Zelinsky gas mask: description, characteristics, history of creation and reviews. About rewards and licenses for the Kummant-Zelinsky gas mask Petroleum cracking, activated carbon and gas mask

The history of the creation of a coal gas mask is connected with the events of the First World War (1914-1918). Already at the end of 1914, German chemists led by F. Haber

(Director of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry) proposed to the military to use gaseous or highly volatile liquid toxic substances in combat conditions in the form of a cloud moving in the direction of the wind at enemy positions. Despite the fact that the use of such weapons was prohibited by the decisions of the Hague Conference

1898 and 1907, in the winter of 1915 information appeared about its use by Germany on the French front in Belgium. More than 15 thousand people suffered from gas attacks with poisonous and asphyxiating agents near the city of Ypres, 5 thousand died within 24 hours. A section of the front was exposed, and panic began among the French soldiers. In May and early summer 1915, such attacks were carried out on the Russian front under

Warsaw. Russian troops also found themselves completely defenseless and suffered heavy losses.

The use of toxic substances against people caused general outrage and confusion at the same time. Attempts were made to find remedies, but they did not give positive answers. The Russian chemist N.D. Zelinsky coped with the task.

N. D. Zelinsky - inventor of the coal gas mask

Tirastol, Kherson province in a noble family. His parents died early from transient consumption, orphaned at the age of four, the boy was raised by his grandmother

Maria Petrovna Vasilyeva. Fearing that the boy would inherit his parents' illness, she did everything necessary to toughen him up. Nikolai learned to swim, row, and ride a horse early. They often spent the summer in the village of Vasilievka under

Tiraspol. “As a child, my best comrades and peers were peasant children, and I grew up in constant communication with them,” he later wrote.

Having received his primary education at home, Nikolai studied for three years at the Tiraspol district school, and then at the famous Richelieu gymnasium in Odessa, which was distinguished by a high level of teaching staff and gave students broad humanitarian knowledge. The teaching of natural sciences was weak. Chemistry as a subject was not taught at all in gymnasiums at that time; only one page was devoted to chemistry in the physics textbook. But, despite this, the future scientist became interested in chemistry very early. “I was ten years old when I tried to produce chlorine by treating manganese peroxide with hydrochloric acid,” he said.

In 1880, Zelinsky entered the natural sciences department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Novorossiysk (now Odessa) University, which arose in 1865 from the Richelieu Lyceum. Among the professors were famous scientists Sechenov, Kovalevsky, Mechnikov, Zalensky, Verigo and others.

All of them were devoted to science and tried to pass on their love to students.

From his first year, Zelinsky decided to devote himself to organic chemistry, or, as they said then, the chemistry of carbon compounds. In 1884, he received a university diploma and was left to work at the chemistry department. According to the tradition that existed at that time, young scientists were required to undergo internships in advanced Western European laboratories. N.D. Zelinsky was sent to

Germany - to Leipzig and Göttingen - to get acquainted with the newly discovered areas of organic chemistry and collect materials for the dissertation. During one of the experiments in Göttingen, he received burns to his hands and body and was bedridden for a whole semester. As an intermediate reaction product, the future creator of the gas mask first received one of the most powerful toxic substances - dichlorodiethyl sulfite, later called mustard gas, and became its first victim.

Returning to Odessa in 1888, Zelinsky passed his master's exam and was enrolled as a private assistant professor at Novorossiysk University, where he taught students a course in general chemistry and continued the research begun in Germany. In 1889 he defended his master’s thesis, in 1891 his doctoral dissertation (it was called “Study of the phenomena of stereoisometry in the series of saturated carbon compounds”0. In 1893

Zelinsky became a professor at Moscow University. His scientific interests focused on the chemistry of carbons and related oil chemistry (in this area he subsequently made his most significant discoveries, developed methods for the catalytic cracking of heavy oil waste and oils, the use of high-sulfur oil, etc.).

In 1911-1917, the scientist worked in St. Petersburg, at the Central Chemical Laboratory of the Ministry of Finance. He will leave Moscow in protest against the reactionary actions of the government, which fired the leadership of Moscow University. It was during these years that the scientist developed a coal gas mask. In total, the scientist, who lived for 92 years (died in 1953), published over 700 scientific works, many of which were translated into foreign languages ​​and became classics. His name was given to the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

2. 3. Tests of Zelinsky's gas mask.

The popularity of the gas mask in the army.

Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky was the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​creating a universal gas mask, which was based on the possibility of sorbability of almost all toxic substances, regardless of their chemical nature. He used activated carbon as an absorber. Having carefully studied official reports from the front, Zelinsky drew attention to the fact that during gas attacks those who survived were those who resorted to such simple means as breathing through a cloth moistened with water, or breathing through loose earth, tightly touching it with their mouth and nose . Those who covered their heads well with their overcoats and lay calmly during the gas attack also escaped. These simple techniques that saved people from suffocation showed that although the gases were deadly poisonous, their concentration was insignificant. Therefore, it was decided to use a simple agent as an absorber, the effect of which would be similar to the effect of the matter of a soldier's overcoat or the humus of the soil. Toxic substances were not chemically bound, but were absorbed or adsorbed by wool and soil. Such a remedy was found in charcoal, whose adsorption coefficient in relation to gases is much greater than that of soil.

Preliminary experiments with coal were carried out in the laboratory of the Ministry of Finance in Petrograd. Sulfur was burned in an empty room. When the concentration of sulfur dioxide became unbearable to breathe, people entered the room wearing carbon respirators (a handkerchief in which granular coal was wrapped).

People could stay in the room for up to half an hour without experiencing discomfort.

In June 1915 Zelinsky first reported on the cheap gas mask he had found at a meeting of the gas mask commission at the Russian Technical Society in

Petrograd. The commission announced a competition for the design of a gas mask using coal. An engineer at the Triangle plant, E. L. Kumant, proposed using a rubber mask he designed for a gas mask. However, the implementation of the invention was slowed down.

A specially created commission first gave preference to the gas mask design created at the Mining Institute, although it was inferior to the Zelinsky-Kumant design in terms of power and convenience. Only in March 1916. An order was placed for the production of 200 thousand Zelinsky gas masks. In August 1916 The army was provided with such gas masks only 20%, although their popularity at the front was enormous. Myself

N.D. Zelinsky received many letters from the front asking him to send gas masks. The same requests came from countries allies of Russia. In February 1916 5 Zelinsky gas masks were sent to London for research. The gas mask saved thousands of lives and was adopted by the Russian and then allied armies. In total, 11,185,750 Zelinsky-Kumant gas masks were sent to the active army during the First World War. The name of Zelinsky became the property of Russia, although the scientist himself did not receive any official remuneration for his invention.

His reward was words of gratitude in letters from front-line soldiers. Zelinsky himself proudly said: “I invented it not for attack, but to protect young lives from suffering and death.”

2. 4. Types of modern gas masks.

Gas mask device.

Modern gas masks, based on the principle of protective action, are divided into two types: filtering and insulating.

An insulating gas mask is designed to protect people working in hazardous conditions. It is used when extinguishing fires, performing mine rescue operations, and eliminating accidents (for example, on gas networks), when the concentration of toxic substances can be especially high. An insulating gas mask contains a supply of oxygen to ensure breathing. The eyes, face, and respiratory organs are completely isolated from the external environment.

To protect people from the possible use of toxic substances, a filter gas mask is used. A filter gas mask filters the inhaled air passing through the gas mask box. The air enters the respiratory system purified of toxic and radioactive substances. A special absorber (activated carbon catalyst) and a smoke filter are placed in the metal body of the gas protection box. External charged air enters the box at the entrance, passes through a filter on which particles of dust and smoke remain, and then through a layer of coal where vapors of toxic substances are retained. The connecting tube connects the gas box with the rubber mask, protecting the face, eyes and respiratory organs. The rubber connecting tube has folds (corrugations). Between the connecting tube and the mask there is a valve box with three valves - one inhalation and two exhalation. Through the first valve, clean air enters from the connecting tube under the mask when inhaling, and through the remaining valves it is removed from under the mask when inhaling.

This is how the civilian gas mask GP-4u works. The GP-5 filter gas mask model is similar to a helmet mask, does not have a connecting tube, and anti-fog films are included for the glasses. The general-arms filter gas mask has a similar device and the same principle of protective action.

3. Conclusion

The carbon gas mask, created based on the design of engineer E. L. Kumant and the idea of ​​chemist N. D. Zelinsky about the sorbability of almost all toxic substances, saved many human lives. The scientist did not receive any official reward for his invention, but the lives saved became a real reward for him.

The gas mask, invented during the First World War, did not lose its importance at the beginning of the 21st century. Its modern designs, based on the principle of protective action, are divided into two types - filtering (filter inhaled air) and insulating (have a supply of oxygen to ensure breathing). In peaceful life, a gas mask is used when working in dangerous conditions associated with rescuing people, eliminating accidents, and extinguishing fires. The use of protective equipment may also become necessary in connection with terrorist attacks, the number of which, unfortunately, has been increasing recently.

Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky was born in 1861 in Tiraspol, into a noble family. The parents, first the father, and soon the mother, died of rapid consumption. Nikolai, left in the care of his grandmother, graduated from a district school in his hometown, then from the famous Richelieu gymnasium in Odessa. In 1880, Zelinsky entered Novorossiysk University, passed the master's exam in 1888, and defended his master's and doctoral dissertations (in 1891). After N.D. Zelinsky was sent as a faculty fellow to Germany.

The laboratories of Johannes Wislicenus in Leipzig and Victor Meyer in Göttingen were chosen for the internship, where much attention was paid to issues of theoretical organic chemistry and the phenomena of isomerism and stereochemistry. Shortly before Zelinsky's arrival, Meyer discovered thiophene and suggested that Nikolai Dmitrievich carry out the synthesis of tetrahydrothiophene. However, it turned out that the intermediate product (dichlorodiethyl sulfide) is a substance that is very strong on the skin; N. D. Zelinsky received a rather severe injury and was forced to stay in the hospital for several months.

“Following the path of such a synthesis, I prepared an intermediate product - dichlorodiethyl sulfide, which turned out to be a strong poison, from which I suffered severely, receiving burns to my hands and body,” Zelinsky wrote in his memoirs.

The Germans took advantage of Zelinsky's discovery during the First World War, using dichlorodiethyl sulfide as a skin vesicant, called mustard gas.

From 1893 until his death in 1953, Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky was a professor at Moscow University.

Petroleum cracking, activated carbon and gas mask

The scientific activity of Nikolai Zelinsky was wide and varied, but one of its main directions was the search for oxide catalysts for oil cracking. In particular, Zelinsky proposed a way to improve the catalytic densification reaction of acetylene into benzene using activated carbon as a catalyst.

Around this time, in 1915, Zelinsky carried out work on the adsorption and creation of a coal gas mask, which was adopted by the Russian and Allied armies during the First World War and saved many lives.

The characteristic horn on the gas mask attracts attention: there is an army myth that says that it is necessary “to prevent the cap from slipping down.” In fact, its purpose is to insert your finger inside the mask to wipe the glass from the inside.

It must be admitted that Zelinsky was not the first to discover the ability of charcoal to absorb chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia vapors from the air. This was done in 1854 by the Scottish chemist John Stenhouse, who developed a respirator, which is a mask that covers a person’s face from the bridge of the nose to the chin. Charcoal powder was placed in the space between two hemispheres formed by copper wire mesh. Stenhouse carbon filters were only one of the alternatives and were not widely used before Zelinsky’s work.

The first who proposed using birch charcoal taken from the fireplace, activated by calcination, to purify chemical solutions, drinking water, to remove fusel oils from vodka and to protect meat from rotting, was Toviy Egorovich, aka Johann Tobias Lowitz. Lowitz, who was born in Göttingen and came to Russia as a child, enjoyed the special favor of Mikhail Lomonosov, headed the Main Pharmacy in St. Petersburg, and at the end of his life was elected academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Gas masks of the second half of the 19th century were improved from model to model, until in 1879 the American Hutson Hard proposed a gas mask in the form of a mask made of vulcanized rubber.

However, neither Hard nor the German chemist and inventor Bernhard Lab used activated carbon as a filter or used it only as an auxiliary agent. The American Samuel Danilevich recalled the sorbing properties of charcoal in 1909. The filter box of his gas mask, like that of the British James Scott, was filled with charcoal. True, in addition to coal, the inventors also used other filters.

Zelinsky’s priority is that Nikolai Dmitrievich used not just charcoal, but activated carbon (its production was first established in Germany), that is, prepared in a special way, with increased adsorption capacity: the total pore surface of one cubic centimeter of activated carbon can have an area of ​​up to 1500 sq. meters.

In addition, Zelinsky brought in Edmond Kummant, a process engineer at the Triangle plant, to work.

In combat conditions, even the penetration of a small amount of a toxic substance, due to the loose fit of the gas mask to the skin of the face, became fatal. Edmond Kummant solved the problem of “mask fit”, and his name deservedly went down in history as the name of a full-fledged co-author of the gas mask. The originality of Cummant's mask was also recognized by the fact that in 1918 the British Patent Office issued him patent No. 19587 for a gas mask.

Zelinsky–Kummant gas mask

The Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask was tested under the guidance of Professor Zelinsky’s student Nikolai Shilov. Shilov carried out tests in combat conditions, and made several important proposals (for example, the layer-by-layer design of a carbon filter), which made it possible to improve the original design. Under the leadership of Shilov, mobile laboratories for testing gas masks and special courses for training personnel were organized. At the same time, Shilov also carried out work, so to speak, in the opposite direction - he created an original device for spraying chemical toxic substances.

During 1916-1917, over 11 million Zelinsky gas masks were produced for the Russian army, although the entire Russian army numbered only 6.5 million people. Russian troops were fully provided with Zelinsky-Kummant gas masks. The effectiveness of the German gas attacks decreased so much that they were stopped on the Russian front in January 1917.

Zelinsky's gas mask was far ahead of both French and British gas masks.

Thus, the French gas mask of Jules Tissot assumed the placement of a respiratory box weighing more than four kilograms on the back; Tissot used caustic soda mixed with metal filings, wood wool soaked in castor oil, soap and glycerin as absorbers.

Most modern Western researchers of personal chemical protective equipment believe that the modern gas mask has its predecessor in the British gas mask of 1916. In fact, this is true. Moreover, its modification in 1918 gave grounds to recognize the British gas mask as the best in the First World War. On its basis, all subsequent models were subsequently designed, including models of Soviet gas masks. We are talking here about a quality mask.

You just need to take into account that neither French nor British chemists at the time of the creation of the Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask knew anything about the possibility of using activated carbon to absorb gaseous and vaporous toxic substances of various chemical natures. At the request of the British command of the Russian General Staff, on February 27, 1916, 5 Zelinsky-Kummant gas masks were sent to London for research. British chemists did not believe that activated birch charcoal could be a good remedy. When they were convinced of the opposite, it turned out that in England there was no technology for producing high-quality activated carbon. Then the technology for activating charcoal was transferred.

At the origins of aviation fuel

By this time, Professor Nikolai Zelinsky was no longer working on gas masks. In 1918–1919, he developed an original method for producing gasoline by cracking diesel oil and petroleum in the presence of aluminum chloride and bromide, laying the scientific basis for the high-performance production of aviation fuel. By developing this topic, Zelinsky managed to improve the quality of aviation gasoline.

New gasoline made it possible to dramatically increase the power of engines and the speed of aircraft. The plane was able to take off with a shorter takeoff run and rise to a greater altitude with a significant load. These studies provided invaluable assistance to our aviation during the Great Patriotic War. For his work on the organic chemistry of oil and the catalytic transformations of hydrocarbons, Academician Zelinsky was awarded the State Prize in 1946.

It is immoral to profit from human misfortunes

Zelinsky fundamentally did not want to patent my gas mask, believing that it is immoral to profit from human misfortunes. Perhaps this also happened because Zelinsky felt his own responsibility for these misfortunes. After all, Nikolai Dmitrievich was the first to develop the principles of industrial production of chloropicrin, which was used in the First World War as an auxiliary toxic substance.

The services of N.D. Zelinsky to science and to the Motherland are widely recognized in our country. In 1929, N.D. Zelinsky was elected academician. He was awarded the titles of Honored Scientist and Hero of Socialist Labor; he was awarded 4 Orders of Lenin and 2 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor; He is a three-time winner of the Stalin Prize.

An ascetic and very energetic person who firmly believed in the power of science, together with V.I. Vernadsky in 1941, through the Royal and Linnean Societies, addressed a letter to scientists in Great Britain expressing “confidence that the union of science and culture of the two great states will promote in every possible way the speedy destruction of Hitlerism."

The great Russian scientist D.I. Mendeleev wrote many years ago about three services that any outstanding scientist does in the name of the Motherland: the first of them is a scientific feat, the second is activity in the pedagogical field, the third is to promote the development of domestic industry. According to this covenant, Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky performed all three services to the Motherland.

The Russian Academy of Sciences established the Zelinsky Prize in 1961. It is awarded for outstanding work in the fields of organic and petroleum chemistry.

The PPE Association (ASIZ) established a medal named after Zelinsky: the academician’s work continues to live actively and creatively. In addition, ASIZ helps to maintain

Gas mask of the Zelinsky-Kummant system, model 1915.

This is the only copy of the Zelinsky system gas mask available today.
This item is absolutely necessary in the equipment of the Russian infantryman of the First World War, especially during the reconstruction of the battles of 1916 - 1917.

A copy made by the Leibstandarte company of the highest quality, which fully corresponds to the original prototype: the rubber of the mask is the same texture, color and thickness as in the original, the frame of the glasses also fully corresponds to the original sample. The box (the so-called "Petrograd" type) is in the correct paint coating, with exact copies of the original labels with instructions for use in the event of a gas attack. The filter box, like the original, contains carbon (the carbon spills out a little when shaking). The belt is woven, the original boxes had the same type of belt.

100 years ago, soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army would not have seen the difference between the gas mask manufactured at that time and the one we are ready to offer now.

Back in June 1915, N.D. Zelinsky, who was working at that time in Petrograd as the head of the Central Laboratory of the Ministry of Finance, came up with the idea of ​​​​using coal for protection against gases. Due to the nature of his activity, he was involved in the production of alcohol, in which coal had long been used to purify raw material, N. D. Zelinsky had at his disposal various types of coal and, having carried out appropriate experiments, discovered that coal is indeed a powerful means for absorbing poisonous gases . Particularly good qualities in this regard were shown by so-called “revived” coal, i.e., subjected to secondary firing after this coal had already been used to purify alcohol.
N. D. Zelinsky talks about how the idea of ​​coal as a means of protection against gases arose:
“At the beginning of the summer of 1915, the Sanitary and Technical Department of the Russian Technical Society discussed several times the issue of enemy gas attacks and measures to combat them. Official reports from the front described in detail the situation of gas attacks, cases of defeat from them and the few cases of rescue of soldiers who were in forward positions. It was reported that those who survived were those who resorted to such simple means as breathing through a rag moistened with water or urine, or breathing through loose earth, tightly touching it with their mouth and nose, or, finally, those who covered their heads well with an overcoat were saved. and lay calmly during the gas attack. These simple techniques that saved one from suffocation showed that at that time, at least, the concentration of gases in the air was, although deadly poisonous, still insignificant, since it was possible to save oneself by such simple means.
This last circumstance made a great impression on us, and then discussing the question of possible measures to combat gas attacks, we decided to try and use a simple remedy, the effect of which would be quite similar to the effect of the matter of a soldier’s overcoat or soil humus. In both cases, toxic substances were not chemically bound, but absorbed or adsorbed by wool and soil. We thought to find such a remedy in charcoal, the adsorption coefficient of which in relation to permanent gases, as is known, is much greater than for soil.”
Preliminary experiments with coal were carried out in the laboratory of the Ministry of Finance. Sulfur was burned in an empty room, and when the concentration of sulfur dioxide reached a level at which it was impossible to enter the room without a gas mask, people wearing coal respirators (a handkerchief in which granular coal was wrapped) entered it. It was precisely established that in such an unbearable atmosphere “breathing through a respirator” one could remain for many minutes and up to half an hour without experiencing any unpleasant sensations. Of course, good results were observed only when the tight fit of such an improvised device to the face was completely ensured.
In June 1915, N.D. Zelinsky first reported on the remedy he had found at a meeting of the anti-gas commission at the Russian Technical Society in Petrograd (in Salt Town), and on August 12 he already made a report on coal at an emergency meeting of the Experimental Commission in Moscow. In his message, N.D. Zelinsky pointed out that the protective effect of coal is universal and, moreover, coal is available in Russia in quite sufficient quantities. The commission decided to immediately begin testing the coal.
The first test was carried out on August 12 in a chamber containing phosgene at a concentration of 0.01% directly on humans. It turned out that when filling a small cylinder of Tryndin’s mask (8 cm long and 5 cm across) with granular coal, you can remain in the chamber with the mask on for 15 minutes. and more, without feeling phosgene.
On the afternoon of August 13 in Moscow, at the 2nd City Hospital, an experiment was carried out on a dog. The latter, wearing a carbon mask, was placed under a large glass bell (50 liter capacity) in an atmosphere containing 0.1% phosgene. The coal layer was 15 cm long and 5 cm across. The dog was in the cell for 23 minutes. and not only remained alive, but also showed no signs of deterioration in her condition. The results of both tests were reported at a meeting of the Experimental Commission on the evening of August 13, where N.D. Zelinsky previously made a large report on coal and its ability to adsorb gases. Thus, all that remained was to prove the ability of coal to protect against asphyxiating gases in the concentrations used at the front, and at the same time to develop a method for the practical use of coal.
Further experiments with coal, however, were rarely carried out (September 11, September 18 and October 10). M.N. Shaternikov and Yezhova and only once the secretary of the commission, Raisky, took part in these experiments. It was found that increasing the volume of the carbon filter increases its protective properties, but experimenters encountered a difficulty here that prevented increasing the volume of the filter above a certain limit. The fact is that when the mask is not equipped with valves, an increase in the volume of the box leads to an increase in the so-called “harmful space”, which makes breathing difficult. Despite the obviousness of the effect caused by this, the experimenters did not realize the seriousness of the influence of this factor on the state in the gas mask and attributed difficulty breathing when increasing the volume of the filter to the moistening of the gauze pad on top of the filter and its clogging with coal dust.
Despite all the successes of the tests, many members of the Experimental Commission still had a negative attitude towards the issue of recommending a coal gas mask for arming the army, and N. D. Zelinsky had to make a hole in the wall of inertia and conservatism, and sometimes direct opposition of the authorities to the promotion of the gas mask, in another way .
Along with testing the gas mask in Moscow, work was going its own way in Petrograd. Prof. A. E. Favorsky (now an academician), on behalf of the military authorities, carried out verification experiments with coal and confirmed the conclusions made by N. D. Zelinsky about the protective properties of coal: in the Petrograd Commission, created by order of the Prince of Oldenburg, experiments were carried out with coal on November 24, placed in bottles without a bottom. These experiments should be noted, firstly, because for the first time they featured the rubber helmet proposed by engineer E. L. Kummant, which later formed a single device with a coal box, called the Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask. N.D. Zelinsky’s employees, V.S. Sadikov, Rosenblat and Stepanov, who were present at the tests, conducted experiments with a new absorption mass containing, in addition to birch charcoal, 20% blood charcoal, placed in a thin layer at the inlet of the gas mask. During these tests, in a device with a Kummant helmet, the preparator Stepanov stayed in the chamber (0.012% chlorine) for 33 minutes. and then in a mixture of chlorine and phosgene - 19 minutes. and again in the same device - 7.5 minutes.
Thus, in November 1915 it was already completely clear that coal was the best means of protection against gases, and the basic designs for gas masks were developed. Nevertheless, the Office of the Prince of Oldenburg did its best to slow down the invention of N.D. Zelinsky. General V.N. Ipatiev writes about the situation that was then created with N.D. Zelinsky’s gas mask:
“It would seem that Zelinsky’s proposal should have been used as soon as possible, especially since at that time the engineer Kummant proposed a gas mask apparatus in which activated carbon could be conveniently used for absorption (the final design of the gas mask was developed by N. D. Zelinsky in collaboration with engineer E.L. Kummant - N.F.) But, unfortunately, as often happens with us, endless red tape began, which greatly slowed down the implementation of such an important invention. On the one hand, the pride of the people who worked in it. department of gas masks of the supreme commander, did not allow us to frankly admit that this discovery was made not by them, but on the side, and on the other hand, the fear of the authors of the invention was to lose priority and, as a result, to lose material and other benefits.”
General Ipatiev is quite right when he speaks about the attitude of the administration of the Prince of Oldenburg to Zelinsky’s invention. However, he completely unfoundedly accuses Zelinsky of being afraid of losing priority. In his numerous letters of that time to a number of people, including the Prince of Oldenburg himself and his assistant Iordanov, N.D. Zelinsky indicates that he considers his invention to be of great national importance and that is the only reason why he does not consider it possible to divulge the secret of making activated carbon . As for the issue of material benefits, in a number of documents N.D. Zelinsky emphasized his complete disinterest in them. He directly states that he does not consider it possible or acceptable to receive money for saving people’s lives. However, General Ipatiev himself is forced to admit that N.D. Zelinsky did not receive a penny for his invention. He's writing:
“The merits of Prof. N.D. Zelinsky, Kummant, Prince Avalov and Prokofiev in the development of a gas mask for our army were appreciated by the Chemical Committee, which filed a petition before the Special Conference on Defense to reward these individuals for their invention. Unfortunately, this case was not was completed and only a small reward was obtained for N. T. Prokofiev for his work on the wet gas mask. As for N. D. Zelinsky and Prince Avalov, they did not receive a single penny. As for Kummant, he was due to the fact that. could take out a patent for the rubber mask he invented, entered into an agreement with the Triangle company and received a certain amount from each rubber mask supplied to the Military-Industrial Committee (50 kopecks - N.F.), which, with orders of millions of respirators, gave him the opportunity to receive huge fee."
Returning to the history of the promotion of gas masks into the army, we must first of all note a break in the testing of coal gas masks in the Experimental Commission from November to January, undoubtedly caused by the opposition of the Prince of Oldenburg.
Only on January 9, 1916, the Experimental Commission in Moscow again returned to the issue of Zelinsky’s gas mask. This time it was tested in parallel with the gas mask of the Mining Institute. It was established (by student Filimonov and Prof. Shaternikov) that a coal gas mask is undoubtedly more powerful and convenient compared to the gas mask of the Mining Institute. Cylinders filled with coal (11X5.5 and 14X10X6 cm) allowed them to remain in the chamber for about 30 minutes. in the presence of 0.1% phosgene (Fig. 30). It was also established here that Dr. Bogodarov’s gas mask with the mass of the Moscow Technical School does not protect against phosgene.
On January 16, new tests took place with boxes developed by the Experimental Commission. The size of these boxes was already sufficient to provide quite reliable protection against OB (19X10 and 24X12 cm). Both experimenters, protected by such gas masks (with a Kummant helmet), stayed in the chamber at a concentration of more than 0.001% phosgene for 30 minutes, and it was clear that they could have stayed longer. At the same time, Bogodarov’s gas mask showed phosgene leakage already at the 6th minute.
Thus, this test of coal gave more than satisfactory results. The test report notes that:
"... the simplicity of design and low cost of the boxes of the Experimental Commission forces, at least at the present time, to give preference to this combination over other similar methods of combating asphyxiating gases."
On the evening of the same day (January 16), the Experimental Commission made a decision that stated:
“Wood carbon activated by the Zelinsky method as a universal solid absorber, as a cheap and quite accessible substance, is quite applicable in gas masks without valves and has an exceptional advantage over other dry gas masks that have been proposed so far.
Mask engineer Kummanta of the latest sample in combination with a respirator by Prof. Zelinsky is currently the simplest and best of the proposed gas masks."
On January 20, Jordanow (assistant to the Prince of Oldenburg) appointed an official commission to test the coal gas mask. This commission included professors: Favorsky, Zelinsky, Dzerzhgovsky, Khlopin, Skochinsky, Schroeder and others. Professors Chugaev, Pospelov and a number of other persons were also present at the tests. Again, these tests were comparative. At the same time as Zelinsky's gas mask, the gas mask of the Mining Institute, the English helmet and the gas mask of the Prince of Oldenburg were tested. The test took place in Petrograd in the chamber of the Veterinary Institute and again showed the exceptionally high qualities of Zelinsky’s gas mask, sharply distinguishing it from other tested devices. Even with relatively high concentrations of phosgene and chlorine, all the soldiers who were in the chamber wearing Zelinsky's gas mask were able to remain there for about an hour or more and left for random reasons or on orders. All other gas masks, on the contrary, showed exceptionally low protective qualities.
It would seem that after these tests, Zelinsky's gas mask finally received full recognition and that it was necessary to immediately take care of its production on a large scale to supply the army. In reality, however, it turned out that the results of this test are not yet convincing enough and new tests are required. The Office of the Prince of Oldenburg, contrary to common sense, decided to order 3,500,000 units to the Central Military-Industrial Committee. gas masks from the Mining Institute, however, all attempts to order Zelinsky’s gas mask remained unsuccessful. In February, the protective properties of Zelinsky's gas mask were demonstrated to the Tsar, and despite this, the issue of ordering gas masks did not progress.
On February 28, N.D. Zelinsky asks the chief military sanitary inspector to convene a commission to make a final judgment based on experiments on the suitability of gas masks from the Mining Institute and Zelinsky, and finally, in early March, it was decided to give an order for 200,000 pieces. Zelinsky gas masks. For the production of coal, the supervision of which was entrusted to N.D. Zelinsky, the furnaces of a number of state-owned wine warehouses (No. 4 in Petrograd and No. 1 in Moscow), as well as later the Moscow and Petrograd gas plants, were used.
Ipatiev briefly describes the history of Zelinsky’s first order of gas masks. This order was given under pressure from the General Staff, bypassing the Office of the Prince of Oldenburg:
“This happened under the influence of distrust both on the part of Headquarters and on the part of the Special Conference on Defense in the activities of the Gas Mask Department of the Supreme Sanitary Chief. In a number of meetings in which members of the State Duma and the State Council, members of the Special Conference on Defense, participated, and scientific and technical forces, it became obvious to many that there was an unwillingness on the part of the Gas Mask Department to give preference to the better type of gas mask of Kummant and Zelinsky, despite the fact that it was impossible to indicate the negative aspects of this model."
The order figure was soon doubled, to 400,000 units, however, despite the availability of sufficient coal reserves to ensure this order, the business was in danger of failure. As already mentioned, the Office of the Prince of Oldenburg, having begun the production of 3,500,000 pieces. gas masks of their type, decided to simply withdraw half of the coal from Zelinsky’s reserves, about which a paper was sent to the head of the department for the organization and service of troops of the General Staff (see above), despite the fact that the latter had reminded shortly before (March 12 and 27) To the Central Military-Industrial Committee on the need to create coal reserves in case of ordering 2–2.5 million Zelinsky gas masks.
It would be possible to continue the description of similar documents of that time, but it seems to me that this is enough for a very definite conclusion that they simply did not want to give Zelinsky’s gas mask to the army, in every possible way slowing down even this first relatively insignificant order. Meanwhile, the gas mask of the Mining Institute, called the “Prince of Oldenburg type,” was hastily produced in huge quantities at the well-equipped Respirator plant on the Obvodny Canal in Petrograd.
At the very time that this unprecedented red tape prevented the new invention from finding application in the army, which was in dire need of it, the Germans carried out attack after attack. More and more thousands of victims of gas attacks filled rear hospitals. The army suffered especially heavy losses during the gas attack near Smorgon on June 20, 1916, when the Germans first used phosgene on the Russian front. Only a few soldiers caught in the gas wave were saved. Wet gas masks, as well as gas masks from the Mining Institute, did not provide protection at all. By this time, the troops had only a few percent of Zelinsky’s gas masks. Subsequently, due to the arrival of new batches of gas masks at the front, things improved a little and, as can be seen from the statement of the state of gas masks in the troops of the Northwestern Front dated August 23, the armies had on average up to 20% of Zelinsky’s gas masks.
Some improvement in the promotion of gas masks to the army was noted only in March 1916, thanks to the transfer of leadership of the gas mask business into the hands of the newly organized Chemical Committee. Already on March 24, this organization handed over to the Military-Industrial Committee an order for a large batch of gas masks. However, the supply of gas masks to the army was very slow, and only a small part of the troops by the spring of 1916 was equipped with Zelinsky gas masks. Despite this, the popularity of the gas mask in the army was enormous. N.D. Zelinsky himself received a large number of letters from the front asking for gas masks to be sent. Requests for samples of gas masks were also received from the Allies. On February 27, 1916, at the request of the General Staff, five Zelinsky gas masks were sent to London for research. The British did not believe that pure birch charcoal could be a good means of protection against gases, and they subjected the sent samples of coal in gas masks to painstaking microscopic and chemical research, trying to reveal the “secret” of N.D. Zelinsky. However, to their surprise, they discovered that they were dealing with pure coal without any impregnation and reported this to Russia.
The extent to which the Allies generally lagged behind the Russians in coal research can be seen from the fact that the famous professor of the pharmaceutical school in Paris, Lebeau, only in 1916 began to study the absorption capacity of coal (probably on behalf of the French government) under conditions similar to the work of coal in a gas mask. In his reports dated June 29, 1916 and January 29, 1917, Prof. Lebo cites two series of experiments showing that coal has maximum activity when it is activated by slow calcination at 600° for several hours. For Russian scientists, such methods of activation were a long-passed stage. Coal found new uses and discovered new qualities that became of great importance in the future. Already on January 25, 1916, N.D. Zelinsky was informed that coal was successfully used as a catalyst in the production of phosgene at one of the pilot plants.
The production of coal gas masks, which began, captured a small team of employees grouped around N. D. Zelinsky. It was necessary not only to establish the industrial production of activated carbon, but also to provide quite significant quantities of it to equip the boxes. Order followed order, and new furnaces had to be put into production. Soon, in addition to state-owned wine warehouses, coal activation began to be carried out at the Moscow and Petrograd gas plants, where the volume of furnaces and productivity turned out to be much greater than in alcohol production.
Although the transfer of management of the gas mask business into the hands of the Chemical Committee under the Main Artillery Directorate somewhat improved the promotion of gas masks into the army, the attitude towards the inventor N.D. Zelinsky continued to remain very unfavorable. It is possible that the reason for this was the appointment of N. A. Ivanov, who transferred from the same post from the Office of the Prince of Oldenburg, to the post of head of the IV anti-gas department of the Chemical Committee. The Chemical Committee tried in every possible way to eliminate Zelinsky from participation in coal production, and its chairman, General V.N. Ipatiev, took advantage of what was essentially a very random occasion to carry out this intention. Above we have already quoted Ipatiev’s letter to Zelinsky dated September 30, 1916. We will not cite here the entire correspondence between Zelinsky and Ipatiev regarding the removal of the former from management of the coal business; we will only point out that N.D. Zelinsky had a hard time with such removal for no apparent reason from dear to him and the work he created. In a number of letters to various individuals, he points out this injustice towards him on the part of Ipatiev and the Chemical Committee in general. On October 15 he writes to prof. Chaplygin (later academician):
“Here the chemists of the State Agrarian University have a clear tendency to distance me from the coal business. For example, the following views are expressed: “All this about coal has been known for a long time and in vain Prof. Zelinsky associates the use of coal with his name." Now everyone has taken up activated carbon and is proving that I am not doing it as it should be. The bosses in charge in Zemgora have the same tendency."
In another later letter, N.D. Zelinsky complains:
“Now they least of all consult with me on all issues of the production of active coal mass, despite the fact that in this important state matter of defense against asphyxiants, I and the Central Laboratory of the Ministry of Finance have done a lot, and in addition to the very initiative of using charcoal for this purpose, as the only universal absorber that came from me for the first time."
However, not only the removal of N.D. Zelinsky from the management of the coal business, but also other troubles stood in the way of the new gas mask. His shortcomings (heaviness of breathing, coal dust, fragility of the mask, fogging of her glasses, etc.) caused his criticism, which was in every possible way inflated first by the Office of the Prince of Oldenburg, and then by various organizations and individuals more or less closely associated with him. The shortcomings were exaggerated and inflated, and this gave the opportunity to some of N.D. Zelinsky’s ill-wishers to raise the question of removing the gas mask from the army. Unfortunately, some of the people close to N.D. Zelinsky were involved in this campaign of “criticism,” which could not but affect his already difficult experiences.
The discord and confusion that reigned in the institutions of the Military Department and military-industrial organizations caused a number of mistakes in the production of Zelinsky's gas masks. So, instead of one type of gas masks, each plant that produced them began to produce its own type. As a result, three samples of Zelinsky-Kummant gas masks appeared almost simultaneously: 1) Petrograd, 2) Moscow and 3) State plant. Although these samples differed little from each other in their design and especially protective qualities, their simultaneous appearance in the army caused discontent and criticism among the troops. The fact is that different units received different types of gas masks. Sometimes in the same unit officers were supplied with one type, soldiers with another. The latter, naturally, thought, wise from bitter experience with previous models of gas masks, that the qualities of an officer’s gas mask were much higher, and expressed their indignation almost openly.
In addition to this circumstance, there were other factors that contributed to the emergence of such discontent. The production of gas masks was carried out on a semi-handicraft basis. Coal was stuffed into boxes by hand. Naturally, the density of the filling fluctuated sharply in different copies of the gas mask and some of them quickly turned out to be unusable due to “grinding” of the coal when wearing the gas mask. Since this grinding occurred much faster in gas masks among soldiers than among officers, new reasons for dissatisfaction arose.
We have already mentioned above the initial samples of gas masks developed by N.D. Zelinsky himself and the Moscow Experimental Commission. It is appropriate to give a brief description of them here. The first gas mask tested by the Experimental Commission was either a bottomless bottle filled with coal, or a tin box modeled after such a bottle. The gas masks of the first sample had either a cylindrical or rectangular shape and various sizes. At the top of the box there was a neck onto which the pipe of Kummant's helmet was placed. Instead of a bottom bottom, the box had a metal mesh, on top of which several layers of gauze were placed. On top of the coal layer there was also a gauze and cotton pad to protect the respiratory tract from coal dust.
Initially, experiments were carried out with boxes of various sizes, and in order to increase the power of the gas mask, there was a tendency to use boxes of significant sizes. Since such boxes were not equipped with valves, it was quite difficult to breathe through them. Only over time were the appropriate box sizes selected experimentally, which were then adopted in the gas mask samples produced for the army. In order to reduce the harmful space of a coal gas mask, the Experimental Commission designed a box that had a cylindrical shape with a tightly soldered bottom. A tube was soldered into the center of the upper bottom, slightly not reaching the bottom of the box. Around this tube on the top bottom there were several holes through which air entered the box. The purpose of the tube soldered into the upper bottom of the box was to lengthen the path of poisoned air through the layer of coal with the same dimensions of the box. This box was not accepted after testing. However, the first small (experimental) batch of Zelinsky gas masks, produced in the early spring of 1916, had a cylindrical box, but with upper and lower bottoms and necks. This sample quickly revealed all the inconveniences of its round shape: when worn, the gas mask rolled on its side, causing the braid to twist. The same thing happened when running with a gas mask on. Therefore, round boxes were not produced at all in the future.
Since May 1915, the first type of Zelinsky gas mask, the so-called “Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask of the Petrograd model,” began to arrive in the army. The box of this gas mask had a rectangular shape with dimensions of 200 X 80 X 50 mm. The lower bottom of the box is equipped with a neck 1–2 cm high and an internal diameter of 22 mm. This neck was closed with a cork stopper, tied to an eyelet on the box with string. The same slightly higher neck is soldered into the upper bottom. She was wearing Kummant's helmet. Slightly away from the top bottom, a metal mesh was placed, soldered to the wall of the box, under which there was a layer of gauze with a thin cotton pad. The same device was also available at the bottom of the box. Carbon activated according to the method of N.D. Zelinsky with grain sizes of about 3–6 mm was placed between the grids. The length of the carbon filter was 174 mm. A tin cap was placed on the box to protect the mask from damage while wearing the gas mask. The box and cap were equipped with ears through which the braid was passed. With the help of this braid, the gas mask was worn on its side and was quite easily brought into a combat position. Breathing in a gas mask, as in its other samples, is pendulum, i.e. inhalation and exhalation were made through a carbon filter. Due to this, Zelinsky’s gas mask had a large harmful space, which made breathing difficult. To make breathing easier, it was recommended to cover the lower bottom with your hand from time to time and exhale forcefully. In this case, the air came out between the ears and with the next inhalation, some fresh air got under the mask.
In the first samples of the Petrograd-type gas mask, the mask had a number of significant shortcomings: the small size of the glasses, the lack of a nasal process for wiping fogged glasses, the poor cut of the helmet, which was too tight on some parts of the face, which made blood circulation difficult. In the spring of 1916, the issue of valve distribution of breathing in a gas mask was still under development. The valve systems proposed by various people, despite their overall satisfactory performance, have not yet found application in an army gas mask. On the one hand, this was due to the difficulties associated with the mass production of valves, on the other hand, the valve was looked at as the most vulnerable point in the gas mask. Particularly in this regard, the failure with the valves in the gas mask of the Mining Institute was memorable. Therefore, although the introduction of valves into a carbon gas mask was in mind, the practical solution to the issue was postponed until a more reliable valve model became available.
In March 1916, a Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask of the Moscow model, similar to the one described above, was designed. It differed from the Petrograd model only in the size and shape of the box. The cross-section of the box of this sample is oval (ellipse), the cross-sectional area is about 60 square meters. cm. The height of the box is 200 mm, the length of the major axis of the ellipse is 110 mm, the minor axis is 67 mm. The upper neck has a slightly larger diameter compared to the Petrograd sample (25 mm). The first batches of this gas mask did not have a soldered bottom or lower neck. The box was closed from below with a tin lid, under which a mesh was immediately placed. However, the inconvenience of such a lid, which had to be opened when using a gas mask, soon took its toll. The lid broke off easily and interfered with walking while wearing a gas mask. Therefore, in subsequent batches of the gas mask, the lower bottom was already soldered to the box and equipped with a neck with a diameter of 40 mm. The plug that closed the lower hole was stamped from tin and had a rubber band on the outside. Otherwise, the design of the gas mask was identical to the Petrograd model. It should only be noted that the volume of the carbon filter in this sample was somewhat larger compared to the Petrograd one, namely 1000 cubic meters. cm (in the Petrograd sample - 700 cubic cm. But the grain sizes here were somewhat larger.
The third type of Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask was called the State-issued gas mask, or more precisely the type of the State-owned gas mask factory. In appearance it resembled the Moscow type and was only slightly shorter than the latter. The box had an elliptical cross-section with axes 110X70 mm, height 135 mm. The body had three convex and two concave ridges to increase strength. The finish of this gas mask was slightly better than both of the samples described above.
Rubber Kummant helmets, which form one of the main parts of all the types of gas masks described above, came in two types. The first type was inconvenient in shape, provided a small field of vision and did not have devices for wiping glasses. In the second type of helmet, these shortcomings were partially eliminated.
A number of shortcomings that the Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask had were already mentioned above. The main one was difficulty breathing due to significant harmful space. Already in the summer of 1916, reports received from the front pointed to a number of shortcomings of the gas mask, attributing to them cases of poisoning (difficulty breathing, loss of orientation, inconvenience of the plug covering the lower opening of the box, etc.). Therefore, the question of improving gas masks has always been faced by the relevant organizations. It should be noted that most of the shortcomings of the gas mask could be eliminated if the troops were properly trained. However, the command of the units did not pay due attention to this aspect of the matter. Training was still conducted by non-military workers (professors, doctors, students, etc.), who were usually limited to lectures and chamber fumigation. There was no real training in a gas mask, which is why most soldiers did not actually know how to use gas masks. On the other hand, opponents of the introduction of Zelinsky’s gas mask strongly supported and inflated the version about the fatal shortcomings of Zelinsky’s gas mask. As a result, already in the summer of 1916, the question of a new type of gas mask arose in its entirety.
Among the documents related to criticism of Zelinsky’s gas mask, it should be noted the minutes of the meeting of October 1, 1916, convened under the Zemstvo Union. The immediate reason for convening the meeting was, as can be seen from the minutes, telegrams from the front demanding the replacement of Zelinsky’s gas mask, as well as the position of Prof. N.A. Shilova - at that time the head of the gas protection department of the Land Union in Minsk. N.A. Shilov, who has done a lot in the field of gas masks and training of troops, in a number of cases expressed several categorical judgments about the shortcomings of Zelinsky’s gas mask.
N. A. Shilov considers the disadvantages of the Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask:
1. Difficulty putting on a mask. For most people, the first moment after putting them on, their glasses end up in the wrong place. When trying to adjust the helmet, it breaks on the head and on the bridge of the nose.
2. Difficulty breathing, which may depend on the dust produced by shaking the coal, from a large layer of coal and from the accumulation of respiratory products under the mask and in the box, especially when moving at work (artillerymen).
3. Strong fogging of glass. As a result of this, N. A. Shilov points out that during one of the “gas attacks, a detachment of soldiers in the full sense of the word got lost in the ruins of a city.” Although lubricating the glass with glycerin and green soap helps against fogging, it is almost impossible to do this at the front.
4. The impossibility of transmitting orders by telephone and commanding, while with the panic and bustle that accompany every gas attack, order can only be restored with a firm and loud word from the boss. Some commanders, seeing the futility of the masked command and still wanting to restore the necessary order, achieved this only by tearing off the mask, which is why they themselves died the death of heroes.
5. The rubber helmet compresses the blood vessels of the head, resulting in severe headache and dizziness. This makes it difficult to wear a mask for long periods of time. Meanwhile, the last gas attacks continued until 4 o'clock.
However, following the meeting it was recognized that:
1. The Zelinsky-Kummant type mask is the best currently used at the front.
2. The main cause of poisoning is the inept use of a mask and the inability to maintain it. To possibly eliminate this, training with these masks is required. To prevent glass from fogging, it is necessary to lubricate them with glycerin.
3. Due to new, prolonged attacks, Zelinsky-Kummant masks are insufficient for protection over an extended period of time.

Figurovsky, N. A. "Essay on the development of the Russian gas mask during the imperialist war of 1914–1918."

These days mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of the most outstanding Russian chemists, Nikolai Zelinsky. He organized scientific revolutions in various fields - from oil production to protein chemistry. But his most famous creation will forever remain the gas mask. Appearing just in time - at the height of World War II, this product continues to save lives.

At the Vityaz special forces center, a soldier is taught to put on a gas mask in just 7-8 seconds. His life depends on it. For almost 100 years, in all armies of the world, a gas mask has been considered the most reliable means of protection against weapons of mass destruction.

The first protective masks appeared in the 19th century. These were ordinary cloth headbands or hoods with impregnation. But when in 1915 the Germans first used chemical weapons in combat conditions, it suddenly became clear that English, French, and the same German gas masks were only suitable for protection against mosquitoes and flies.

The first effective army gas mask was developed in 1915 by the outstanding Russian chemist Nikolai Zelinsky. It was he who was the first in the world to propose the use of activated charcoal as a protection against poisonous gases. The simplicity and reliability of his invention turned out to be so amazing that by the end of 1916, all the warring countries had adopted Zelinsky’s Russian gas mask.

Nikolai Zelinsky was born in 1861. He began working on the creation of a gas mask in the spring of 1915 after the Germans used poisonous gases against Russian troops near Warsaw.

The only example of Zelinsky’s first gas mask preserved in the world today can be seen in the scientist’s former Moscow apartment. According to his son, Andrei Nikolaevich Zelinsky, a rubberized mask with two glasses glued into it was offered to his father by the St. Petersburg engineer Kummant. True, the brilliant inventor also had powerful opponents. Prince of Oldenburg, who was responsible for the production of Russian gas masks, did not want to lose multimillion-dollar government orders and launched into production an outdated model of a protective mask that he had lobbied for.

“Only by order of the tsar, after tests carried out at headquarters near Mogilev on February 3, 1916, where my father was present and personally reported to the emperor on the work of the gas mask, the gas mask was introduced into production of the Russian army,” says Nikolai Zelinsky’s son Andrei. “Over 11 were produced millions of these gas masks during 1916-1917."

At the request of the allies, the Russian command generously gave them samples of the new gas mask. Zelinsky himself never attempted to patent his invention, because he considered it immoral to profit from a means of saving and protecting human life.

“He was, in principle, a silversmith, for him it was alien and absurd to think about any privileges, especially monetary privileges for his discoveries,” continues Andrei Zelinsky. “And, following in the footsteps of Pasteur, who tested the vaccine on himself from rage, my father was also the first to test this coal himself. He himself was in the laboratory of the Ministry of Finance at Zabaikalsky, 19, in the summer of 1915. This, in the end, was also a real scientific feat.”

Zelinsky’s gas mask has been protecting the fifth generation of Russian soldiers, and many of his discoveries are still being successfully used by the Russian oil and gas complex. But neither in Moscow, where he worked for almost 60 years, and where there is an entire institute named after him, nor in St. Petersburg, where he invented his gas mask, there is still not a single monument to the brilliant Russian chemist.

In his wonderful book “Essay on the development of the Russian gas mask during the imperialist war of 1914-1918.” Nikolai Aleksandrovich Figurovsky slightly touches on the issues of receiving remuneration for prof. Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky and engineer Eduard Kummant - the inventors of a gas mask of their own name. In particular, he writes:
“…. As for the issue of material benefits, in a number of documents N.D. Zelinsky emphasized his complete disinterest in them. He directly states that he does not consider it possible or acceptable to receive money for saving people’s lives. However, General Ipatiev himself is forced to admit that N.D. Zelinsky did not receive a penny for his invention...”
Here is a quote from Ipatiev:
“... Merits of Prof. N.D. Zelinsky, Kummant, Prince Avalov and Prokofiev in the development of a gas mask for our army were appreciated by the Chemical Committee, which filed a petition before the Special Conference on Defense to reward these individuals for their invention. Unfortunately, this matter was not completed and only a small reward was obtained from N. T. Prokofiev for his work on a wet gas mask. As for N.D. Zelinsky and Prince Avalov, they did not receive a single penny....”

In fact, both Ipatiev and Figurovsky are somewhat mistaken. Journal of the 11th Department of the Artillery Committee of the GAU dated July 16, 1918. for No. 552, a reward was established for “...Professor Zelinsky for work on activating coal and using it for filling respirators...” in the amount of 2,000 rubles. Unfortunately, it is not known whether Nikolai Dmitrievich received the said reward (most likely he did), but the fact that it was assigned is certain.

Eduard Kummant, the inventor of the rubber mask, was more mercantile and prudent. Ipatiev writes:
“... As for Kummant, due to the fact that he could take out a patent for the rubber mask he invented, he entered into an agreement with the Triangle company and received a certain amount from each rubber mask supplied to the Military-Industrial Committee (50 kopecks - N.F. .), which, with millions of orders of respirators, gave him the opportunity to receive a huge fee...”

Kummant's fee was indeed not small. However, his privilege was valid only until July 26, 1917, after which it was alienated, probably in favor of the state. Moreover, the deductions due to Kummant were not 50, but 35 kopecks per mask.
“... From the settlement notebook under the agreement concluded by the Commission with the Triangle T-v on November 25, 1917, it is clear that, on the basis of the Khimkom resolution of March 9, 1917, from the payments due to the T-v, Kummant’s license was withheld, 35 k. masks totaling RUB 369,881. 75 kopecks..."