Studies in the History of Science and TechnologyStudies in the History of Science and TechnologyВопросы истории естествознания и техники0205-96062713-041XRussian Academy of Sciences69941510.7868/S2713041X25060067Materials for the Biographies of Scientists and EngineersМатериалы к биографиям ученых и инженеровResearch ArticlePROFESSOR A. P. RUDENKO, CREATOR OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTIONARY CATALYSIS (IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENARY OF HIS BIRTH)ПРОФЕССОР А. П. РУДЕНКО – ТВОРЕЦ ТЕОРИИ ЭВОЛЮЦИОННОГО КАТАЛИЗА (К СТОЛЕТИЮ СО ДНЯ РОЖДЕНИЯ УЧЕНОГО)LisichkinG. VЛисичкинГ. В

Faculty of Chemistry

химический факультет

lisich@petrol.chem.msu.ruKulakovaI. IКулаковаИ. И

Faculty of Chemistry

химический факультет

Inna-kulakova@yandex.ruM. V. Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityМосковский государственный университет им. М. В. Ломоносова15122025464VOL 46, NO4 (2025)ТОМ 46, №4 (2025)71473825122025Copyright ©; 2025, Russian Academy of SciencesCopyright ©; 2025, Российская академия наук2025Russian Academy of SciencesРоссийская академия наукhttps://gynecology.orscience.ru/0205-9606/article/view/699415

The article examines the life and scientific activities of a renowned chemist and encyclopedic scientist, Alexander Prokofievich Rudenko. It contains biographic information, including the information about his studies in a secondary school and M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, and about his scientific mentors. The main focus in the article is on Rudenko’s original concept of chemical evolution and its theoretical and practical applications. In the course of studies of a well-known phenomenon, formation of resinous products on the surface of heterogeneous catalysts of organic reactions, he observed in some cases an increase in the catalyst’s activity that was symbatical with the accumulation of carbon deposits (densification products) on their surface. The discovery of the phenomenon of catalyst self-improvement (self-development) prompted by the influence of the main (basic) reaction formed the basis for a new scientific field that Rudenko named “evolutionary catalysis”, a term he coined himself. The backbone of the concept of evolutionary catalysis is the fact that it is the catalytic systems, rather than molecules, that are considered as an object of evolution. The main law of evolution, revealed in the theory of evolutionary catalysis, states that the paths of evolutionary changes that lead to a maximum increase in a system’s evolutionary characteristics associated with the basic reaction rate, are actualized with the greatest speed and probability. The examples of practical application of Rudenko’s theoretical provisions are given.

Статья посвящена анализу жизни и научной деятельности известного химика и ученого-энциклопедиста А. П. Руденко. В ней приведены биографические сведения об исследователе, информация о его учебе в средней школе и в Московском государственном университете им. М. В. Ломоносова, о его научных руководителях. Наибольшее внимание уделено рассмотрению созданной Руденко оригинальной концепции химической эволюции и ее теоретическим и практическим приложениям. При исследовании известного явления – образования смолистых продуктов на поверхности гетерогенных катализаторов органических реакций – ученый обнаружил, что в некоторых случаях наблюдается рост активности катализаторов симбатно накоплению продуктов уплотнения на их поверхности. Открытие явления самосовершенствования (саморазработки) катализатора под влиянием основной (базисной) реакции стало основой нового научного направления, названного Александром Прокофьевичем неизвестным ранее термином – «эволюционный катализ». Суть концепции эволюционного катализа Руденко состоит в том, что в качестве объекта эволюции он рассматривает не молекулы, а каталитические системы. Вскрытый в теории эволюционного катализа основной закон эволюции гласит, что с наибольшей скоростью и вероятностью осуществляются те пути эволюционных изменений, которые приводят к максимальному увеличению эволюционных характеристик системы, связанных со скоростью базисной реакции. Приведены примеры практического использования разработанных Руденко теоретических положений.

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