Bianka Tchoubar: A Revolutionary in French Organic Chemistry

Abstract

Virtually unknown in her homeland, Bianka Tchoubar, born in 1910 in Kharkiv, brought about a true paradigm shift in French organic chemistry of the 20th century. Originality of research ideas, scientific rigor and legendary perseverance earned her respect and recognition in the world scientific community. This eccentric Parisian of Ukrainian origin became the first woman to enter the French National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS) upon its creation in 1939. Bianka Tchoubar’s contribution to the study of reaction mechanisms and salt effects in organic chemistry were of paramount importance, and so were her efforts to present these novel scientific concepts to the audience of French organic chemists through the clear and concise expression of her books. The name of this great Ukrainian researcher may be found in the pages of French organic chemistry textbooks, where the Demjanov ring expansion reaction is called the Demjanov–Tiffeneau–Tchoubar rearrangement. This article aims at presenting the outstanding scientific legacy and turbulent life path of this researcher to the world scientific community.

Keywords

• mechanisms of organic reactions
• charged intermediates
• salt effects
• molecular rearrangements
• alicyclic compounds
• history of chemistry