Polish chemistry Polish chemistry in the century of the discov- sor of Physics at Vienna, Lvov and Cracow universities ery of polonium and radium by Maria developed the theory of fluctuations in gases and, inde- Sklodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie pendently of Einstein, proposed the theory of Brownian motion. Subsequent experimental confirmation of the This is another in a continuing series of Einstein–Smoluchowski equation became one of the fi- articles on chemistry in IUPC National Adher- nal proofs in the kinetic theory of matter. ing Organizations Great achievements in organic chemistry were made by Alfred Freund (1835–1892, first synthesis of cyclo- propane, 1881), Bronislaw Radziszewski (1838–1931, Historical Radziszewski’s conversion of nitriles to amides with H O in alkaline solution, 1890), Stanislaw Kostanecki The beginnings of modern chemistry in Poland are con- 2 2 nected with a great educational reform that was intro- (1860–1910, synthesis of flavonoids, 1899) and Stefan duced by the Royal Commission of Education. That Niementowski (1866–1925, synthesis of 4- institution, which was founded in 1773, was in fact the oxoquinazolines, 1895). In Cracow, Leon Marchlewski first ministry of education in Europe. Under its auspices, (1869–1946) was one of the founders in the field of chlo- the chairs of chemistry and natural history were estab- rophyll chemistry. During the inter-war period (1918– lished in 1782 at what was then known as Cracow Uni- 1939), the study of organic chemistry developed at the versity (now called Jagiellonian University). Jan chemistry departments of universities and technical uni- Jaskiewicz (1749–1809), who was the first Professor of versities. The particularly active centres were in War- this chair, and his successor Franciszek Scheidt (1759– saw, Cracow and Lvov. From that period, the 1807), introduced into their lectures the theories of investigations performed by Tadeusz Milobêdzki Antoine Lavoisier. Jedrzej Sniadecki (1768–1838) be- (1873–1959, organophosphorus chemistry), Wiktor came Professor of Chemistry at the University of Vilnius Lampe (1875–1962, curcumin and light-sensitive dyes), after completing his studies in Cracow, Pavia and Edin- Karol Dziewonski (1876–1943, work on synthetic dyes, burgh, and in 1800 published the first Polish textbook of decacyclene and other polycyclic aromatics), R. modern chemistry. This eminent scientist exerted a Malachowski (1887–1944, carbonyl cyanide) and strong influence on the early stages of development of Edward Sucharda (1891–1947, chemistry of pyridine) chemistry in Poland. At the present time, the Sniadecki deserve to be mentioned. medal is the highest distinction awarded by the Polish Among the Polish scientists who were working in Chemical Society. Warsaw, two names deserve to be mentioned here: In 1795, Poland lost its independence for over Jakub Natanson (1832–1884), who was the author of 100 years, and the development of the experimental one of the earliest syntheses of artificial dyes (fuchsine), sciences was considerably hampered. The best situa- and Jozef Boguski (1853–1933), a pioneer in the field of tion in country was in the region that incorporated the chemical kinetics who also proposed the widely known Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, where the universities of equation which describes the kinetics of the dissolution Lvov and Cracow were able to continue their activities, of solids in liquids. and which was also where the Technical University at At the same time, many talented Poles had been Lvov was organized. In 1883 in Cracow, Karol working in different laboratories abroad. Marceli Nencki Olszewski (1846–1915) and Zygmunt Wroblewski (1847–1901), who worked in Russia and Switzerland, (1845–1888) accomplished the first static liquefaction of was the author of some important publications in the nitrogen, oxygen and carbon monoxide. Olszewski be- field of organic chemistry and biochemistry. He greatly came one of the founders of modern cryogenics. He contributed to an establishment of the structure of also liquefied and solidified argon, and determined its heme, obtained hemine from hemoglobine, and studied critical properties. In about 1900, Wladyslaw Natanson the mechanisms of formation of urea in animal organ- (1864–1937) Professor of Theoretical Physics in Cra- isms. Stanislaw Kostanecki, who was also working in cow, published a series of papers on the problems of Switzerland, was renowned for his work on the structure thermodynamically irreversible processes, becoming a and synthesis of flavonoids (Kostanecki synthesis). pioneer in the modern thermodynamics of irreversible Bohdan Szyszkowski (1873–1931) published important processes. Marian Smoluchowski (1872–1917) Profes- papers on electrochemistry and surface chemistry. Chemistry International, 1998, Vol. 20, No. 5 131 Ignacy Moscicki (1867–1946), an outstanding specialist Zygmunt A. Klemensiewicz (1886–1963) working in in chemical technology working in Switzerland, per- the Fritz Haber laboratory in Karlsruhe, laid the founda- formed a technical synthesis of nitric acid from air. tions for membrane electrodes in potentiometry. After Maria Sklodowska-Curie (1867–1934) and Kazimierz the First World War, several centres were created which Fajans (1887–1975) are among the most famous Polish carried out both research and practical applications of scientists who worked abroad, Mme Curie in France, classical and technical analytical methods. The names and Fajans in Germany and then in the USA. There is no of Tadeusz Milobêdzki and Marceli Struszynski (1880– need to explain here their role in the development of 1959) of the Technical University of Warsaw should be modern chemistry and physics. mentioned here. When Poland regained its independence in 1918, All this highly successful development was suddenly only just a few years of research and teaching had been interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in organized at the old and new universities and technical 1939, which resulted in great disruption to the whole universities. In fact, in the inter-war period, all the main country. After the war, those scientists who survived branches of chemistry research had their representa- contributed to a reconstruction of the system of higher tives at Polish universities and laboratories. In inorganic education in Poland. In the years 1945–1955, new cen- chemistry Wiktor Jakob (1886–1971) and Boguslawa tres of research in chemistry had been established. Be- Jezowska-Trzebiatowska (1908–1991) had been work- sides the chemistry departments of the universities ing on the coordination chemistry of transition metals (Warsaw, Wroclaw, Lodz, Cracow, Gdansk, Poznan and the chemistry of rhenium. Wlodzimierz Torun, Lublin, Bialystok, Katowice, Opole) and the tech- Trzebiatowski (1906–1982) began his work on the mag- nical universities (Warsaw, Wroclaw, Lodz, Gdansk, netic properties of alloys and intermetallic compounds. Gliwice, Szczecin, Rzeszow, Lublin, Poznan), research Alfons Krause (1895–1972) carried out studies on the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (estab- structure and properties of amphoteric hydroxides and lished 1951) were also created. oxides, in particular of iron. Important research was carried out in the field of or- Inorganic chemistry and related fields ganic chemistry. Osman Achmatowicz (1899–1988) was an eminent specialist in the chemistry of alkaloids Coordination chemistry is one of the best developed and terpenes. Synthetic dyes were investigated by fields of inorganic chemistry. Research in this direction Waclaw Lesnianski (1886–1956) and natural dyes by is being carried out in Wroclaw, Cracow, Poznan and Wiktor Lampe. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and Torun, and also in several smaller scientific centres alkaloids were the object of research carried out by elsewhere. The synthesis, structure and physicochemi- Jerzy Suszko (1889–1972). Tadeusz Urbanski (1901– cal properties of transition metal complexes using differ- 1985) had begun his work on nitrocompounds and ex- ent ligands are being studied, including ligands of plosives. biological importance such as amino acids and The field of Physical chemistry was represented by nucleotides, forming models of metal-centred biological many investigators. Among the most notable were: systems. Chemical and thermal stability, spectroscopic Wojciech Swietoslawski (1881–1968) an international and magnetic properties, and the chemical and the pho- authority in the field of thermochemistry, ebuliometry tochemical reactivities of these complexes are also un- and polyazeotropy. Antoni Galecki (1882–1962, chem- der investigation. Homogeneous catalysis, closely istry of colloids), Mieczyslaw Centnerszwer (1874– related to structural coordination chemistry, is repre- 1944, chemical kinetics, multiphase equilibria sented in Poland in several centres which are specialis- electrochemistry of fused salts), Alicja Dorabialska ing in inorganic (Wroclaw, Poznan, Cracow), organic (1897–1975) a specialist in microcalorimetry who stud- (Warsaw) and physical (Warsaw, Cracow) chemistry. ied the heat of radiation of radioisotopes, allotropic Separation of lanthanides, their coordination and transformations and corrosion of metals, Bogdan structural chemistry, spectroscopy and chemilumines- Kamienski (1897–1973, surface chemistry, flotation of cence are being studied in Lublin, Wroclaw, Lodz and minerals), Wiktor Kemula (1902–1985, Poznan. electrochemistry, polarography), Antoni Basinski Silicate chemistry is centred on the synthesis