Mikhail (born Mikhaylo) Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711-1765) was a major figure of the Russian Enlightenment – a scientist, writer, and poet who made important contributions to fields as diverse as physics, astronomy, metallurgy, mineralogy, chemistry, geology, instrument-making, history, and philology. He was instrumental, with the help of his patron, Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov (1727-1797), in the establishment of a University in Moscow (now named after him) in 1755. Lomonosov’s life as a student and scholar began in 1731 when he was admitted to the Slavo-Greco-Latin Academy in Moscow. Because of his outstanding performance, he was sent to the St. Petersburg Academy to continue his studies. The Academy was staffed exclusively by foreign scholars, none of which was trained in chemistry – a discipline that was much needed in Russia at the time. Since a suitable scientist could not be recruited from Germany to teach chemistry in St. Petersburg, three students from the Academy, among them Lomonosov, were sent to Marburg to study science and philosophy with Christian Wolff (1679-1754) and eventually – to Freiberg to learn chemistry under the German chemist and metallurgist Johann Friedrich Henkel (1678-1744). Upon his return to Russia, Lomonosov began his systematic studies in various branches of natural philosophy, making the very significant discovery (among many others) of the law of preservation of mass in chemical reactions. He also had a very practical mind and became involved in the preparation of pigments and colored glass, which inspired further interest in making mosaic pictures. This talk will describe the main milestones of Lomonosov’s career as a chemist.

Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711-1765): A Russian polymath and chemist

256th National Meeting (2018)

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