ESTABLISHMENT OF CHEMISTRY AS A SCIENCE AT KHARKIV UNIVERSITY AND IN THE CENTRAL DNIPRO REGION IN THE SECOND THIRD OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the process of establishing chemistry as an independent science at Kharkiv University and in the territories of the Central Dnieper region during the second third of the nineteenth century. The author substantiates the relevance of the topic through the prism of modernization processes that encompassed the educational and scientific spheres of the Ukrainian lands in the nineteenth century, emphasizing the importance of the formation of local scientific schools for the further development of national science. The current state of research on the problem and the source base is analyzed, including both general and educational works on the history of chemistry, as well as specialized studies devoted to the institutional history of universities and thematic aspects of the development of specific scientific directions. At the same time, significant gaps have been identified: the absence of synthetic works, insufficient attention to the archival collections of university professors, and the limited study of the interaction between science and the economic and sociocultural environment of the region. The main body of the article focuses on the activities of Kharkiv scholars who laid the foundations of academic chemistry: V. Lapshin, P. Einbrodt, O. Khodnev, I. Kosov, and M. Beketov. Their contribution to the establishment of laboratory infrastructure, the development of electrochemical research, the introduction of courses in physiological and technical chemistry, and the founding of the school of physical chemistry is highlighted. It is shown that during 1835–1863, chemistry gradually acquired institutional status as a university discipline and separated from pharmaceutical and physical studies. Special attention is paid to the role of Kharkiv University as a center for training scientific personnel and transferring knowledge to regional scientific societies and educational institutions of Katerynoslav, Poltava, Yelysavethrad, and Zaporizhzhia. The forms of cooperation between Kharkiv chemists and local communities are defined: delivering public lectures, conducting experimental studies of water and soil, providing consultations for industry, and creating educational courses in real schools. It is emphasized that this practical orientation of science contributed to the integration of university research into the economic and cultural development of the region. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the second third of the nineteenth century became a turning point in the process of establishing chemistry in the Central Dnieper region. During this period, the discipline gained academic autonomy, systematic teaching of new courses began, teachers and researchers were trained, and connections between the university and regional institutions were established. Thus, chemistry in the region emerges not only as an academic discipline but also as an important factor in the social modernization of the Ukrainian lands within the Russian Empire.