Irina Beletskaya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irina Beletskaya
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| Ирина Белецкая | |
Beletskaya in 2005
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| Born | March 10, 1933 |
| Citizenship | Russian |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University |
| Known for | Studies on aromatic reaction mechanisms, palladium and nickel catalysed methods for C-C bond formation |
| Awards | Lomonosov Prize (1974)
Demidov Prize (2003) IUPAC 2013 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organometallic chemistry |
| Institutions | Moscow State University |
Irina Petrovna Beletskaya (Russian: Ири́на Петро́вна Беле́цкая; born 10 March 1933) is a famous Russian chemistry professor. She teaches at Moscow State University. She is an expert in a field called organometallic chemistry. This is about special chemical compounds that have a bond between a metal and a carbon atom.
Professor Beletskaya is well-known for her work on how chemical reactions happen. She also found new ways to create strong connections, called carbon-carbon bonds, between carbon atoms. She used special helpers called palladium or nickel catalysts to make these connections. Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions without being used up themselves. She even made these reactions work in water! Her research also helped to explore the chemistry of compounds that contain rare-earth metals, known as organolanthanides.
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Her Journey in Science
Irina Beletskaya was born in 1933 in Leningrad, which is now called Saint Petersburg in Russia. She loved chemistry from a young age.
Early Studies
She studied at Moscow State University and finished her first degree in 1955. Her early research looked at compounds that contained arsenic and carbon.
In 1958, she earned her Candidate of Chemistry degree. This is similar to a Ph.D. in other countries. For this degree, she studied how certain chemical reactions happen. She looked at how ammonia affected reactions involving a specific mercury compound.
She continued her studies and received her Dr.Sci. degree from the same university in 1963.
Becoming a Professor
By 1970, Irina Beletskaya became a full professor of chemistry at Moscow State University. She now leads the Organoelement Chemistry Laboratory there.
Her amazing work was recognized when she became a member of the Academy of Science of the USSR in 1974. Later, in 1992, she became a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
She also played a big role in international chemistry. From 1991 to 1993, she was the president of the Organic Chemistry section of IUPAC. This is a global organization that sets standards for chemistry. She also helped with a committee that worked on destroying chemical weapons.
Today, she is the main editor for the Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry.
Her Research Focus
Professor Beletskaya first studied how organic reactions work, especially those involving metal-carbon bonds. She looked at reactions similar to Grignard reactions and how rare-earth metal compounds could act as catalysts.
She also explored how certain charged carbon particles, called carbanions, react. She focused on their structure and how they behave in different situations.
Later in her career, she started focusing more on using transition metals as catalysts. She wanted to find catalysts that were not only effective but also affordable.
Currently, she leads a lab at Moscow State University. Her recent work focuses on using carbon dioxide (CO2) in new ways. This includes finding ways to use CO2 for renewable energy and in reactions with other chemicals called epoxides.
Why Her Work Matters
Irina Beletskaya is known for her important discoveries in organometallic chemistry. She is also seen as one of the first leading female chemists in Russia. Her success helped open doors for other women to join the scientific community there.
Her new ways of making organic compounds using metals have created a strong base for future chemists. She also showed how important it is to include rare-earth elements in the study of organic chemistry. This led to new textbooks and changed how organic chemistry is taught around the world. Her work helps chemists use valuable metals in reactions that involve carbon.
Awards and Recognitions
Irina Beletskaya has received many important awards for her contributions to chemistry:
- Lomonosov Prize, 1974
- Mendeleev Prize, 1979
- Nesmeyanov Prize, 1991
- Demidov Prize, 2003
- State Prize, 2004
- IUPAC 2013 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award, 2013
See also
In Spanish: Irina Beletskaya para niños
