Kazan Federal University

Former Rector of Kazan University, Academician Alexander Konovalov passes away aged 87

The sad news came on May 4.

Alexander Konovalov’s whole career was dedicated to Kazan University.

In 1956, he graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry of Kazan University. Next year, he was hired to the Department of Organic Chemistry, then headed by famous Academician Boris Arbuzov. From 1968 till 1972, Konovalov was the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, from 1974 till 1990 – Chair of the Department of Organic Chemistry, and from 1979 to 1990 he served as the Rector of Kazan State University.

Apart from that, he worked as Director of the Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry (Kazan Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Chairman of the Presidium of the Kazan Center of RAS, Vice-President of the Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society, Member of the Presidium of RAS, and Chairman of the Scientific Council of RAS on Organic and Organoelement Chemistry.

Academician Konovalov’s primary scientific interests were physical organic chemistry, chemistry of organophosphorus compounds, chemistry of renewable natural resources, supramolecular chemistry, and nanochemistry. He co-authored over 1,000 papers and books and registered over 50 patents.

In 1963, under the guidance of Academician Arbuzov, he defended his PhD thesis “Diene synthesis and charge transfer complexes”. Konovalov’s DSc dissertation “Investigation of the mechanism of the reaction of diene synthesis” (1974) contained an exhaustive kinetic and thermodynamic study of the reaction of diene synthesis. He and his students solved the most important fundamental problem of physical organic chemistry – the establishment of factors that determine the reactivity of addends in the reactions [2 + 2], [3 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition. Within the framework of a single regularity, a change in the reactivity (reaction rate constants) of reacting systems in a colossal range (20 orders of magnitude) was described, a “neutral” type of diene synthesis reaction was discovered, which completed the classification of these reactions according to the donor-acceptor characteristic.

Konovalov and his students made a significant contribution to the study of solvation processes in organic solvents. For the series of works “Development of the theoretical foundations of the chemistry of non-aqueous solutions and their practical use”, in which the thermodynamics of solvation and intermolecular interactions in non-aqueous solvents were investigated and the quantitative laws of the processes were established, he was awarded the State Prize in Science and Technology (1987).

An original approach was proposed by Konovalov and his collaborators to studying the acidity of organic compounds in solutions of various solvating capacities. The use of a supramolecular system of the “guest-host” type (metal cation – cryptand) as a counterion led to the creation on a single basis of a universal ion-pair acidity scale applicable to solvents of any polarity when applied to compounds with an acid property range (pKA) of 5-40.

In 1979, he was elected Rector of Kazan University. During his eleven years on the post, he paid attention to developing the University’s infrastructure, research, and international standing. Major efforts were directed at refurbishment and repairs. The History Museum was established, residential buildings were constructed for the University’s suburban observatory, the Caucasus Observatory was established; notably, KFU’s well-known UNICS Culture and Sports Center was built during his two terms as the leader of the University.

Starting in 1995, Konovalov and his team turned to supramolecular chemistry. The result of complex applied research was the creation of scientific foundations for the technological processing of renewable plant raw materials (amaranth, lupine) in order to isolate biologically important substances and food components: pectins, proteins, etc. A developed technology of pectin production, using the waste of fermented milk production – milk whey, is environmentally safe. On the basis of organophosphorus derivatives of nitrogen-containing heterocycles, an effective plant growth stimulator, Melafen, was created, which acts in extremely low concentrations.

In recent years, Konovalov’s scientific interest was focused on the study of highly diluted aqueous solutions. The “effect of ultra-low concentrations and electromagnetic fields” was discovered, which solutions of many chemical compounds are capable of exhibiting. The essence of the effect is that in aqueous solutions of compounds of various chemical nature, ultralow concentrations and only in the presence of external electromagnetic fields, nanoscale (up to 400 nm, ζ-potential from -2 to -20 mV) structures (nanoassociates)  consisting mainly of water molecules and initiated by a solute are formed.

Among Academician Konovalov’s awards are Order of the Red Banner of Labor, Order of the Friendship of Peoples, Order of Honor, Order for Merit to the Fatherland, Order for Merit to the Republic of Tatarstan, State Prize of the Soviet Union, State Prize of the Republic of Tatarstan, National Triumph Prize, Mendeleev Gold Medal, Butlerov Gold Medal, and Markovnikov International Prize.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Alexander Konovalov. His immeasurable contributions to the University are to be forever remembered by grateful colleagues and students.

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