Gustavs Vanags (10 March 1891 — 8 May 1965) was a Soviet and Latvian organic chemist, full member of Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences. He was also one of the signers of the Memorandum of Latvian Central Council in 1944.

Biography

Gustavs Vanags was born in "Rungas" house of the Schnicken (Sniķeru) manor (now in Ukri Parish, Auce Municipality). He received primary education in the

Mitau Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

Classic Gymnasium, and in 1910 enrolled Riga Polytechnic Institute. During the First World War, he, among many, went in evacuation to the inner regions of Russian Empire; after returning from it in 1921, he completed his education in the new-founded University of Latvia and worked at the Faculty of Chemistry, raising to the position of the chair of the Department of organic chemistry. He received his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

in 1932. After Riga Polytechnic Institute was reestablished in 1958, G. Vanags moved to it, serving in the same position as the department chair until 1965. Simultaneously he also worked in the State Institute of Organic Synthesis, where he carried out his research in the chemistry of cyclic β-

diketones In organic chemistry, a dicarbonyl is a molecule containing two carbonyl () Functional group, groups. Although this term could refer to any organic compound containing two carbonyl groups, it is used more specifically to describe molecules in whi ...

. He was founder of Riga scholl of organic chemists specializing on β-diketones, which continues up to day (2020). Gustavs Vanags, along with his students, designed and synthesized several compounds of notable application in medicine, agriculture and chemical analysis (omefin, bindon, nitroindandione, rhodenticide diphenadione or ratindan). Gustavs Vanags died in a sudden death on May 8, 1965, in Riga. He was buried in the Forest Cemetery.

Commemoration

Latvian Academy of Sciences named a biannual prize for advances in chemistry in Gustavs Vanags' name. A commemorative plaque with bas-relief of G. Vanags is installed in the hall of Riga Technical University Faculty of Chemistry. A commemorative stone is erected at the place where his native house of "Rungas" once stood.

References

External links

Article in Letonika encyclopedia
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Exhibition "Gustavs Vanags and organic chemistry in Latvia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanags, Gustavs 1891 births 1965 deaths Organic chemists 20th-century chemists People from Dobele Municipality People from Kovno Governorate People from Zemgale Academicians of the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences Riga Technical University alumni Academic staff of Riga Technical University University of Latvia alumni Academic staff of the University of Latvia Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Latvian chemists 20th-century Latvian inventors Soviet chemists Soviet inventors