Macromolecular Compounds, Institute of

(full name, Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR), founded in 1948 in Leningrad. The institute comprises four departments, which include 22 laboratories. The institute conducts research on the creation of new catalysts and initiators of polymerization and on the study of kinetics and the mechanism of formation of macromolecules. There is much work done on the synthesis of new heat-resistant, high-strength, and physiologically active polymers. Thorough studies are made of the molecular and supermolecular structures of natural and synthetic high-molecular compounds; their optical, mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties are studied. The institute has a division of graduate studies.