Editor's Page pubs.acs.org/Organometallics
Award Winning Organometallic Chemistry: The 2010 Balandin Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences
L
ast year, Organometallics began to invite articles from chemists who have earned awards from chemical societies, government agencies, or comparable bodies worldwide for advancing organometallic chemistry. The awards may formally be associated with allied fields, or available to (younger) chemists of all stripes. However, the laudatio should single out achievements in the organometallic sector.1 This installment takes us for the first time to Russia, where the Balandin Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of catalysis was established by the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1992. The prize is conferred by the President of the Academy every three years. Since Balandin was especially known for his development of the theory of heterogeneous catalysis,2 the prize has so far recognized achievements in heterogeneous catalysis and industrial processes.3 However, this precedent was broken or at least modified in December of 2010, when it was announced that Drs. Valentine P. Ananikov and Irina P. Beletskaya would jointly receive this honor for their research on the interface between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, including numerous fascinating applications in organic synthesis.3,4 Their prize was conferred in a ceremony in the main Academy building located on Leninsky Prospekt in Moscow in April of 2011. Drs. Ananikov and Beletskaya have authored a thought-provoking account that details some of the chemistry upon which the award was based, including the concept of the “ideal catalyst”. This is located at the beginning of the articles section, and biographical sketches can be found therein. Additional details regarding Balandin (1898−1967; Figure 1) merit note.5 He received all of his education in Moscow, but after completing his doctoral degree was able to spend time at several institutions in Germany and France. His principal academic appointments were at Moscow State University and the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry. During 1941−1943
he was part of a group of scientists evacuated to Kazan. He was arrested and exiled twice (1936−1939 and 1949−1953). However, he was rehabilitated each time and ultimately honored with the “Orden Lenina”, the highest ranking Medal in the USSR, in 1954. Valentine and Irina, please accept our warmest congratulations on the occasion of this richly earned recognition. All of us are familiar with your numerous contributions to organometallic chemistry and look forward to many more insightful and stimulating papers from your groups in the future. Many of us also look forward to the first opportunity to toast you in person with the best Russian vodka:
John A. Gladysz, Editor in Chief
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(1) Previous Editor’s Page in this series: Gladysz, J. A. Organometallics 2012, 31, 733−734. (2) Balandin, A. A. Adv. Catal. 1969, 9, 1−210 (see also the preface by G. V. Issagulyants, E. I. Klabunovsky, and A. A. Tolstopyatova in the volume containing this posthumously published review). (3) http://www.ras.ru/about/awards/awdlist.aspx?awdid=90 (4) http://www.ioc.ac.ru/english/modules/common/showfile. php?file=balandin (5) Margitfalvi, J. React. Kinet. Catal. Lett. 1997, 62, 201−202 (review of Russian language book containing essays, memoirs, and documents associated with Balandin).
Figure 1. Aleksey Balandin (1958). © 2012 American Chemical Society
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Published: March 12, 2012 1583
dx.doi.org/10.1021/om3000967 | Organometallics 2012, 31, 1583−1583
