Exercises

1. Answer the questions

1. When was D. Mendeleev born?

2. Where was he born?

3. When did he go to gymnasium?

4. What subjects did he like?

5. Where did he work after the graduation the institute?

6. When was he granted the Doctor of Science degree?

7. What was he granted this degree for?

8. What was Mendeleev’s greatest discovery?

9. What did he present to the Russian Chemical Society?

10. What other problems was Mendeleev interested in?

2. Translate the sentences paying attention to the passive constructions:

1. Physics and chemistry are taught at school. 2. Some of the experiments were carried out in our institute. 3. Our institute was named after the great Russian chemist D.I. Mendeleev. 4. Some of the properties of this substance will be predicted. 5. He was appointed Rector when he was 35 years old. 6. Almost all branches chemistry and physics will be enriched by this new theory. 7. I was told about that great chemist who devoted his life to chemistry. 8. A new laboratory will be built in May. 9. He was sent abroad to continue his studies. 10. This article will be presented as soon as we finish it. 11. This problem is being discussed by many scientists both in our country and abroad. 12. This substance cannot be used, it has many impurities.

3. Open the brackets choosing the suitable word. Translate them.

1. Many scientists before D. Mendeleev tried to classify elements (despite, according to) their atomic weights. 2. He worked (hardly, hard) at the new problem. 3. It was (very, the very) important to solve this problem in time. 4. They could (hard, hardly) finish their work without his supervision. 5. Elements with (very, the same) properties are at definite intervals in the Periodic Table. 6. When Mendeleev went to gymnasium he was interested (both, both… and) in mathematics, physics. 7. Give me (very, the very) book you brought. 8. He was very (interested, interesting) in chemistry from (very, the very) childhood. 9. I like (both, both … and) these pictures. 10. One may think that (the very, very) amount of heat which will raise the temperature of one gram of water from 0˚C to 1˚C will also raise the temperature of the same mass of water from 60˚C to 61˚C.

Chemistry: key to progress and abundance

The science of chemistry includes a study of properties, composition, and structure of matter, the changes in structure and composition which matter undergoes, and the accompanying energy changes.

The Russian chemical industry now holds second place in the world in overall volume of production. Much credit for this is due to our scientists whose research has won worldwide recognition. The classical works by Mendeleyev, Butlerov, Zelinsky, Zaitzev, Lebedev, Favorsky and many others not only served as a theoretical basis for the development of the chemical industry, but enabled our scientists to set up a number of modern branches of the chemical industry as well.

The close links between science and industry enabled the chemical industry to make great progress.

The Soviet Union was the first country to organize large-scale production of synthetic rubber.

Zelinsky's works formed the basis for the synthesizing of a large number of new chemical compounds. These compounds are now counted in thousands, and they are extremely important in the country's economy. Our scientists evolved an original method of extracting phenol and acetone simultaneously from benzene and propylene. Phenol and acetone are needed for the manufacture of plastics, textile fibres, organic glass and other chemical products.

Scientists are making a major contribution to the production of aniline dyes, and many new dyes have been evolved with their help.

The research of our scientists has revealed the physical and physico-chemical conditions necessary for the industrial production and processing of polymeric materials.

The theory of chain reactions is a major discovery of our time. The development of this theory is linked with the name of the Soviet scientist Semyonov, a Nobel Prize winner.

The successes achieved by chemistry and engineering have played an important part in our country's achievements in space.