Nikolay Beketov

Nikolay Nikolayevich Beketov (; , Alferovka (now Beketovka), Penza Governorate, Russian Empire – , St. Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian Imperial physical chemist and metallurgist.

He was the father of a well-known Russian architect Alexei Beketov.

Life and work

In 1849 Beketov graduated from Kazan University and worked with Nikolay Zinin.

In 1855 he became a junior scientific assistant in the Department of Chemistry at Kharkov University.

In 1859-1887 Beketov was a professor at the same university.

In 1865 he defended his PhD thesis on "Research into the phenomenon of displacement of one element by another" ("").

Beketov on a 2010 commemorative stamp of UkraineIn 1890 Beketov delivered lectures on the "Basics of Thermochemistry" at Moscow State University.

Beketov's biggest merit was his contribution into physical chemistry as an independent science. In 1860 he taught a course on "Relations between physical and chemical phenomena" in Kharkov and a course on "Physical Chemistry" in 1865.

In 1864 a Physical Chemistry Department in Kharkov University was established with his active participation, where students would conduct research and do practical work.

In 1886 Beketov was elected a full member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Beketov's students were Alexander Eltekov, Flavian Flavitsky and others. The poet Alexander Blok was his brother's grandson.