Sevast'ian (or Sebastian) Moiseevich Tanatar (; 7 (19) October 1849,

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

– 30 November (19 December) 1917,

) was a Russian chemist. He was born into a family of Karaite merchants in

. When he was 14, his family moved to Simferopol, Crimea, where he graduated from the Simferopol gymnasium three years later. In 1867, he returned to

to attend Novorossiyskiy University (now

Odesa University The Odesa I.I.Mechnykov National University (), often referred to as Odesa National University ( ONU, ), located in Odesa, Ukraine, is one of that country's major state-sponsored universities, named after the scientist Élie Metchnikoff (1845- ...

), from where he graduated in 1872. In 1873–1874 he studied abroad. He later returned to

, where he achieved the rank of a Full Professor in 1896. Tanatar made several pioneering contributions to chemistry. In 1880, he showed that fumaric and

maleic acid Maleic acid or ''cis''-butenedioic acid is an organic compound that is a dicarboxylic acid, a molecule with two carboxyl groups. Its chemical formula is HO2CCH=CHCO2H. Maleic acid is the ''cis'' Cis–trans isomerism, isomer of butenedioic acid, ...

, upon

oxidation Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...

, yield two isomeric

hydroxycarboxylic acid Hydroxycarboxylic acids are carboxylic acids containing one or more hydroxy (alcohol) functional groups. They are of particular interest because several are bioactive and some are useful precursors to polyesters. The inventory is large. Important ...

s, later shown to be

racemic In chemistry, a racemic mixture or racemate () is a mixture that has equal amounts (50:50) of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule or salt. Racemic mixtures are rare in nature, but many compounds are produced industrially as r ...

and mesotartaric acids. In 1895, he accomplished the transformation of

cyclopropene Cyclopropene is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest cycloalkene. Because the ring is highly strained, cyclopropene is difficult to prepare and highly reactive. This colorless gas has been the subject for many fundamental s ...

into

propylene Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula . It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like o ...

at high temperature. In 1898–99 he produced perborates and percarbonates by

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses Direct current, direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of c ...

. Tanatar also discovered compounds of

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...

with (1899), (1901), and other salts and with

urea Urea, also called carbamide (because it is a diamide of carbonic acid), is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two Amine, amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest am ...

(1908). He also made significant contributions to nitrogen chemistry, such as industrial manufacturing of

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

nitrous acid Nitrous acid (molecular formula ) is a weak and monoprotic acid known only in solution, in the gas phase, and in the form of nitrite () salts. It was discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who called it " phlogisticated acid of niter". Nitrous ac ...

and

nitric acid Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into nitrogen oxide, oxides of nitrogen. Most com ...

, determination of the heat capacity and the

atomic mass Atomic mass ( or ) is the mass of a single atom. The atomic mass mostly comes from the combined mass of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus, with minor contributions from the electrons and nuclear binding energy. The atomic mass of atoms, ...

beryllium Beryllium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, hard, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with ...

, and the invention of

gas mask A gas mask is a piece of personal protective equipment used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft ...

Bibliography

* ''On the structure of fumaric and maleic acid'' (Master's thesis; Odesa 1880) * ''On the question and reasons of isomerism of fumaric and maleic acids'' (PhD dissertation; Odesa 1891) * ''Some thermochemical data for succinic and isosuccinic acids'' (''Journal of the Russian Physico-Chemical Society'', 1889, v. 21) * ''Some thermochemical data for organic acids'' (ib ., 1891, vol. 23) * ''A note on Osipov's article on the probable heat of hydration of maleic anhydride'' (ib., 1891, vol. 23) * ''The effect of water on bromosuccinic acid and its potassium salt'' (ib., 1891, 23) * ''Heat of dissolution and neutralization of alpha-dibromyropionic acid'' (ib., 1892, vol. 24) * ''Thermochemical data for beta-dibromyropionic acid'' (ib., 1892, vol. 24) * ''Two modifications of benzophenone'' ( ib., 1892, vol. 24) * ''Two modifications of chloroacetic acid'' (ib., 1892, vol. 24) * ''On two modifications of iodine chloride'' (ib., 1893, vol. 25) * ''Reaction of the formation of nitrous acid'' (ib., 1893, vol. 25) * ''On the Arrhenius theory'' (ib., 1894, vol. 26) * ''The transformation of trimethylene into propylene'' (ib., 1895, vol. 27) * ''On free nitrous acid'' (ib., 1896, vol. 28) * ''On the process of soda formation in nature'' (ib., 1896, vol. 28) * ''Decomposition products of fumaric hydroxylamine'' (ib., 1896, vol. 28) * ''Amber hydroxylamine and products of its decomposition'' (ib., 1897, v. 29) * ''To the theory of A.A. Yakovkin'' (ib., 1897, vol. 29) * ''A note on metaphosphoric acids'' (ib., 1898, vol. 30) * ''Thermochemical studies in alcoholic solutions'' (ib., 1897, vol. 29) * ''Depression some electrolytes and non-electrolytes in mixed solvents'' (ib., 1895, vol. 27) * ''Specific gravity of isomeric acids'' (ib., 1890, vol. 22) * ''Ueber Superoxide'' (''Berichte d. deutsch. Chem. Gesellschaft'', 1900) * ''Zur Frage betreffs der Umwandung des Trimethylens in Propylen'' (ib., 1899) * ''Percarbonate'' (ib., 1899) * ''Eine neue Bildungsweise der Stickstoffwasserstoffsaure'' (ib., 1899) * ''Zur Kenntniss des Hydroxylamins'' (ib., 1899) * ''Das Verhalten der Halogensauerstoffsauren dem Wasserstoffhyperoxyd gegenuber'' (ib., 1899) * ''Ueber das Verhalten der Maleinsaure beim Erhitzen'' (ib., 1894) * ''Zur theorie derischen elektration'' (''Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie'', 1894) * ''Die Losungs- und Neutralisationswarme des Nitroharnstoffes und seines Kaliumsalzes'' (ib., 1896) * ''Salzbildung in alkoholischer Losung'' (ib., 18 98) * ''Perborate und ihre Konstitution'' (ib., 1898) * ''Notiz uber Perborate'' (ib., 1898) * ''Ueber die Verbrennung de Gase'' (ib., 1900) * ''Ueber Perborate'' (''Zeitschrift fur anorgan. Chemie'', 1901) * ''Bleisuboxyd'' (ib., 1901) * ''Cadmiumsuboxyd'' (ib., 1901) * ''Wismuthsuboxyd'' (ib., 1901) * ''Cement of the water supply system of ancient Chersonesos'' (''Notes of the Novorossiysk Society'', 1893) * ''Limestone from the vicinity of Bakhchisarai, suitable for the preparation of hydraulic cement'' (ib., 1893) * ''Theory of solutions'' (Odesa, 1895), * ''A practical guide to thermochemistry'' (translation of the work of Berthelot, Odesa, 1894)

References

* Chugaev, L. A. "Pamiati S. M. Tanatara." In his book ''Izbr. trudy'', vol. 3. Moscow, 1962. Pages 428–29. * The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979) accessed 2021-07-10.
Значение ТАНАТАР СЕВАСТЬЯН МОИСЕЕВИЧ в Краткой биографической энциклопедии
at slovar.cc, accessed 2021-07-10 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanatar, Sebastian 1849 births 1917 deaths Chemists from the Russian Empire Ukrainian chemists Jewish Ukrainian scientists Karaite Jews