Sergey Reformatsky (20.03. (01.04), 1860, v. Borisoglebskiy, Kostroma province - 27.12.1934, Moscow) - an outstanding organic chemist, the organizer of the Department of Organic Chemistry of the KPI and its first head, the founder of Kiev school of organic chemists, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences USSR (1928).
Sergey Reformatsky was born in the village Borisoglebskiy, Kostroma province (now Ivanovo region) in the priest family. Like his father, he graduated from Kostroma seminary (in 1878). He was enrolled in the natural history department of physics and mathematics faculty of Kazan University. Being a student, he worked in the lab A.M. Zaitsev. In 1882, he graduated with a gold medal and a degree candidate. Diploma work was the "Study of hydrocarbon produced from СOH18 from allildipropilkarbinol."
In the period 1882-1889, he worked at the alma mater. From 1882 – the keeper of the museum laboratory of A.M.Zaitsev. In 1889, S.N. Reformatsky defended his thesis on "The Limit polyhydric alcohol" on a master's degree.
He continued his education under the direction of Meyer in Göttingen and Heidelberg, and V.F.Ostwald at Leipzig University (1889-1890). Working abroad he was mainly devoted to a doctoral thesis on the subject of the research Butlerova-Zaitsev on the method of synthesis of tertiary alcohols.
In 1887, Reformatsky discovered a process for preparing β-hydroxy acids by reacting α-halogen replaceable carboxylic acids and aldehydes in the presence of zinc. The method later became known as Reformatsky reaction. Based on the reaction β-keto acids and unsaturated organic compounds were obtained. The reaction was the basis for the artificial synthesis of vitamin A and its derivatives. Even after the discovery in 1900 of the Grignard more convenient method of producing organic compounds obtained previously by Butlerov-Reformatsky method, it retains its value so far. In modern chemical literature, some cases of the synthesis of organic compounds ( vitamins and hormones) are described, for which the Grignard reaction did not give positive results, and Reformatsky reaction, on the contrary, gave the necessary compounds.
In 1889 he published a series of scientific papers in the field of producing polyhydric alcohols.
Upon returning from a trip abroad in 1890 S.Reformatsky brilliantly defended his doctoral thesis on "Effects of zinc and a mixture of ether monohlorotsetny for ketones and aldehydes" in the University of Warsaw.
Since 1891he was elected professor of the Kiev State University. In the same year - a professor at Kiev University for Women.
In 1892 studied the recovery of tertiary alcohols to hydrocarbons.
In 1931-1934 he conducted studies on obtaining a natural rubber from plants.
Twice he was elected chairman of Physics-Chemical Society of Kiev State University (1910-1916 and 1920-1933).
He was the author of the textbook "Elementary course of Organic Chemistry" (17 editions from 1893).