Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії
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 comm...
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| Опубліковано в: | Журнал органічної та фармацевтичної хімії |
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| Дата: | 2022 |
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National University of Pharmacy
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Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry| _version_ | 1874455180076908544 |
|---|---|
| author | Martyniak, Romana-Iryna Yu. |
| author_facet | Martyniak, Romana-Iryna Yu. |
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"author": "Romana-Iryna Yu. Martyniak",
"institution": "École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres University",
"orcid": ""
}
] |
| author_sort | Martyniak, Romana-Iryna Yu. |
| baseUrl_str | https://ophcj.nuph.edu.ua/oai |
| collection | OJS |
| container_end_page | 13 |
| container_issue | 2 |
| container_start_page | 6 |
| container_title | Журнал органічної та фармацевтичної хімії |
| container_volume | 20 |
| datestamp_date | 2026-08-24T13:21:16Z |
| description | 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. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.24959/ophcj.22.255945 |
| first_indexed | 2025-07-17T13:01:24Z |
| format | Article |
| fulltext |
ISSN 2308-8303 (Print) / 2518-1548 (Online) 6
Life Devoted to Science
http://ophcj.nuph.edu.ua
UDC 547.2 929
R.-I. Yu. Martyniak
Department of Chemistry, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres University,
24, rue Lhomond, Paris, 75005, France
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 turbu-
lent 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
Р.-І. Ю. Мартиняк
Хімічний факультет, Вища нормальна школа, Паризький дослідницький університет,
вул. Ломон, 24, м. Париж, 75005, Франція
Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії
Анотація
Маловідома на Батьківщині уродженка Харкова Б’янка Чубар зуміла створити справжню зміну парадигми у фран-
цузькій органічній хімії XX століття. Оригінальністю наукових ідей, експериментальною майстерністю та непохитністю
власних переконань ця науковиця здобула неабияке визнання у Франції та цілому світі. Ексцентрична парижанка
українського походження стала першою жінкою, що увійшла до дослідницького штату Національного центру науко-
вих досліджень Франції (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS) під час його створення 1939 року. Внесок
науковиці у механістичні дослідження органічних реакцій, а також їх педагогічне опрацювання є неоціненними.
Прізвище великої українки гордо майорить у французьких підручниках органічної хімії, які вшановують її експеримен-
тальні дослідження, називаючи реакцію розширення аліциклів, відому як перегрупування Дем’янова, перегрупуван-
ням Дем’янова–Тіффано–Чубар. Пропонована стаття має на меті репрезентувати науковій спільноті України та світу
видатні здобутки й непростий життєвий шлях цієї дослідниці.
Ключові слова: механізми органічних реакцій; заряджені інтермедіати; сольові ефекти; молекулярні перегрупування;
аліциклічні сполуки; історія хімії
Citation: Martyniak, R.-I. Yu. Bianka Tchoubar: A revolutionary in French organic chemistry. Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical
Chemistry 2022, 20 (2), 6 – 13.
https://doi.org/10.24959/ophcj.22.255945
Received: 02 May 2022; Revised: 10 June 2022; Accepted: 12 June 2022
Copyright© 2022, R.-I. Yu. Martyniak. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0).
Funding: the author received no specific funding for this work.
Conflict of interests: the author has no conflict of interests to declare.
ISSN 2308-8303 (Print) / 2518-1548 (Online) 7
Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2022, 20 (2)
■ Biography
1. Early Life and Education
Bianka Tchoubar was born on the 22nd of
October, 1910, in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv,
which was then part of the Russian Empire.
The Tchoubar family belonged to the Jewish sect
of the Karaites [2].
Bianka’s father, Ilya Tchoubar, was a Kharkiv
lawyer with Menshevik views. He was a mem-
ber of the Liberal Party of Constitutional Demo-
crats (Cadets) and a person close to its leaders,
Pavel Milyukov and Vladimir Nabokov. To avoid
political repression after the advent of Bolshevik
power in Russia and the occupation of the
Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Tchoubar fami-
ly (a couple with two children, Bianka and her
brother Serhiy) were forced to leave Ukraine in
1920. The family settled in Constantinople, then
the capital of the still-existing Ottoman Empire.
Due to political instability caused by World War I,
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the
Turkish War of Independence, the Tchoubar family
only lived in Constatinopole for a short time and
moved to Budapest in 1922, where the brother of
Ilya Tchoubar lived. The parents then moved to
Paris, and the girl and her brother stayed with
their uncle, where they were able to study French.
The family reunited in Paris in 1924 [3].
After settling in Paris, Bianka Tchoubar
converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1925, but
soon became disappointed in religion and began
to adhere to an agnostic worldview [2].
Bianka’s father died of a heart attack in the
early 1930s, leaving his wife and two children
with little livelihood. To survive, Bianka’s mother
worked at minimal-wage and non-permanent jobs,
selling perfumes during the day and being a cloak-
room attendant at a theater in Paris in the eve-
nings. The family lived in extreme poverty [3].
Bianka Tchoubar and her brother began their
studies at a Russian school in the 16th arron-
dissement of Paris, set up by the French govern-
ment for the children of political migrants from
the Russian Empire. It was at this school that
Bianka Tchoubar first became interested in the
natural sciences, including chemistry, under the
tutelage of Mademoiselle Chamier, a Russian che-
mist who had collaborated extensively with Marie
and Pierre Curie in the past. Bianka Tchoubar
later reminisced about this teacher as her mother
in chemistry [3]. The figure of Marie Curie was
extremely important to Bianka Tchoubar; she has
repeatedly stated that she had never missed any
of Curie’s public lectures in Paris [1].
Bianka Tchoubar continued her studies in
chemistry, getting admitted to the Sorbonne
University in 1929. In 1931, she received the
Bachelor of Science Degree and began her re-
search work under the guidance of the then-
famous Parisian chemist Professor Paul
Freundler, a close friend and colleague of Joseph
Achille Le Bel. The choice of the laboratory for
her graduate research activities was due to
Bianka Tchoubar’s interest in asymmetric ni-
trogen reactions.
Figure 1. Bianka Tchoubar with a cigarette. The portrait is reproduced from reference [1]
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In Professor Freundler’s group, the young
scientist first met with the rejection of her ideas
about organic ions by her French colleagues.
The conflict of scientific worldviews stemmed from
the considerable conservatism of the French sci-
entific community to any new concepts, especially
if they came from the so-called “Anglo-Saxon
world” [1]. Despite the disagreement of her su-
pervisor, Bianka Tchoubar devoted her Master
thesis to the study of charged organic species in
tertiary amine reactions with ethyl iodoacetate,
which contributed to her Higher Education Degree
in Chemistry, awarded in 1932 (Diplôme d’Études
Supérieures de Sciences Chimiques) [3].
2. Scientific Work with Marc Tiffeneau
In 1933, Bianka Tchoubar began working in
the laboratories of the Faculty of Medicine of the
University of Paris, under Marc Tiffeneau’s super-
vision. Despite world recognition of his achieve-
ments, Marc Tiffeneau had limited recourse to
resources in France and was forced to work in the
field of pharmaceutical chemistry. He became
Bianka Tchoubar’s most important mentor.
Bianka’s first research article on the interaction
of Grignard reagents with chlorocyclohexanones
was published in 1934 in Proceedings of the French
Academy of Sciences (Comptes rendus de l’Académie
des Sciences) [4]. In the laboratory of Marc Tiffe-
neau, Bianka Tchoubar first met Jeanne Lévy,
an organic chemist, who later became one of her
research collaborators [3].
In 1937, Bianka Tchoubar established the
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, which studied
a variety of atomic transfer reactions. She was ap-
pointed also as a trainee researcher at the newly
established French National Center for Scientific
Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifi-
que – CNRS), becoming the first female researcher
to enter this institution for science (Figure 1) [2].
She then became interested in molecular rearran-
gement reactions and proposed a mechanism for
nitrite deamination of alicyclic primary amines
with ring expansion (Scheme 1) using quantum
mechanical theories of chemical bonding. These
were considered to be the so-called “English
ideas” in France at the time, and viewed as un-
welcome. Despite numerous disagreements and
criticism of peers, the joint research of Bianka
Tchoubar and Marc Tiffeneau made it possible
to definitively establish the mechanism of the
Tiffeneau–Demjanov rearrangement (or, as it
is known in France, the Demjanov–Tiffeneau–
Tchoubar rearrangement) (Scheme 2) [5, 6].
OH
NH2
HNO2
O
Scheme 1. Demjanov–Tiffeneau–Tchoubar rearrangement
HO
N
O
OH2H
O
N
O
H
H
O
N
O
H
H
H
H
H
2
3
2
2
O
O
O
O
O
N
O
N
O
-
-
-
H2O
OHNH
H
O
N
O
N
O
OHNN
H
O
OHNN
HO
OH2H
-
2
-HNO
OHNN
O
H
H OH
N
N
-H2 2O
H3O-
-
O
H H2O
O
N
Scheme 2. Demjanov–Tiffeneau–Tchoubar rearrangement mechanism
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Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2022, 20 (2)
Bianka Tchoubar’s research slowed down
significantly in 1939–1945 due to the outbreak
of World War II, when she took an active part
in the French national resistance to the fascist
occupation [2].
The sudden death of Marc Tiffeneau in 1945
further complicated Bianka Tchoubar’s scientific
career. However, after the war in 1945, Bianka’s
longtime friend Jeanne Lévy, an Associate Pro-
fessor of Medicine at the University of Paris
at that time, was appointed to establish a new
Institute of Medicine in Paris, known today as
the Fournier Institute (Institut Fournier) [2, 3].
Bianka Tchoubar joined the research department
of the newly established Institute, and in 1946
published her thesis “Contribution to the study of
alicyclic expansion mechanisms: nitrite deami-
nation of 1-aminomethylcyclohexanols” [2]. Bianka
Tchoubar managed to present these radically new
ideas in physical organic chemistry while obtaining
her doctorate.
The significant delay in defending her doc-
toral thesis was caused by the political instabili-
ty in France of 1930s, as well as by the outbreak
of World War II. The completion of her PhD was
also delayed by the unwillingness of the French
scientific community to accept the innovative but
“English” concepts Bianka Tchoubar promoted.
The young researcher explicitly stated her interest
in charged intermediates of organic reactions.
Her ambition was to rule the notions of “affinity
capacity” and “migratory aptitude” out of organic
chemistry as they did not provide satisfactory ex-
planations for the observed patterns in alicyclic
expansion reactions. Such ideas of Bianka Tchoubar
were severely criticized in Parisian scientific circles
of that time [2]. During the defense of the Bianka
Tchoubar’s thesis, the opponent, French spectro-
scopist Pauline Ramar-Luca, called the presented
explanations of the reaction mechanisms “ephe-
meral theories”. The only supporter of the young
scientist’s novelties was the chairman of the doc-
toral jury, Edmond Bauer. The theoretical chemist
was impressed by the Bianka’s work and accepted
her ideas with enthusiasm and encouragement.
The Bianka Tchoubar’s doctoral thesis was
the first French research work to explain organic
reaction mechanisms in terms of mesomerism and
the formation of charged intermediates. Bianka
Tchoubar was responsible for bringing the widely
accepted ideas of Hans Meerwein, who postulated
the existence of carbocationic intermediates in
the pinacol–pinacolone rearrangement between
1922 and 1927, to French organic chemistry [2].
3. “Anglo-American” Theories and Center
No.12 of the French National Center for
Scientific Research
French colleagues never refrained from criti-
cism for Bianka Tchoubar’s pertinent and witty
interpretations of the mechanistic features of
chemical reactions “with English accent”. Rejec-
tion and occasional ridicule of her ideas did not
cease even after she was awarded her doctorate
degree. It should be noted that French organic
chemistry in the twentieth century had a rather
strong “chauvinistic inclination” [7]. Achievements
of quantum mechanics introduced into chemistry
by the American and British chemists led by Linus
Pauling and Christopher Ingold were rejected.
That the 1912 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that was
jointly awarded to two French researchers, Victor
Grignard and Paul Sabatier seemed to have an im-
pact to this field of science in France. This gesture
of recognition of the French chemical science led to
its isolation and Franco-centricity for the decades
to come. There was an excessive and sometimes
biased emphasis on selected research only because
of their performance in France, a politicized ap-
proach to research funding and staffing, and de-
liberate prevention of scientific progress through
the introduction of external scientific ideas from
the so-called “unfriendly” countries. Moreover, the
extremely influential Parisian chemists Charles
Prévost and Albert Kirrmann monopolized French
organic chemistry in the post-war period. They had
been promoting Prévost’s theory of organic re-
actions from their position of power, despite its
ridicule at the international level. Prévost’s ac-
counts of organic reactions formulated in terms
of “syniony” and “metiony”, despite their outright
inconsistency, had thus become the only acceptable
theory in French laboratories and classrooms after
World War II. In addition to the anti-British and
anti-American sentiments that prevailed in the
French society after World War II, as a result of the
Vichy regime’s propaganda, the French govern-
ment had also established control over the cir-
culation of English literature, manifested in its
artificially limited availability [7].
The French reluctance to accept the revolu-
tionary ideas of their British and American
counterparts was the main reason of the Bianka
Tchoubar’s scientific career slowdown at the
French National Center for Scientific Research.
Due to the inconsistency of political views, her
appointment to a full-time research position
was delayed until 1955. In 1957 – 1958, Bianka
Tchoubar organized countless seminars, at which
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Журнал органічної та фармацевтичної хімії 2022, 20 (2)
she presented the electronic theories of organic
reactions [1 – 3, 7]. As a summary of seminar re-
ports, in 1960, she wrote a book “Mechanisms of
Organic Reactions”, which was the first French
textbook to present the quantum theories of che-
mical bonding. The famous quotation of Claude
Bernard was chosen as the epigraph for this book:
“If a theory was considered perfect and was no
longer tested, it would have become a dogma” [8, 9].
The book was positively accepted by the world
scientific community and translated into six lan-
guages [1 – 3, 7]. The presentation of the already
widely accepted quantum-mechanical theories of
chemical bonding to the French audience has led
to a paradigm shift in the 20th century French
organic chemistry [7].
As early as in 1961, Bianka Tchoubar was ap-
pointed Director of Research at the French Na-
tional Center for Scientific Research and headed
her first research group at the Institute for Che-
mistry of Natural Substances in Gif-sur-Yvette,
Île-de-France. Bianka Tchoubar’s ideas were re-
cognized even more widely in 1968, when she was
appointed Director of Research at Center no.12
of the French National Center for Scientific Re-
search in Thiais, Île-de-France. This research group
included more than 70 chemists who conducted
extensive research in various fields of organic
chemistry. It was the largest center for organic
chemistry research in France at that time [2].
Scientific research at Center no.12 has focused
on the fundamental study of organic reaction
mechanisms. Considerable attention was also paid
to the synthesis of biologically active substances
and drug development. Under the supervision of
Bianka Tchoubar at the CNRS Center no.12, the
antispasmodic drug Spasmodex was developed.
The active compound of this drug is dihexyverine
(2-(piperidin-1-yl)-ethyl-[1,1’-bi(cyclohexane)]-
1-carboxylate) (Figure 2) [3].
Colleagues and students reminisce about
Bianka Tchoubar being a gifted research supervisor,
whose priority was a friendly atmosphere in the
group. Bianka Tchoubar took each and every aspect
of the research papers published under the CNRS
Center no.12 affiliation as her personal responsi-
bility. For these reasons, no research work in these
laboratories was published without prior review
by Bianka, even as she did not claim co-authorship
in these works, thereby paving the path for young
scientists. That is why, in 10 years of managing
the laboratories of Center no.12, she agreed to put
her name in 5 publications only, instead giving
the real distinction to her colleagues [2, 3].
Monday seminars of young researchers were
another tradition at Center no.12, led by Bianka
Tchoubar. Former graduate students of Bianka
recall that she appeared to be always shrouded in
a thick cloud of cigarette smoke at the seminars.
Her presence in the front rows of the auditorium was
ubiquitous, where she actively and passionately
discussed research results. Not self-serving, this
scientist never used her established authority to
dominate scientific discussions, which earned her
the respect of colleagues [1 – 3].
Bianka Tchoubar tirelessly incorporated the
ideas of quantum chemistry into the interpreta-
tion of the results obtained in her own laborato-
ries. Despite the experimental nature of her own
research, she was also interested in the achieve-
ments of theoretical branches of chemistry, which
were developing extremely rapidly in that pe-
riod [2].
4. Scientific Research in the USSR and
Last Years of Life
Bianka Tchoubar first met with Yevhen Shilov
at the IUPAC International Congress of Applied
Chemistry in Paris in 1957. Dr. Shilov was the
Head of the Laboratory of Organic Reaction Me-
chanisms of the Institute of Organic Chemistry
of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Acade-
my of Sciences (Figure 3). Having common in-
terests and like-minded scientific views, a deep
friendship grew between Bianka Tchoubar and
Yevhen Shilov. Likewise, these same common-
alities led to the subsequent friendship with his
son, Oleksandr Shilov, who later became an aca-
demician of the USSR and of the Soviet Academy
of Sciences [10]. The friendship with the Shilovs
was the impetus for Bianka Tchoubar’s research
in the field of coordination chemistry.
In 1974, Bianka Tchoubar began studying the
reduction of molecular nitrogen in coordination
compounds of iron. She conducted such research
in collaboration with colleagues and friends from
the former Soviet Union, including Yevhen Shilov
from the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, with
whom she met several times at the Institute
O
O
N
Dihexyverine (Spasmodex)
Figure 2. Dihexyverine structure
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Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2022, 20 (2)
of Organic Chemistry of the National Academy of
Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv. Much of the research
in this period of her life was conducted with the lead-
ing Soviet organic chemists Alla and Oleksandr
Shilov (Figure 4), as well as with the 1956 Nobel
Laureate in Chemistry Nikolai Semenov [1 – 3].
The results of iron complexes investigation led to
amassing of a significant array of data on the salt
effect influence on organic reaction kinetics [2, 11].
During her last years at the French National
Center for Scientific Research, Bianka Tchoubar
actively collaborated with the French spectrosco-
pists Didier Astruc and Georges Bram. Their joint
research was dedicated to the study of microwave
activation effects on organic reactions, as well
as to the organic reactions occurring in the ab-
sence of the solvent [3].
Bianka Tchoubar officially retired from the
French National Center for Scientific Research
in 1978, but never left her love of science behind,
continuing to be active in new for her fields of
organic chemistry.
In 1981, Bianka Tchoubar was awarded the
Louis Jecker Prize (Prix Jecker) of the French
Academy of Sciences. Interestingly, Bianka’s
mentor, Marc Tiffeneau, received this award
three times: in 1911, 1922 and 1923 [3].
Together with André Loupy in 1988, she wrote
a book “Salt Effects in Organic and Organo-
metallic Chemistry”, which was translated into
several foreign languages [2, 11].
The last experiments Bianka Tchoubar con-
ducted were designed to study solvent effects on the
competition of SN2 and E2 reactions [2]. Her last
paper was a literature review “Salt Effects as
a Result of Ion Vapor Exchange” published in the
Chemical Review, co-authored with André Loupy
and Didier Astruc [12]. In total, Bianka Tchou-
bar authored some 140 scientific papers [3].
Bianka Tchoubar passed away on April 24,
1990, and was buried at the Sainte-Geneviève-
des-Bois cemetery in the Essonne department,
Île-de-France.
■ Books
Mechanisms of organic reactions (1960)
This textbook easily fitting in a lab coat
pocket was a huge success and quickly earned
the nickname of “The Little Tchoubar”.
Figure 3. Bianka Tchoubar with the Head of the Laboratory of Organic Reaction Mechanisms of the Institute of Organic Chemistry
of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Academy of Sciences Dr. Yevhen Shilov in Paris (1957).
The picture is reproduced from reference [10]
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The first four chapters of the book are dedi-
cated to molecular orbital hybridization, bond
polarity and polarizability, inductive and meso-
meric electronic effects, and modern theories of
acids and bases. These sections reflected the in-
fluence of Christopher Ingold’s research in the
field of organic chemistry [9].
The remaining nine chapters cover some is-
sues of chemical kinetics and transition states,
as well as individual aliphatic substitution re-
actions, elimination and addition reactions, as
well as prototropic processes, carbonyl group re-
actions, and aromatic substitutions [9].
There were several mechanistic interpreta-
tions that turned out to be proven wrong with time.
In particular, the textbook proposes a carbanion
mechanism of deuteroexchange with halogenated
substrates, instead of E2. However, the overall
content of the textbook has withstood the test of
time, with such inaccuracies being rare occur-
rences [13].
Salt effects in organic and organometallic
chemistry (1988)
This book was co-authored with André Loupy.
The first chapters of the book discuss the ba-
sics of the theory of Lewis acids and bases, ion
pairs, salt effects in chemical bond cleavage,
electrophilic and nucleophilic induction of hete-
rolytic bond cleavage in halogenated substrates,
specific salt effects in SN2 reactions, salt effects
during multiple bonding reactions in ketones,
esters, and nitriles, drying effects, bifunctional
catalysis and electrophilic addition to carbon-
carbon double bonds.
Subsequent sections examine salt control over
regioselectivity, stereoselectivity of substitution,
addition, and elimination reactions, as well as the
means of controlling the chemical equilibrium by
salt and solvent effects.
The final section of the book analyzes the role
of the aforementioned phenomena in organo-
metallic chemistry [11, 14].
■ Acknowledgments
The author expresses her gratitude to Roald
Hoffmann, 1981 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry,
Emeritus Professor at Cornell University, and
a dear friend of Bianka Tchoubar’s, for relating his
unique memories about Tchoubar’s life and work.
Additional thanks go to Professor Mykola Obushak,
Head of the Organic Chemistry Department at Ivan
Franko National University of Lviv, for supporting
the author in the writing of this article.
Figure 4. Bianka Tchoubar with the Shilovs. Left to right: Alla Shilova, Bianka Tchoubar, and Oleksandr Shilov.
The figure is reproduced from reference [2]
ISSN 2308-8303 (Print) / 2518-1548 (Online) 13
Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2022, 20 (2)
■ References
1. Astruc, D. Bianka Tchoubar (1910 – 1990). In European Women in Chemistry; Apotheker, J., Sarkadi, L. S., Eds.; Wiley–VCH Verlag GmbH:
2011; pp 17 – 20.
2. Jacquesy, R. A.; Loupy, A.; Gruselle, M. Bianka Tchoubar, La Révolution des Mécanismes. Actual. Chim., 2015, 397 – 398, 8 – 10.
3. Jacques, J. Bianka Tchoubar (1910 – 1990). New J. Chem. 1992, 16, 11 – 14.
4. Tiffeneau, M.; Tchoubar, B. Mécanisme de la Formation des Alcoyl–Cyclohexanones par Actions des Dérivés Organomagnésiens sur les
α-Chlorocyclohexanones. Remplacement Non-Direct de L’Halogène par L’Alcoyle. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris. 1934, 198, 941.
5. Olson, J. O.; Shea, K. M. Critical Perspective: Named Reactions Discovered and Developed by Women. Acc. Chem. Res. 2011, 44 (5),
311 – 321. https://doi.org/10.1021/ar100114m.
6. Rulev, A. Yu.; Voronkov, M. G. Women in Chemistry: A Life Devoted to Science. New J. Chem. 2013, 37 (12), 3826 – 3832.
https://doi.org/10.1039/C3NJ00718A.
7. Laszlo, P. How an Anglo-American Methodology Took Root in France. Bull. Hist. Chem. 2011, 36 (2), 75 – 81.
8. Rulev, A. Yu. Zhenskie Dat’ Imena [Let Us Give Them Feminine Names, in Russian]. Himiya i Zhizn’ 2019, 3, 28 – 31.
9. Tchoubar, B. Les Mécanismes Réactionels en Chimie Organique; Dunod, 1960.
10. Shilov Ye. A.: Biobibliograficheskiy Ukazatel’ [Shilov Ye. A.: A Biobibliographical Guide, in Russian]; Ganushkina, V. V., Talanova, M. N.,
Koyfman, O. I., Eds.; Information Сenter of The Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Golden Series), 2010.
11. Loupy, A.; Tchoubar, B. Effets de Sels en Chimie Organique et Organométallique; Dunod, 1988.
12. Loupy, A.; Tchoubar, B.; Astruc, D. Salt Effects Resulting from Exchange between Two Ion Pairs and Their Crucial Role in Reaction. Chem.
Rev. 1992, 92 (6), 1141 – 1165. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr00014a001.
13. Kende, A. S. Les Mécanismes Réactionnels en Chimie Organique. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1965, 87 (7), 1632-1632.
https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01085a055.
14. Normant, J. F. Effets de Sels en Chimie Organique et Organométallique: by A. Loupy and B. Tchoubar, Ed. Dunod, Paris 1988, p. 311,
ISBN 2-04-16986-5, ff. 350. J. Organomet. Chem. 1989, 362 (3), C33. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-328X(89)87265-1.
Information about the author:
Romana-Iryna Yu. Martyniak, Master Student at the Department of Chemistry, École Normale Supérieure,
Paris Sciences et Lettres University; Intern at the Laboratory of Molecular Simulation, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering,
School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2419-7090;
e-mail for correspondence: romana-iryna.martyniak@ens.psl.eu; tel. +41 76 4136139.
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| id | oai:ojs.journals.uran.ua:article-255945 |
| institution | Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry |
| issn | 2518-1548 |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-08-25T01:02:42Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | National University of Pharmacy |
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| resource_txt_mv | ophcjnupheduua/03/4bf2f19cb3059825efed5b78a6cc2503.pdf |
| spelling | oai:ojs.journals.uran.ua:article-2559452026-08-24T13:21:16Z Bianka Tchoubar: A Revolutionary in French Organic Chemistry Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії Martyniak, Romana-Iryna Yu. mechanisms of organic reactions charged intermediates salt effects molecular rearrangements alicyclic compounds history of chemistry механізми органічних реакцій заряджені інтермедіати сольові ефекти молекулярні перегрупування аліциклічні сполуки історія хімії 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. Маловідома на Батьківщині уродженка Харкова Б’янка Чубар зуміла створити справжню зміну парадигми у французькій органічній хімії XX століття. Оригінальністю наукових ідей, експериментальною майстерністю та непохитністю власних переконань ця науковиця здобула неабияке визнання у Франції та цілому світі. Ексцентрична парижанка українського походження стала першою жінкою, що увійшла до дослідницького штату Національного центру наукових досліджень Франції (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS) під час його створення 1939 року. Внесок науковиці у механістичні дослідження органічних реакцій, а також їх педагогічне опрацювання є неоціненними. Прізвище великої українки гордо майорить у французьких підручниках органічної хімії, які вшановують її експериментальні дослідження, називаючи реакцію розширення аліциклів, відому як перегрупування Дем’янова, перегрупуванням Дем’янова–Тіффано–Чубар. Пропонована стаття має на меті репрезентувати науковій спільноті України та світу видатні здобутки й непростий життєвий шлях цієї дослідниці. National University of Pharmacy 2022-07-20 Article Article application/pdf https://ophcj.nuph.edu.ua/article/view/255945 10.24959/ophcj.22.255945 Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Vol. 20 No. 2 (2022); 6-13 Журнал органической и фармацевтической химии; Том 20 № 2 (2022); 6-13 Журнал органічної та фармацевтичної хімії; Том 20 № 2 (2022); 6-13 2518-1548 2308-8303 en https://ophcj.nuph.edu.ua/article/view/255945/258017 Copyright (c) 2022 Romana-Iryna Yu. Martyniak http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| spellingShingle | механізми органічних реакцій заряджені інтермедіати сольові ефекти молекулярні перегрупування аліциклічні сполуки історія хімії Martyniak, Romana-Iryna Yu. Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| title | Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| title_alt | Bianka Tchoubar: A Revolutionary in French Organic Chemistry |
| title_full | Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| title_fullStr | Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| title_full_unstemmed | Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| title_short | Б’янка Чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| title_sort | б’янка чубар – революціонерка французької органічної хімії |
| topic | механізми органічних реакцій заряджені інтермедіати сольові ефекти молекулярні перегрупування аліциклічні сполуки історія хімії |
| topic_facet | mechanisms of organic reactions charged intermediates salt effects molecular rearrangements alicyclic compounds history of chemistry механізми органічних реакцій заряджені інтермедіати сольові ефекти молекулярні перегрупування аліциклічні сполуки історія хімії |
| url | https://ophcj.nuph.edu.ua/article/view/255945 |
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