Ivan Ludvigovich Knunyants: From Akrikhin to Perfluorane

Academician I.L. Knunyants has made significant contributions to almost all the fields of organic chemistry that have been studied in the USSR. He is the founder of fluroorganic compounds chemistry. This is the field of chemistry that studies fluroorganic compounds of phosphorous, sulfur, selenium and others, he is also the founder of industrial scale production of teflon, kapron and nylon; he has contributed greatly to the development of antimalarial drugs, blood substitute called perfluoran, hydrogen cyanide antidotal substances and cytostatic antineoplastic drugs.
Relevance. If we forget prominent persons in Soviet and Russian science, it will turn Russia into a colony of the West, and we will lose our self-esteem and will not be able to go forward and to progress. The last paper devoted to the biography and scientific contributions of a major general and engineer I.L. Knunyants (1906–1990) was published in 1996. From that time on the publications contained only the list of his main achievements, and even that is mostly forgotten.
Purpose of the study is summarize and systematize the main data on the scientific career of academician I. L. Knunyants and to describe it in the light of events that happened in the 20th century and influenced our history Study base sources. Documents the contain information on I.L. Knunyants’ biography as well as on his inventions (including his own scientific works).
Materials and methods. Descriptive method has been employed in this study. Results. The authors have considered the way of I.L. Knunyants as a scientist, how he decided to become one, the main fields of his activity as a scientist, as a teacher and as a member of society, his main achievements and inventions.
Conclusions. Studies that were conducted by I.L. Knunyants were quite efficient and fruitful and had a practical focus. They were in-depth studies of fluoroorganic sulphurorganic phosphrous organic and heterocyclic compounds. I.L. Knunyants obtained important results for pharmacology (anti-malarial and carcinolytic drugs, artificial blood substitute) worked on the ways of developing drugs and polymers, has obtained efficient photosensitizers.

1. Kazaryan PE. Academician Knunyants Ivan Ludvigovich. Essays and memoirs. Moscow; 1996 (in Russian).

2. Tyutyunnik VM. Chemists – laureates of the Lenin Prize. Moscow; 1978 (in Russian).

3. Materials for the biobibliography of scientists of the USSR: Ser. Chemical Sciences. Ivan Ludvigovich Knunyants. Issue 61. Moscow; 1978 (in Russian).

4. Chichibabine ΑΕ, Knunyants IL. α-Dimethylaminopyridine and its derivatives. ZHRHO. 1928;60(674) (in Russian).

5. Knunyants IL. Pyridine analogues of di- and tri-phenylmethane dyes and their chromaticity. Reports of the USSR Academy of Sciences. 1947;56(6):593–96 (in Russian).

6. Baranov EU. The epidemic situation in the USSR in the 1930s (historiographical aspect). Genesis: Historical Research. 2020;12:62–84 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.25136/2409-868X.2020.12.34658

7. Tolkushin AG, Luchinin EA, Kholovnya-Voloskova ME, Zavyalov AA. The history of aminoquinoline preparations: from the bark of the quinine tree to chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. Problems of social hygiene, health care and the history of medicine. 2020;28:1118–22 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.32687/0869-866X-2020-28-s2-1118–22

8. Knunyants IL, Topchiev KS, Chelintsev GV. Structure and synthesis of new antimalarial substances. I. Plasmokhin. P roceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences. VII series. Department of Mathematical and Natural Sciences. 1934;(1):153–64 (in Russian).

9. Knunyants IL, Chelintsev GV, Benevolenskaya SV, Osetrova ED, Kursanova AI. Structure and synthesis of new antimalarial substances. III. Synthesis of «Atebrine». Proceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences. VII series. Department of Mathematical and Natural Sciences. 1934;(1):165–76 (in Russian).

10. Andersag H. Antimalariamittel aus der Gruppehalogensubstitutierter Chinolinverbindungen. Chem Ber. 1948;81:499–507.

11. Lomivorotov BB, Deryagin MN, Abubakirov MN, Fominsky EV, Nepomnyashchikh VA. Thiamine deficiency and its correction in critical conditions. Bulletin of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care. 2017;14(5):73–81 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.21292/2078-5658-2017-14-5-73-81

12. Chelintsev GV, Benevolenskaya ZV. A new way to obtain vitamin B1. ZHOH. 1944;14:1142–7 (in Russian).

13. Kildisheva OV, Knunyants IL, Linkova MG. Method of obtaining esters of beta-amino (or N-piperidino) alpha-acylaminoacrylic acids. SU 111488. January 01, 1957 (in Russian).

14. Golubeva NE, Kildisheva OV, Knunyants IL. A method for producing salts of carcinolytic peptides. SU 132229. October 10, 1960 (in Russian).

15. Knunyants IL, Golubeva NE, Kildisheva OV. Carcinolytic peptides of targeted action. Dokl Academy of Sciences USSR. 1960;132(4):836–38 (in Russian).

16. Golubeva NE, Kildisheva OV, Knunyants IL. Carcinolytic peptides. Dokl Academy of Sciences USSR. 1958;119(1):83–86 (in Russian).

17. Rasteikene L, Dagene MI, Knunyants IL. Amino acids and peptides containing (di-2-chloroethyl) amino group. Usp chem. 1970;39(9):1537–59 (in Russian).

18. Weinberg AK, Herman LS, Giller SA, et al. A method for producing 5-fluorouracil. SU 322053. October 23, 1972 (in Russian).

19. Knunyants IL, Rogovin ZA, Rymashevshaya UA, Hite EV. A method for producing high-molecular polyamide resin. SU 63321. January 01, 1946 (in Russian).

20. Knunyants IL, Rogovin ZA, Rymashevskaya UA. A method for isolating caprolactam from a reaction mixture. SU 66682. January 01, 1946 (in Russian).

21. Knunyants IL, Vyazankin NS. Reductive dimerization of α, β-unsaturated acid derivatives. Dokl Academy of Sciences USSR. 1957;113(1):112–15 (in Russian).

22. Козлов ВВ, Вольфкович СИ. Очерки истории химических обществ СССР. М.; 1958. Kozlov BB, Wolfkovich SI. Essays on the history of chemical societies of the USSR. Moscow; 1958 (in Russian).

23. Развитие органической химии в СССР. Коршак ВВ, ред. М.; 1967. The development of organic chemistry in the USSR. Korshak BB, Ed. Moscow; 1967 (in Russian).

24. Knunyants IL. Development of chemistry of organofluorine compounds at the Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Izv AN USSR. 1974;5:1098–123 (in Russian).

25. Knunyants IL, Kildisheva OV. Methods of introducing fluorine into organic compounds. Usp chem. 1946;15(6):685–706 (in Russian).

26. Knunyants IL. On the interaction of aliphatic oxides with hydrogen fluoride. Reports of the USSR Academy of Sciences. 1947;55(3):227–30 (in Russian).

27. Knunyants IL. On the reactions of organic oxides with hydrogen phosphorous. Reports of the USSR Academy of Sciences. 1947;56(1):47–50 (in Russian).

28. Knunyants IL, Krasuska MP. A method for producing hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol. SU 1386048. January 01, 1961 (in Russian).

29. Knunyants IL, Krasuska MP. A method for producing thermally stable triazine rubbers. SU 145748. January 01, 1962 (in Russian).

30. Knunyants IL, Polishchuk VR. New data on the reactions of organofluorine compounds. Usp chem. 1976;45(7):1139–76 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.1070/RC1976v045n07ABEH002685

31. Knunyants IL, Polishchuk VR. The success of synthesis and research of organofluorine compounds. Usp chem. 1975;44(4);685–717 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.1070/RC1975v044n04ABEH002272

32. Serushkin IL, Panshin UA, Sokolov SV, Knunyants IL. The state and prospects of development of the most important fluoromaterials. ZHVHO named after D.I. Mendeleev.1980;25(5)552–72 (in Russian).

33. Зефиров НС. Советская органическая химия за 50 лет. Усп химии. 1967;36(11):1901–58. Zephyrov NS. Soviet organic chemistry for 50 years. Usp chem. 1967;36(11):1901–58 (in Russian).

34. Knunyants IL, Kildisheva OV, Bykhovskaya EG. Interaction of aliphatic oxides with hydrogen fluoride. II. Dokl Academy of Sciences USSR. 1947;57:49–52 (in Russian).

35. Knunyants IL. On the conjugation of bonds in a series of fluorolefins. ZHVHO named after D.I. Mendeleev. 1962;7(3)276–82 (in Russian).

36. Pusher PG, Basharin VA, Chepur St. Toxic pulmonary edema in laboratory animals during inhalation of polytetrafluoroethylene pyrolysis products. Biomedical and socio-psychological problems of safety in emergency situations. 2018;2:80–5 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.25016/2541-7487-2018-0-3-80-85

37. Seifman YUV, Ter-Gabrielyan EG, Gambaryan NP, Knunyants IL. Chemistry of perfluoroisobutylene. Usp Chem. 1984;53(3):431–61 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.1070/RC1984v053n03ABEH003047

38. Ivanitsky GR, Vorobyov SI. Blood substitute “perfluorane”. Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 1997;67(11):998–1013 (in Russian).

39. Knunyants IL, Fokin AV. The conquest of the «impregnable element». Moscow: 1963 (in Russian).

40. Volkov VA, Vonsky EV, Kuznetsov GI. Chemists. Biographical reference book. Kiev; 1984 (in Russian).

41. Knunyants IL, Soborovsky LZ. Technical means of indicating chemical warfare agents. Moscow; 1943 (in Russian).

42. Markov BB, Zheltov SS. Military Red Banner Academy of Chemical Protection named after Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko (1932–1982). A historical sketch. Pikalov VK, Ed. Moscow; 1982 (in Russian).

43. 70 лет на службе отечеству. Манченко ВД. (ред.). М.; 2002. 70 years in the service of the Fatherland. Manchenko VD, Ed. Moscow; 2002 (in Russian).

44. Linkova MG, Kuleshova ND, Knunyants IL. Thiolactones. Usp Chem. 1964;33(10):1153–83 (in Russian).