About Prof. A. K. Babko

Anatoly Kirillovich BABKO

(15.10.1905 - 7.01.1968)

In October, 2015 Ukrainian scientific community will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of outstanding Ukrainian scientist Anatoly K. Babko, the founder of Analytical Chemistry Department in Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv - a talented teacher, tutor, lecturer. The scientific work of Anatoly K. Babko was conducted mainly in Kyiv State University where he chaired the Department of Analytical Chemistry in 1944-1960. Нe also headed the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, from 1941 to 1968. A. Babko founded Kyiv school of analytical chemists. He supervised 50 PhD and 9 DSc theses.

A significant achievement of Anatoly K. Babko was in the area of instrumental and chemiluminescent analysis, in the investigation of complexes formation in solution and in application of complex compounds in analytical chemistry. A lot of sensitive and selective methods for the determination of different elements in natural and technical objects were elaborated under his supervision. A. K. Babko published more than 450 scientific works and 9 books that were translated into several languages. Anatoly K. Babko organized numerous scientific conferences; he was editor-in-chief of Ukrainian Chemical Journal from 1958 to 1968 and a member of the editorial board of Journal of Analytical Chemistry. In 1963 Anatoly K. Babko was elected a member of the Analytical Chemistry Commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

Anatoly K. Babko was born on 15th of October, 1905, in the province of Tomsk (Russia) in railwayman’s family. In 1908 his family moved to Ukraine, where he finished secondary school in 1921. In 1922 he entered Chemistry Department of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and in 1928 he started his PhD studies under supervision of Professor N.A. Tananaev. In 1930 he became a lecturer in Kyiv Institute of Food-processing Industry, and in 1934 he held a position of senior lecturer in the Department of Analytical Chemistry in Kyiv State University where he worked for the rest of his life. Anatoly K. Babko obtained PhD degree in 1937 and DSc degree in 1940, afterwards he was promoted to full professor position in Kyiv State University in 1943. In 1948 Anatoly Babko became a Corresponding Member and in 1957- a full member (Academician) of Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In 1966, he was awarded with the title of “Honored Scientist of Ukraine”. He was also awarded with “The Order of Lenin” and “The Order of Honour”.