Editing Alexander Borodin (section)

==Life and profession==

===Family and personal life===
[[File:Бородин Александр Порфирьевич.jpg|thumb|upright|Borodin at the age of 14]]
Borodin was born in [[Saint Petersburg]] as an illegitimate son of a 62-year-old [[Georgians|Georgian]] nobleman, Luka Stepanovich Gedevanishvili, and a married 25-year-old Russian woman, Evdokia Konstantinovna Antonova. Due to the circumstances of Alexander's birth, the nobleman had him registered as the son of one of his Russian [[serfdom in Russia|serfs]], Porfiry Borodin, hence the composer's Russian last name. As a result of this registration, both Alexander and his nominal Russian father Porfiry were officially serfs of Alexander's biological father Luka. The Georgian father emancipated Alexander from serfdom when he was 7 years old and provided housing and money for him and his mother. Despite this, Alexander was never publicly recognized by his mother, who was referred to by young Borodin as his "aunt".<ref name=Lewis>Lewis, David E. ''Early Russian Organic Chemists and Their Legacy.'' [[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Science & Business Media]], 3 April 2012, p. 61</ref><ref>Cooper, David K. C. ''Doctors of Another Calling: Physicians Who Are Known Best in Fields Other than Medicine.'' [[Rowman & Littlefield]], 26 November 2013, p. 163</ref>

Despite his status as a commoner, Borodin was well provided for by his Georgian father and grew up in a large four-storey house, which was gifted to Alexander and his "aunt" by the nobleman.{{sfn|Dianin|1963|p=9}} Although his registration prevented enrollment in a proper [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]], Borodin received good education in all of the subjects through private tutors at home. During 1850 he enrolled in the Medical–Surgical Academy in Saint Petersburg, which was later the workplace of [[Ivan Pavlov]], and pursued a career in chemistry. On graduation he spent a year as surgeon in a military hospital, followed by three years of advanced scientific study in western Europe.{{Cn|date=June 2024}}

During 1862, Borodin returned to Saint Petersburg to begin a professorship of chemistry at the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy<ref name=Lewis /> and spent the remainder of his scientific career in research, lecturing and overseeing the education of others. Eventually, he established medical courses for women in 1872.<ref name=Oldani>{{Cite Grove|last=Oldani|first=Robert William|date=20 January 2001|title=Borodin, Aleksandr Porfir′yevich|id=40687}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

He began taking lessons in composition from [[Mily Balakirev]] during 1862. He married Ekaterina Protopopova, a pianist, during 1863, with whom he adopted several daughters.{{sfn|Dianin|1963|pages=42,104}} Music remained a secondary vocation for Borodin besides his main career as a chemist and physician. He suffered poor health, having overcome [[cholera]] and several minor [[Myocardial infarction|heart failures]]. He died suddenly during a ball<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aleksandr Borodin {{!}} Russian Composer, Chemist & Romantic Nationalist {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleksandr-Borodin |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Borodin: Polovtsian Dances – musical thrills from the chemist who composed too little |url=https://www.classicfm.com/composers/borodin/guides/polovtsian-dances-anne-marie-minhall/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Classic FM |language=en}}</ref> at the academy, and was interred in [[Tikhvin Cemetery]] at the [[Alexander Nevsky Monastery]] in Saint Petersburg.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alexander Nevsky Monastery cemeteries and tombs in St. Petersburg, Russia |url=http://www.saint-petersburg.com/cemeteries/cemetery-and-tombs-of-the-alexander-nevsky-monastery/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.saint-petersburg.com}}</ref>

===Career as a chemist===
[[File:RR5009-0011R BU 160-летие со дня рождения А.П.Бородина.png|thumb|180px|[[List of commemorative coins of Russia (1993)|1993 Russian 1 ruble coin]] commemorating the 160th anniversary of Borodin's birth]]
In his profession Borodin gained great respect, being particularly noted for his work on [[aldehyde]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Facing the Music: How Original Was Borodin's Chemistry?|first = M. D.|last = Gordin|journal = [[Journal of Chemical Education]]|year = 1996|volume = 83|issue = 4|pages = 561–566|doi = 10.1021/ed083p561}}</ref> Between 1859 and 1862 Borodin had a postdoctoral position at [[Heidelberg University]]. He worked in the laboratory of [[Emil Erlenmeyer]] working on benzene derivatives. He also spent time in [[University of Pisa|Pisa]], working on [[halocarbon]]s. One experiment published during 1862 described the first [[Nucleophilic substitution|nucleophilic displacement]] of [[chlorine]] by [[fluorine]] in [[benzoyl chloride]].<ref>{{cite journal|title = Borodin|first = E. J.|last = Behrman|journal = [[Journal of Chemical Education]]|year = 2006|volume = 83|issue = 8|page = 1138|doi = 10.1021/ed083p1138.1|bibcode = 2006JChEd..83.1138B|doi-access =free }}</ref> The radical halodecarboxylation of aliphatic carboxylic acids was first demonstrated by Borodin during 1861 by his synthesis of [[methyl bromide]] from [[silver acetate]].<ref>{{cite journal|first = A.|last={{not a typo|Borodine}}|journal = [[Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie]]|year = 1861|volume = 119|pages = 121–123|doi = 10.1002/jlac.18611190113|title = Über Bromvaleriansäure und Brombuttersäure|language = de|trans-title = About bromovaleric acid and bromobutyric acid|url = https://zenodo.org/record/1427169}}</ref><ref name = JJL>{{cite book|title = Name Reactions: A Collection of Detailed Mechanisms and Synthetic Applications|edition = 5th|publisher = [[Springer Science & Business Media]]|pages = 327–328|first = J. J.|last = Li|chapter = Hunsdiecker&ndash;Borodin Reaction|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HoXBBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA327|isbn = 978-3-319-03979-4|date = 2014-01-30}}</ref> It was [[Heinz Hunsdiecker]] and his wife [[Cläre Hunsdiecker|Cläre]], however, who developed Borodin's work into a general method, for which they were granted a [[US patent]] during 1939,<ref>{{cite patent|title = Method of manufacturing organic chlorine and bromine derivatives|country = US|number = 2176181|status = patent|pubdate = 1939-10-17|fdate = 1936-04-02|pridate = 1935-04-08|inventorlink1 = Cläre Hunsdiecker|inventor1-last = Hunsdiecker|inventor1-first = C.|inventor2-last = Vogt|inventor2-first = E.|inventorlink3 = Heinz Hunsdiecker|inventor3-last = Hunsdiecker|inventor3-first = H.|url = https://www.google.com/patents/US2176181|assign1 = Hunsdiecker, C.; Vogt, E.; Hunsdiecker, H.}}</ref> and which they published in the journal ''[[Chemische Berichte]]'' during 1942.<ref>{{cite journal|first1 = H.|last1 = Hunsdiecker|author-link1 = Heinz Hunsdiecker|first2 = C.|last2 = Hunsdiecker|author-link2 = Cläre Hunsdiecker|journal = [[Chemische Berichte]]|year = 1942|volume = 75|issue = 3|pages = 291–297|doi = 10.1002/cber.19420750309|title = Über den Abbau der Salze aliphatischer Säuren durch Brom|language = de|trans-title = About the degradation of salts of aliphatic acids by bromine}}</ref> The method is generally known as either the [[Hunsdiecker reaction]] or the Hunsdiecker&ndash;Borodin reaction.<ref name = JJL />

During 1862, Borodin returned to the Medical–Surgical Academy (now known as the [[S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy]]), and accepted a professorship of chemistry. He worked on self-[[condensation reaction|condensation]] of small aldehydes in a process now known as the [[aldol reaction]], the discovery of which is jointly credited to Borodin and [[Charles Adolphe Wurtz]].<ref>{{cite book|author-link = Clayton Heathcock|last = Heathcock|first = C. H.|editor1-last = Trost|editor1-first = B. M.|editor-link1 = Barry Trost|editor2-last = Fleming|editor2-first = I.|editor-link2 = Ian Fleming (chemist)|chapter = The Aldol Reaction: Acid and General Base Catalysis|title = Comprehensive Organic Synthesis|volume = 2|publisher = [[Elsevier Science]]|year = 1991|pages = 133–179|isbn = 978-0-08-052349-1|doi = 10.1016/B978-0-08-052349-1.00027-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter = The Directed Aldol Reaction|last = Mukaiyama|first = T.|title=[[Organic Reactions]]|author-link=Teruaki Mukaiyama|year = 1982|volume = 28|pages = 203–331|doi = 10.1002/0471264180.or028.03|isbn = 978-0-471-26418-7}}</ref> Borodin investigated the condensation of [[pentanal|valerian aldehyde]] and [[heptanal|oenanth aldehyde]], which was reported by von Richter during 1869.<ref>{{cite journal|last = von Richter|first = V.|year = 1869|url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.cl1hyq;view=1up;seq=600|title = Aus St. Petersburg am 17. October 1869|trans-title = From St. Petersburg on 17 October 1869|journal = [[Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft]]|language = de|volume = 2|pages = 552–554|doi=10.1002/cber.186900201222}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=e1dKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA286|year = 1869|title = Chemical notices from foreign sources: Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin, no. 16, 1869|journal = [[Chemical News]]|volume = 20|pages = 285–286}}</ref> During 1873, he described his work to the Russian Chemical Society<ref>{{cite journal|last = Borodin|first = A.|date=July–December 1873|title={{not a typo|Ueber}} einen neuen Abkömmling des Valerals|language = de|trans-title = On a new derivative of valerian aldehyde|journal = [[Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft]]|volume = 6|issue = 2|pages = 982–985|doi=10.1002/cber.18730060232| url=https://zenodo.org/record/1425050 }}</ref> and noted similarities with compounds recently reported by Wurtz.<ref>{{cite journal|last = Wurtz|first = C. A.|author-link = Charles Adolphe Wurtz|journal = [[Bulletin de la Société Chimique de Paris]]|year =1872|title = Sur un aldéhyde-alcool|trans-title = On an aldehyde alcohol|language = fr|series = 2nd series|volume = 17|pages = 436–442|url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858003147356;view=1up;seq=446}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last = Wurtz|first = C. A.|author-link = Charles Adolphe Wurtz|journal = [[Journal für Praktische Chemie]]|year = 1872|title = Ueber einen Aldehyd-Alkohol|language = de|trans-title = About an aldehyde alcohol|volume = 5|issue = 1|pages = 457–464|url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101076786381;view=1up;seq=471|doi = 10.1002/prac.18720050148}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last = Wurtz|first = C. A.|author-link = Charles Adolphe Wurtz|journal = [[Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences]]|year = 1872|title = Sur un aldéhyde-alcool|trans-title = On an aldehyde alcohol|volume = 74|pages = 1361–1367|language = fr|url = http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k3031q/f1361.table}}</ref>

He published his last full article during 1875 on reactions of [[amide]]s and his last publication concerned a method for the identification of [[urea]] in animal urine.

His successor as chemistry professor of the Medical-Surgical academy was his son-in-law and fellow chemist, [[Aleksandr Dianin]].

===Musical avocation===
====Opera and orchestral works====
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|filename2=Aria_of_Galitsky_from_Prince_Igor.ogg
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[[File:Borodin by Repin.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Borodin by [[Ilya Repin]], 1888]]
Borodin met [[Mily Balakirev]] during 1862. While under Balakirev's tutelage in composition he began his Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major; it was first performed during 1869, with Balakirev conducting. During that same year Borodin started on his [[Symphony No. 2 (Borodin)|Symphony No. 2]] in B minor, which was not particularly successful at its premiere during 1877 under [[Eduard Nápravník]], but with some minor re-orchestration received a successful performance during 1879 by the Free Music School under [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s direction. During 1880 he composed the popular [[symphonic poem]] ''[[In the Steppes of Central Asia]]''. Two years later he began composing a third symphony, but left it unfinished at his death; two movements of it were later completed and orchestrated by [[Alexander Glazunov]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Borodin, A.P.: Symphonies Nos. 1-3 (Seattle Sympho.. - 8.572786 {{!}} Discover more releases from Naxos |url=https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.572786 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.naxos.com}}</ref>

During 1868, Borodin became distracted from initial work on the second symphony by preoccupation with the [[opera]] ''[[Prince Igor]]'', which is considered by some to be his most significant work and one of the most important historical Russian operas. It contains the ''[[Polovtsian Dances]]'', often performed as a stand-alone concert work forming what is probably Borodin's best-known composition. Borodin left the opera (and a few other works) incomplete at his death.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor |url=https://www.classicfm.com/composers/borodin/music/alexander-borodin-prince-igor/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Classic FM |language=en}}</ref>

''[[Prince Igor]]'' was completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and [[Alexander Glazunov]]. It is set in the 12th century, when the Russians, commanded by Prince Igor of Seversk, determined to conquer the barbarous [[Kipchaks|Polovtsians]] by travelling eastward across the Steppes. The Polovtsians were apparently a nomadic tribe originally of Turkic origin who habitually attacked southern Russia. A full [[solar eclipse]] early during the first act foreshadows an ominous outcome to the invasion. Prince Igor's troops are defeated. The story tells of the capture of Prince Igor, and his son, Vladimir, of Russia by Polovtsian chief Khan Konchak, who entertains his prisoners lavishly and orders his slaves to perform the famous 'Polovtsian Dances', which provide a thrilling climax to the second act. The second half of the opera finds Prince Igor returning to his homeland, but rather than finding himself in disgrace, he is welcomed home by the townspeople and by his wife, Yaroslavna. Although for a while rarely performed in its entirety outside of Russia, this opera has received two notable new productions recently, one at the Bolshoi State Opera and Ballet Company in Russia during 2013, and one at the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York City during 2014.<ref>''New Penguin Opera Guide'', [[Amanda Holden (writer)|Amanda Holden]], 1993; Penguin Books Ltd.</ref><ref name=Abraham />

====Chamber music====
No other member of the Balakirev circle identified himself so much with [[absolute music]] as did Borodin in his two string quartets, in addition to his many earlier chamber compositions. As a cellist, he was an enthusiastic chamber music player, an interest that increased during his chemical studies in Heidelberg between 1859 and 1861. This early period yielded, among other chamber works, a string sextet and a piano quintet. Borodin based the thematic structure and instrumental texture of his pieces on those of [[Felix Mendelssohn]].{{sfn|Maes|2002|p=72}}

During 1875 Borodin started his First String Quartet, much to the displeasure of [[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]] and [[Vladimir Stasov]]; the other members of [[The Five (composers)|The Five]] were known to be hostile to chamber music. The First Quartet demonstrates mastery of the string quartet form. Borodin's [[String Quartet No. 2 (Borodin)|Second Quartet]], written in 1881, displays strong lyricism, as in the third movement's popular "[[Nocturne]]." While the First Quartet is richer in changes of mood, the Second Quartet has a more uniform atmosphere and expression.{{sfn|Maes|2002|p=72}}