Evgenyi Ivanovich S[h]pitalsky (1879-1931) predetermined the development of both electrochemistry and catalysis in Moscow University. During his student period, he was supervised by I.A. Kablukov and N.D. Zelinskyi, and completed his diploma work on the solutions of electrolytes. His catalysis research began in the lab of G. Bredig in Heidelberg in 1905-1907, and was closely linked to the solution equilibria. Later in Moscow he was involved in numerous applied topics, in particular intersecting with electrochemistry, and Z.A. Iofa gained his experimental experience directly from Spitalsky. The fate of Spitalsky, unjustly arrested in 1929, was tragic. Biographic texts in Russian appeared with a long delay, the most informative ones are the texts authored by Yu.I Soloviev in 1989 and by MSU people in 2002. Here are the very brief biographic data in English and an incomplete list of publications.
This 1926 photo was published by Spitalsky’s granddaughter Ksenia Pokrovskaya (nee Belyakova) (1942-2013) in her livejounral. In the centrum is Spitalsky and his wife Nevenka Georgievna Karamalakova (1889?-1962), at the left is their daughter Tatiana, and at the right is their son. When Spitalsky was arrested, Nevenka was sent into exile, and children were transferred to the families of relatives. This was a usual story in USSR of that period.
This 1927 photo is published in the ‘History of inorganic chemistry in Moscow University” edited by late Prof Yu.D. Tretyakov. Physical chemistry and electrochemistry sprouted just from inorganic chemistry in this University, and the first separate unit was the physico-chemical Spitalsky lab, started officially in 1923. Spitalsky is second from the right in the last row, N.I. Kobozev is sitting before him, and N.N. Petin is standing from the left of him. The second person in the first raw (from the left, sitting) is Z.A. Iofa.
This cover page of Frumkin’s thesis presented to Spitalsky demonstrates that they got acquainted before Frumkin moved to Moscow (Odessa, September 20, 1920 is indicated). We do not know whether the thesis was sent to Moscow, or presented personally in Odessa. We can only speculate suggest that Frumkin’s link to Spitalsky could be A.N. Sakhanov, who belonged to Kablukov’s surrounding in Moscow during the same period as Spitalsky.
A very active Spitalsky’s follower was Nikolai Ivanovich Kobozev (1903-1974), who is known for his works in heterogeneous catalysis and gas reactions. His early research interests included hydrogen evolution reaction, and a basic work in Z. Elektrochem. 1930. V. 36. P. 529-544 was published jointly with Nikolay I. Nekrasov. Kobozev insisted on the formation of atomic hydrogen in the solution in the course of hydrogen evolution. Later this resulted in a vivid discussion with Frumkin school representatives.
Valentina Viktorovna Monblanova was Spitalsky’s follower and Kobozev’s co-worker. It was believed for a long time that the article(s) of Kobozev and Monblanova introduced the term ‘electrocatalysis’ in 1936, or even in 1934.
Spitalsky belonged to the elite international community of chemists. Here is his name as an honorary participant of the meeting of Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft in 1923 (Chem. Ber. 1923. Bd. 56. S. A57).
List of publications (incomplete)
- Spitalsky Е. Zur Katalyse durch Chromsaure und ihre Salzen // Z. anorg. Chem. 1907. Bd. 53. S. 184-199, in German.
- Spitalsky E. Uber den Zustand der Chromate und der Chromsaure in wasseriger Losung // Z. anorg. Chem. 1907. Bd. 54. S. 265-314, in German.
- Spitalsky E. Zur Katalyse durch Chromsaure und ihre Salzen. II. Mitteilung // Z. anorg. Chem. 1907. Bd. 56. S. 72-108, in German.
- Spitalsky E. German patent No 225873, 1910. Original is still not found, here is the available more or less direct information.
- Spitalsky E. Über die Katalyse des Wasserstoffsuperoxyds // Chem. Ber. 1910. Bd. 43. S. 3187-3201, in German. Polemic with E.H. Riesenfeld.
- Spitalsky E. On the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in homogeneous medium // Zhurnal Russkogo Fiziko-Khimicheskogo Obshchestva. Chast’ Khimicheskaya. 1910. V. 42. P. 1085-1159, in Russian (link electronic book).
- Spitalsky E. Zur Katalyse durch Chromsäure und ihre Salze. Dritte Mitteliung // Z. anorg. Chem. 1911. Bd. 69. S. 179-208, in German.
- Spitalsky E. Über ein einfaches Kölbchen und eine Vorrichtung zur Ausführung chemischer Reaktionen // Fresenius Z. anal. Chem. 1912. Bd. 51. S. 572–573, in German.
- Spitalsky E. Patent “Sprengkraftige u. lagerbestandige Sprengstoffe aus Kaliumchlorat u. Ammoniumperchlorat”, submitted in 1923 (as indicated in Angew. Chem. 1924. Bd. 37. S. 632).
- Spitalsky E., Petin N. Über die Katalyse des Wasserstoffsuperoxyds durch Eisensalze // Z. phys. Chem. A. 1924. Bd. 113. S. 161-198, in German.
- Spitalsky E. Studien uber die Elektrochemische Polarization und uber Elektrodenvorgange // Z. Elektrochem. 1924. Bd. 30. S. 491-493, in German.
- Spitalsky E., Sokolov P.I., Weintraub E.S., with participation of Ziller E.K. and Nemkova O.G. On the process of electrolytic fabrication of chlorate salts // Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii. 1924. V. 1. No 1-2. P. 75-90, in Russian.
- Spitalsky E., Sokolov P.I., Weintraub E.S. On the process of electrolytic fabrication of chlorate salts. Part II // Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii. 1924. V. 1. No 3-4. P. 69-88, in Russian.
- Spitalsky E.I., Komandin A.V. On the quantitative determination of hypochlorite and chlorate occuring simultaneously in aqueous solition // Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii. 1925. V. 2. No 1-2. P. 3-7, in Russian.
- Spitalsky E. On the theory of homogeneous catalysis // In: Trudy nauchno-issledovatel’skogo khimicheskogo instituta pri fizmate I MGU. 1925. P. 5-29, in Russian.
- Spitalsky E. Uber die Kinetischen Gesetze der homogenen Katalyse // Z. anorg. Chem. 1926. Bd. 121. S. 257-286, in German.
- Spitalsky E., Kagan M. Heterogene Katalyse und elektrochemische Polarisation // Chem. Ber. 1926. Bd. 59. S. 2900-2907, in German.
- Spitalsky E., Funck A. Über die komplizierte homogene Katalyse des Wasserstoffsuperoxyds durch molybdänsaures Natrium // Z. Phys. Chem. A. 1927. Bd. 126. S. 1-23, in German.
- Spitalsky E., Koboseff N. Über die kinetischen Gesetze der homogenen Katalyse. Experimentelle Untersuchung des inneren Mechanismus einer homogenen katalytischen Reaktion // Z. phys. Chem. A. 1927. Bd. 127. S. 129-177, in German.
- Spitalsky E, Jofa S. Direkte oxydimetrische Bestimmung von Perchlorat neben großen Mengen von Chlorat und Chlorid // Z. anorg. allgem. Chem. 1928. V. 169. P. 309-318, in German.
- Spitalsky E.I., Petin N.N., Konovalova B.A. Heterogeneous catalysis of hydrogen peroxide with copper compounds // Zhurnal Russkogo Fiziko-Khimicheskogo Obschestva. 1928. V. 60. P. 1237-1270, in Russian.
- Spitalsky E.I., Picheta V.V. Experimental study of the processes accompanying electrochemical polarization of platinum. // Zhurnal Russkogo Fiziko-Khimicheskogo Obschestva. 1928. V. 60. P. 1359-1365, in Russian.
- Spitalsky E.I., Konovalova B.A. Hydrogen peroxide decomposition under joint action of several catalysts. Part I. Catalysis of hydrogen peroxide with iron and copper salts. // Zhurnal Russkogo Fiziko-Khimicheskogo Obschestva. 1930. V. 62. P. 1033-1043, in Russian.
- Bicskei J., Dubose A., Spitalsky E., Jofa S., et al. Cyanide und Halogene // Fresenius Z. anal. Chem. 1930. Bd. 81. S. 232–242, in German. See complete list of authors here. It seems to be a sort of review of analytical techniques accepted from original articles, with mentioning all the authors of this articles as coauthors of the review.
- Spitalsky E., Nekrassow N.I. Die kathodische Polarisation des Quecksilbers // Z. phys. Chem. A. 1930. Bd. 147. S. 321-344, in German.
- Furman N.H., Knop J., Willard H.H., Fenwick F., Lundell G.E.F., Hoffman J.I., Bright H.A., Swift E.H., Hoeppel R.W., Young P., Kolthoff J.M., Sandell E.B., Spitalsky E., Sarver L.A., Thiel A. Vanadin — Bestimmungsmethoden // Fresenius Z. anal. Chem. 1932. Bd. 87. S. 459–479, in German, see here.The same type of review as in 1930 in this journal.