénique à la synthèse des céto-17-stéroides, dans la série de l'estrone et de la D-homoestrone. Bull. Soc. chim. Fr (9), 2063-2068
6. Ananchenko S.N., Leonov V.N., Platonova A.V., Torgov I.V. (1960). A new way of synthesis of steroid compounds. Complete synthesis of dl estrone. Doklady AN SSSR 135 (1), 73-76
7. Sorkina .I., Zaretskaya I.I., Torgov I.V. (1959). 1-β-Acetoxyvinyl-6-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalene is a new bicyclic diene for the synthesis of steroid systems. Doklady AN SSSR 129 (2), 345—348
8. Nazarov I.N., Terekhova L.N., Torgov I.V. (1943). Derivatives of acetylene: 31. Synthesis of tetrahydro-γ-pyrons by isomerization of vinylethynyl carbinols and hydration of divinyl ketones. Proceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences. OKN. (1), 50-55 ^[2]

• Medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (1945);
• Medal "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow" (1948);
• Medal “20 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1965);
• Medal "50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (1969);
• Medal “For Valiant Labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin ”(1970);
• Medal "25 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (1970);
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor - for services to the development of Soviet science and in connection with the 250th anniversary of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1975);
• Medal "30 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (1975);
• Medal "60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (1978);
• Order of Friendship of Peoples - for merits in the development of chemical science, training of scientific personnel and in connection with the 70th anniversary of his birth (1982);
• Order of the Patriotic War II degree (1985);
• Medal "40 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (1985);
• Medal "70 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (1988);
• Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (1999) ^[2] .

• 1954—2000 - Member of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Applied Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR
• 1959-1966 - scientist secretary of the Expert Commission for the Prizes of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR named after A. M. Butlerova, N. D. Zelinsky and S. V. Lebedev
• 1959—2007 - Member of the Academic Council of the Institute of Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR (IBCh RAS)
• 1972 - Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1973-1984 - Member of the Commission on the Scientific Fundamentals of Agriculture under the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1974-1982 - Member of the Interdepartmental Scientific and Technical Council on the Problems of Molecular Biology and Molecular Genetics at the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology and the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1974-1986 - Member of the Bureau of the Scientific Council on Theoretical Problems of Biological Damage to Materials (since 1977 the Scientific Council on Biodeterioration) under the Section of Chemical, Technological and Biological Sciences of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1974-1990 - Deputy Academician Secretary, Member of the Bureau of the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Chemistry of Physiologically Active Compounds (OBBHFAS), USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1976-1980 - Member of the International Committee for the Award of the Russel Prize for achievements in the field of chemistry of natural compounds
• 1976-1982 - Deputy Chairman of the Bureau of the Commission on the Scientific Fundamentals of Medicine under the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1979-1994 - member of the Expert Commission of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR for the awarding of prizes of the USSR Academy of Sciences. M. M. Shemyakina
• 1979–2000 - Member of the Scientific Council on Fine Organic Synthesis at the Department of General and Technical Chemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1980-1986 - Member of the Bureau of the Scientific Council on the Problems of Bioorganic Chemistry at OBBHFAS AN USSR
• 1981—2000 - member of the bureau of the Joint Scientific Council "Scientific Foundations of Agricultural Chemicalization" at the All-Russian Biophysical Academy of Sciences of the USSR
• 1982-1989 - Member of the Interdepartmental Scientific and Technical Council on Problems of Physico-Chemical Biology and Biotechnology at the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology and the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1982-2000 - Member of the Bureau of the Scientific Council on Biotechnology at the Section of Chemical, Technological and Biological Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• 1993—2000 - Member of the Editorial Board of the journal “Bioorganic Chemistry”
• since 1994 - foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts ^[2]

• Torg Igor Vladimirovich ( http://www.ibch.ru/about/history/personalia/749 )
• Igor Vladimirovich Torgov. To the 95th anniversary of his birth. A.V. Kamernitsky, Bioorg. Chemistry 2007, 33 (3): 291-296
• The wizard of organic synthesis. R. I. Zhdanov, “Chemistry and Life”, No. 9/2007, 21-23
• The book of memory of the Republic of Tatarstan ( http://lists.memo.ru/d32/f433.htm )