V. A. Frank-Kamenetskii (1915-1994)

Victor Albertovich Frank-Kamenetskii, Distinguished Professor at Saint Petersburg University, world famous crystallographer, member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, died on May 12, 1994 at age 79.

He graduated in crystallography from Leningrad (St Petersburg nowadays) University in 1937. All his subsequent scientific life was closely connected with the Department of Crystallography of that university, where he was a post-graduate student, assistant professor, docent, professor, and the head from 1968 to 1989. He left the department for six years only, being an army officer during the Second World War. He investigated with equal vigor crystal structure, morphology, and genesis conditions. His remarkable scientific intuition and ability to organize research work aided him to achieve important results in the field of mineral crystal chemistry, typomorphism, and X-ray diffraction methods. One of the prominent features of his scientific activity was his contribution to the theory of structural transformations of clay minerals under hydrothermal conditions that simulated the natural process of metamorphism of clays. He prepared with equal care his lectures for departmental seminars and international meetings. His lectures were always distinguished for their richness of content and persuasiveness. As a professor of St Petersburg University he trained hundreds of students, post-graduates. doctorants, who now work in crystallography, chemistry, physics, and geology in Russia and abroad. He headed the section of X-ray investigation of minerals under the aegis of the National Mineralogical Society, organized and conducted conferences, meetings, schools connecting scientific, educating, and industrial institutions.

As a scientist of international repute, he was a member of the UK and French Mineralogical Societies, national representative on IUCr and MMA commissions, member of editorial boards of Kristallografia (Russia), Powder Diffraction (USA), and Crystal Research and Technology (Germany) journals. His friends, colleagues, and pupils mourn the great loss to crystallography and extend deepest condolences to his wife, daughter and son.