Authors: Bogdan Morawski
Kwartalnik historii nauki i techniki : Kwartal'nyĭ zhurnal istorii nauki i tekhniki -. 01/2011; 56(2):45-81.
Eustachy Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski was born on April 17, 1888, in Kowle on Volhynia. Having graduated from classical grammar-school in Humań, he began his studies in the Faculty of Mathematics andEustachy Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski was born on April 17, 1888, in Kowle on Volhynia. Having graduated from classical grammar-school in Humań, he began his studies in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science in the University of St. Wlodzimierz in Kiev. His scientific interests in chemistry appeared already during university studies. This fact attracted his teacher's attention--a distinguished organic chemist--professor S. N. Reformatski (1860-1938). The first works he published in the years 1908-1909. In 1910 professor Reformatski appointed him to a post of assistant in laboratory of organic chemistry within Higher Women Classes. In 1913 Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski was employed as an assistant professor, and as a lecturer in chemistry was appointed to a post of professor in Higher Institute of Trade. After professor Reformatski had retired in 1917, Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski was appointed to a professorship and took over a chair in Organic Chemistry Department. In 1925, having moved to Poland, he resigned from academic career. Having returned to Poland, he began to work in Research Institute of Chemical Weapons, in which took up systematic and extensive research works over arsenoorganic compounds, and combinations including fluorine. He worked out an original method of producing an unavailable compound of oxym of phosgene, which later was widely used, and also beyond the army. The combination was available just by dint of the method that was introduced by Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski. In Poland the method of producing oxym of phosgene was concealed, and the compound was produced under a secret name TSD together with sulphuric yperite. Moreover, Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski took up intensive scientific researches on synthesis of halogen derivatives of aliphatic, and aliphatic and aromatic ketones. In the second half of the 1930s, together with the closest co-workers--doctor Adam Sporzyński and Lieutenant MA Jakub Wnuk--he worked out a new method of synthesis of organic-fluoric combinations. The method was kept in the strictest secrecy and was revealed in 1942 to the English by doctor Sporzyński while visiting Great Britain. The results of the Warsaw research works were laid before professor of the University of Cambridge--H. McCombiem, who presented them as his own discovery, and who took a patent for the method. While doing research works in the Institute, Eustachy Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski with an approval of army administration since January, 1929, started to work in Industry and Trade Establishments of Chemistry--L. Spiess & Son. Co-operating with the company for 10 years, he elaborated and applied the modified methods of producing many synthetic remedies, and worked out a program of establishment's production that could easily conform with the modern chemical and pharmaceutical factory. The program in the post-war period was continued almost for two decades. Gryszkiewicz-Trochimowski was the only chemist in Poland, who did his research works over synthetic healers. In the period of occupation he worked for a while in the company "Spiess". In 1943 he was informed of the murder in Katyń of his co-worker--captain doctor Wnuk. A perspective of annextion of Polish territories by the Soviets was for him a serious threat and thus he started making attempts at leaving for the west. He left the country under unknown circumstances and found himself in France. After the end of World War II he published a great many of his works that earlier had been kept in secret. In France he was employed in the military scientific and research institution--Centre d'Etudes du Buchet--and was engaged in works over a French program of defence. Having lived to be seventy nine, died on February 25, 1971, in Brazil.
