“It was not Science that Draw him away” (Reflections on the fate of A.P. Borodin)

The artic le discusses the most important works of A.P. Borodin in the field of chemistry.
These include the following studies: the study of the reaction of carboxylic acid salts with
bromine (the Borodin-Hunsdiecker reaction), the production of benzoyl fluoride, a series
of works on the cond ensation of aldehydes, and the development of a method for the
practical determination of urea using sodium hypobromite. Additionally, the article demonstrates that, contrary to the opinions of most Borodin’s contemporaries and some of his
biographers, music and chemistry were, in principle, quite compatible. The large volume
of unfinished works and projects (both musical compositions and scientific researches)
and the fact that Borodin effectively ceased his research activities in the field of chemistry
in the early 1870s can be attributed to the abundance of administrative and bureaucratic
tasks, his excessive workload with public duties, and certain personality traits, such as his
combination of perfectionism and reliability.