Alexander Butlerov and the Professionalization of Science in Russia

Abstract

7lIhe Great Reform Era during the reign of Alexander 11 (1855-81) produced significant changes throughout Russian society, including the emancipation of the serfs, military reforms, judicial reforms, and educational reforms. One important impact of these and other reforms was the stimulus they gave to the growth of professions and professional specialists in the years before 1917. While early studies of professions focused on the United States and England, scholars are devoting more attention to the development of professions in Russia and other continental countries.1 For Russia, many studies have focused on the political role of the professions and the interaction of professionals and the state in the years surrounding the 1905 Revolution. In this article, however, I examine the efforts of the prominent Russian chemist Alexander Butlerov (1828-86) to introduce changes in the teaching and pursuit of chemistry in Russia during the late 1850s and early 1860s. These changes initiated the professionalization of chemistry in Russia and were instrumental in making chemistry the strongest scientific discipline in Russia before 1917. One of the most important Russian scientists of the nineteenth century, Butlerov gained international recognition for his work on the structural theory of