Sergey Reformatsky

Infobox_Scientist
name = Sergey Nikolaevich Reformatsky


caption =
birth_date = April 1, 1860
birth_place = Borisoglebskoe, near Ivanovo, Russia
residence = Russia, Germany
nationality = russian
death_date = death date and age|1934|7|28|1860|1|1|mf=y
death_place =
field = Chemist
work_institution = University of Kiev
alma_mater = University of Warsaw
doctoral_advisor = Alexander Mikhailovich Zaitsev,
Wilhelm Ostwald
doctoral_students =
known_for = Reformatskii reaction
prizes =
religion =
footnotes =

Sergey Nikolaevich Reformatsky (April 1, 1860 – July 28, 1934) was a Russian chemist.

Life

He was born as a son of a preacher in Borisoglebskoe, near Ivanovo. He studied at the University of Kazan under Alexander Mikhailovich Zaitsev until 1882. He went to Germany for further studies. He joined Victor Meyer at the University of Heidelberg and Wilhelm Ostwald at the University of Leipzig and finally getting his Ph.D in 1891. The following year he was appointed professor at the University of Kiev where he stayed the rest of his life.

Work

In 1887 discovered the Reformatskii reaction, during which a zinc organic compound is the key component. The use of zinc in organic reactions was common at that time, but it was subsequently replaced by the more convenient magnesium. This was not possible for the reaction of α-chloro acids with ketones, because the magnesium based Grignard reagents are more reactive and lead to other products. This made the Reformatskii reaction a convenient way for the synthesis of β-hydroxy acids which were difficult to obtain with other methods.

References

cite journal
title = Sergeius Reformatsky
journal = Berichte der Chemischen Gesellschaft
year = 1935
volume = A
issue = 5
pages = 61
doi =