The Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INEOS) was founded in 1954. The credit of its creation is mostly due to prominent scientist, the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, academician A.N. Nesmeyanov (1899–1980), who has founded the modern chemistry of organoelement compounds. He headed the Institute for 26 years. His successors as directors of the Institute were Members of the Academy of Sciences A.V. Fokin who headed INEOS in 1980 to 1988, and M.E. Vol’pin (1989-1996). Since 1996 Professor Yu.N.Bubnov, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), has been in charge of the Institute.
At present INEOS is a large research centre with 664 employees, including 564 scientific researchers, among them 77 Professors (Dr.Sc.) and 248 Ph.D. researchers.
INEOS is a internationally recognized research establishment, where the chemistry of organoelement and macromolecular compounds is developed. Its reputation as a scientific centre in chemistry is very high both in Russia and abroad. Many outstanding scientists who initiated new directions in organic and organoelement chemistry, polymer chemistry, physical chemistry, and physics, such as Members of the Academy of Sciences K.A.Andrianov, I.L.Knunyants, V.V.Korshak, I.V.Obreimov, M.E.Vol’pin, M.I.Kabachnik, O.A.Reutov, Corresponding Members of the Academy of Sciences D.N.Kursanov, Yu.T.Struchkov, R.Kh.Freydlina, T.A.Mastryukova, M.Yu.Antipin, Professor A.I.Kitaigorodsky, and many others have been working at INEOS. At present, Members of RAS Yu.N.Bubnov, A.R.Khokhlov, A.M.Muzafarov, I.L.Eremenko, Corresponding Member of RAS E.E.Nifant’ev are actively working at the Institute.
At the INEOS’s earliest stages it was implied that synthetic work in organoelement and macromolecular chemistry should be combined with the necessity of relevant theoretical and physical investigations, and therefore many laboratories at INEOS are carrying out their research at the junction of several branches in chemistry and physics. This determines “the points of growth” which lead to progress in modern science and technology as A.N. Nesmeyanov used to say. Apart from traditional, scientific disciplines (to which the organoelement chemistry itself belongs too), valuable experience accumulated during these years has given rise to a series of new scientific fields which are characterized by a unique combination of organic, organoelement, coordination, physical chemistry, and chemistry of the macromolecular and natural biologically active compounds.
Thus new branches in chemistry have appeared at the junction of organic, organometallic and coordination chemistry, namely the chemistry of the organic derivatives of the transition metals, p-complexes and clusters, asymmetric catalysis etc. The unique properties of these new compounds made it possible to develop new organometallic catalysts, to study an activation of small molecules, including molecular nitrogen, hydrocarbons, etc. Combination of organic and organoelement chemistry with the experimental and theoretical methods of physical chemistry promoted the development of relevant studies in reactivity, structural chemistry, catalysis and molecular dynamics of organoelement compounds.
The interaction between organophosphorus chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology made it possible to unlock the secrets of the mechanisms responsible for the action of organophosphorus compounds upon biological structures and living organisms. Significant progress has been also achieved in the field of new tumor-selective anticancer preparations and physiologically active organofluorine compounds.
The works at the junction of the organic and inorganic chemistry, studies of the processes of polymer formation as well as structure—property relations, brought about the chemistry of polymers with organoelement and inorganic molecular chains and opened the routes to novel classes of linear and network polymers. New materials with valuable thermal, catalytic, sorptional and electro-physical properties, engineering plastics, thermostable composites and adhesives, membranes and polymers for electronics and medicine have been made up on the basis of these polymers.
At present, INEOS includes 38 laboratories and 18 research teams. The results of scientific research carried out at the Institute since 2001 have been summarized in more than 1600 scientific papers and 16 monographs. For the past five years, mutually beneficial contracts have been signed with numerous universities, institutes and industrial centres in Russia and abroad.
For recent years the scientific activities of the Institute have been supported by 20 international grants, 50-60 grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), more than 50 grants from the Presidium of the RAS and Department of Chemistry and Material Sciencesof the RAS. INEOS is also incorporated in six Federal Scientific and Technical Programmes. Six young scientists received Grants from the President of the RF for Government Supporting Young Russian Scientists and four scientists received the grants from Foundation for Russian Science Support.
One of the important part of the INEOS activity aimed at the future is the training of young specialists of high qualification. In 2003, a scientific educational centre “INEOS Department” was founded within the framework of the RAS Presidium Programme “Support for Young Scientists” and according to the resolution of the INEOS Scientific Council. The goal of the Centre is to train a new generation of young highly educated specialists of wide profile who know modern research methods, on the basis of the priority scientific line performed at INEOS.
Within the recent years the Institute participated in organization of more than 20 conferences, symposia, and seminars. The list of the most important international meetings includes the following international conferences:
«Condensation Polymers: Synthesis, Structure, Properties - to 90th Anniversary of V.V. Korshak» (1999), «Horizons of Organic and Organometallic Chemistry - to 100th Anniversary of A.N. Nesmeyanov»(1999), Kargin’s Symposium “Chemistry and Physics of Polymers at the Beginning of XXI Century”, (2000), “Organometallic Compounds — the Materials of the Third Millenium” (2000), the 11th International Conference on Boron Chemistry (2002), ”Modern Trends in Organometallic and Catalytic Chemistry” –Mark Vol’pin Memorial International Symposium (2003), “Main Trends of Organophosphorus Compounds” dedicated to the anniversary of academician M.I. Kabachnic (2003), International Conference “Modern Trends in Organoelement and Polymer Chemistry” dedicated to 50th anniversary of INEOS RAS (2004), 10-th All-Russian Conference Organosilicon compounds: Synthesis, Properties, and Application (dedicated to centenary of K.A. Andrianov) (2005), 7-th All-Russian Conference “Fluorine Chemistry” (F-2006) devoted to the 100th anniversary of I.L. Knunyants (2006)
Outstanding foreign scientists and representatives of science-oriented companies are frequent visitors to INEOS. The Institute participates in several joint projects with foreign institutions and companies directed to research collaboration and commercialization of “know-how” and new synthesized products.
