The article is devoted to Vladimir Nikolayevich Ipatiev (1867–1952), a great Russian chemist, whose scientific achievements are still relevant today, largely determining the way of development of modern chemical science and industry. He had a brilliant scientific and military career in the Russian Empire, becoming a full member of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and a lieutenant general. During this period, he made a number of pioneering discoveries, which laid the foundation for the development of entire industries (he synthesized isoprene, the main component of synthetic rubber, and developed a process of catalysis at high temperatures and pressure, which today accounts for up to 80% of chemical production). During the World War I, he proved to be a talented organiser, with the national chemical industry being established almost from scratch under his supervision. After October 1917, Ipatiev did not leave Russia, believing that a scientist should serve the homeland and not a particular regime, and actively cooperated with the Bolsheviks. However, when mass repressions erupted in the Soviet Union, he remained abroad, fearing for his life, and was soon stripped of his academic title and Soviet citizenship. After emigrating to the United States, he continued his fruitful scientific career, having developed a catalytic cracking process, without which modern petrochemicals are unthinkable, and a high-octane gasoline production technology, the use of which in military aviation contributed significantly to the victory over Nazism. The first of these was the first time he had been in exile and the second time he had tried to obtain permission from the Russian authorities to return to his homeland.
Vladimir Nikolayevich Ipatiev; Russian chemist; research scientist; chemical science and industry; Russia; USA.