Isaak Iakovlevich Postovskii

Born Mar. 5 (17), 1898, in Odessa. Soviet organic chemist. Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1970).

Postovskii graduated in 1924 from the Technische Hochschule in Munich, where he remained to work in H. Fischer’s laboratory. In 1926 he was appointed head of the subdepartment of organic chemistry at the S. M. Kirov Ural Polytechnic Institute. His early research at the institute involved the study of coal chemicals and the discovery of petroleum in the Urals.

Postovskii’s main works deal with theoretical organic chemistry, including the study of heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen, and with the synthesis of physiologically active compounds. In 1935, together with L. N. Goldyrev, he discovered the first highly active sulfonamide preparation—sulfapyridine. During the Great Patriotic War (1941–45) he took part in organizing the large-scale production of sulfonamide preparations. After the war, he conducted research on organic flourine compounds.

Postovskii has been awarded the State Prize (1962 and 1963), the Order of Lenin, four other orders, and several medals.