Nesmeyanov, Alexander Nikolaevich

Born on August 28 ( September 9 ), 1899 in Moscow in a teacher's family. Father - Nikolai Vasilievich Nesmeyanov , graduating with a gold medal and putting his name on a marble plaque of honor at the Vladimir Gymnasium ^[4] , and then - the law faculty of Moscow University , became interested in enlightenment, 10 years took the place of a public teacher in the village of Bushov, Tula province ; after marriage in 1898, he became an employee of the Moscow City Council, then headed an orphanage in Moscow (1901-1917); mother - Lyudmila Danilovna, nee Rudnitskaya (1878-1958), was a versatile teacher. After Alexander, two born sisters died in infancy, then Vasily (1904), Tatyana (1908) and Andrey (1911) were born in the family.

In 1911, Alexander became a vegetarian. ^[3] He became interested in chemistry from the age of thirteen, having by then passed his fascination with various branches of biology : entomology , hydrobiology , ornithology . In 1917 he graduated with a silver medal from the private Moscow gymnasium of P.N. Strakhov and entered the natural department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University . Studying in the revolutionary era required a lot of self-sacrifice and fanatical dedication: engaged in unheated rooms, lacked laboratory equipment. Working as a night watchman at the faculty, he lived in the laboratory of N. D. Zelinsky , giving all the time to scientific experiments. In the summer of 1920, together with relatives and friends went to the village for bread.

At the end of the university ( 1922 ), Nesmeyanov remained at the department of Academician ND Zelinsky , where in 1924-1938 he held the posts of assistant , associate professor , professor (since 1935 ). Since 1938, he headed the department of organic chemistry at the Institute of Fine Chemical Technology ; in 1939-1954, Nesmeyanov was director of the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1939 he was elected a corresponding member, and in 1943 - an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the Department of Chemical Sciences (in 1946-1951, academician-secretary of the Department). Member of the CPSU (b) since 1944 .

At the end of World War II, Alexander Nikolaevich returned to his native university: from 1959 he headed the department of organic chemistry, in 1945-1948 he was dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, and in 1948-1951 he was rector of Moscow State University .

During the rectorship of Nesmeyanov, the construction of a large complex of university buildings on the Vorobyov (Lenin) mountains began. Under these conditions, Alexander Nikolaevich devoted much energy to the development of the material and technical base of the university.

Under his leadership, competent commissions were created to develop terms of reference for the placement of university units in a new place. They worked in close creative contact with the authors group of architects (full members of the Academy of Architecture of the USSR L.V. Rudnev, S.E. Chernyshev, architects A.F. Khryakov, P.V. Abrosimov), with builders (A.N. Komarovsky, A.V. Voronkov). At the same time as colossal construction, the development of the university structure is taking place, curricula are being improved. So, courses on the history of sciences were introduced into the curricula of natural faculties. In 1948, the Faculty of Biology was reorganized into Biological and Soil. The following year, the construction of an agrobiological station in Chashnikovo began . Then, on the basis of the geological department of the geological and soil faculty, the geological faculty was created and the departments were organized: crystallography and crystal chemistry; history of geological sciences. In 1950, assistance was provided to the University of Chisinau with literature, scientific and educational instruments and equipment.

After the death of the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences S. I. Vavilov at an extraordinary session of the general meeting of the Academy of Sciences on 02.16.1951 he was elected its President .

He resigned as president of the USSR Academy of Sciences at his own request 05/19/1961.

Alexander Nikolaevich was one of the largest organic chemists of the 20th century. He performed a number of fundamental works on the theory of the structure and reactivity of organic compounds and created a new discipline lying on the border of inorganic and organic chemistry, which, according to his proposal, was called " chemistry of organoelement compounds ." In 1954, he opened the Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR , which he led until his death (currently the institute is named after A.N. Nesmeyanov). In January, the institute annually commemorates A. N. Nesmeyanov with relatives and students.

In May 1969, at a meeting of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Organoelement Compounds, Nesmeyanov opposed the election of Rokhlin, candidate of chemical sciences , as senior scientist , stating “I am a vindictive person. Last year, Rokhlin was among those who opposed the introduction of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia at an institute rally ” ^[5] . It is curious that this speech by Nesmeyanov did not affect the voting results, and Rokhlin was elected a senior researcher.

Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 3-5 convocations (1950-1962).

He was one of the academicians of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR who signed in 1973 a letter from scientists to the newspaper Pravda condemning the "behavior of Academician A. D. Sakharov ." In the letter, Sakharov was accused of “making a number of statements defaming the political system, foreign and domestic policy of the Soviet Union,” and academics rated his human rights activities as “defaming the honor and dignity of the Soviet scientist” ^{[6] [7]} .

He was interested in literature, wrote poetry.

Alexander Nikolayevich Nesmeyanov died on January 17, 1980 . He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery (plot number 9).

The famous scientist was also the brother of the academician, Andrei Nikolaevich Nesmeyanov (1911-1982), head of the department of radiochemistry at Moscow State University, professor, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Brother Nesmeyanov Vasily Nikolaevich (born 1904, Moscow) worked as deputy head of the Department of Surveying Services of the Main Directorate of Geodesy and Cartography under the USSR SNK. He was shot on July 28, 1941 on charges of espionage. Rehabilitated September 17, 1955, by the decision of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR .

The work of Alexander Nikolaevich in the chemistry of organoelement compounds brought him fame and recognition not only in our country, but also in the world. He was elected an honorary member of several dozen foreign national academies and scientific societies.

• The Stalin Prize of the first degree ( 1943 ) - for research in the field of organometallic compounds, the results of which were published in 1941 and 1942 in a series of articles: “On the interaction of diazoacetate with chlorine tin and ferric chloride”, “From the field of organo-mercury compounds”, “On the reaction nitroso compounds with nitric oxide ”and in the monograph“ Synthetic methods in the field of organometallic compounds of mercury ”(1942)
• Lenin Prize ( 1966 ) - for a cycle of research in the field of organoelement compounds
• Twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1969, 1979).
• Gold Medal named after D. I. Mendeleev ( 1977 ) - for a cycle of work in the field of organometallic compounds and obtaining food from non-traditional sources. "
• V Mendeleev reader .
• Grand Gold Medal named after M.V. Lomonosov, Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1962)
• Seven Orders of Lenin (11/04/1944; 10/06/1945; 09/19/1953; 09/08/1959; 04/27/1967; 03/13/1969; 09/07/1979)
• Order of the October Revolution (09/13/1974)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor (09/14/1949)

• Institute of Organoelement Compounds named after A.N. Nesmeyanova RAS.
• One of the streets of the Gagarinsky district of Moscow was named after him.
• The Russian Academy of Sciences has established the A.N. Nesmeyanov Prize, awarded since 1995 for outstanding work in the field of chemistry of organoelement compounds. ^[eight]
• Alexander Petrovich Kazantsev dedicated the Dome of Hope novel to him with the following words: “I dedicate this dream dream to the memory of twice Hero of Socialist Labor, academician Alexander Nikolaevich Nesmeyanov, in admiration for his life and work. Author". ^[9]

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  Bust of A. N. Nesmeyanov in Moscow

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  Grave of A.N. Nesmeyanov at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

Nesmeyanov, Alexander Nikolaevich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".

• Nesmeyanov Alexander Nikolaevich // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• Nesmeyanov A. N. Ancestors, childhood, youth, pre-war years

• Nesmeyanov Alexander Nikolaevich on the site "Annals of Moscow University"
• Nesmeyanov A. N. in the encyclopedia "Around the World"
• Monument to Academician Nesmeyanov near InEOS RAS
• Memorial Museum-Cabinet of Academician A.N. Nesmeyanov
• V.N. Zagrebaeva Alexander Nikolaevich Nesmeyanov // Site of the Russian Academy of Sciences