Nikolai N. Semenov was a physical chemist and physicist who was the first Soviet citizen living in Russia to win the Nobel Prize. His scientific work focused on chain reactions and their characteristic "explosiveness" during chemical transformations. This influenced the development of greater efficiency in automobile engines and other industrial applications where controlled combustion was involved, such as jet and rocket engines. Enjoying important academic success, he also played a significant role as a spokesperson for the Soviet scientific community. He was instrumental in establishing institutions where physical chemistry could be studied, and he collaborated in creating a journal dedicated to the field. In addition, he actively participated in scientific conferences dealing with physical chemistry.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Semenov was born on April 16, 1896, in Saratov, Russia, to Nikolai Alex and Elena (Dmitrieva) Semenov. He graduated from Petrograd University (later renamed Leningrad; now called St. Petersburg, its original name) in...