Araxie Babayan

Araxie Babayan was born on 5 May 1906 in Yerevan.[2] As a student of Yerevan State University, Babayan worked in the chemical laboratory, performing demonstrative experiments of her teacher Stepan Gambaryan - founder of the school of organic chemistry in Armenia.[3] She graduated the agricultural faculty of the Yerevan State University in 1928.[4] Starting from 1928 until 1958 Babayan worked in Yerevan veterinarian institute, and from 1935 – in Chemical institute of Armenian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences.[4]

In 1937 Babayan graduated the chemical Faculty of the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute.[2] She defended her dissertation in 1937, and her doctoral dissertation in 1945.[3] Babayan's main research is devoted to amines and quaternary ammonium compounds.[4] She established a number of new laws in the chemistry of quaternary ammonium compounds.[5] Babayan proposed a method for synthesizing acetylene glycols, known in the chemical literature as Favorskii-Babayan reactions.[6]

In 1949-1953 Babayan was a Deputy Director of Science of the Chemical Institute of the ArmFAN of the USSR.[5]

In 1953, she discovered the catalytic action of ammonium salts for the alkylation reaction of organic acids.[4]

In 1955-1957 Babayan was a head of the organic chemistry sector and from 1957 to 1993 head of the laboratory of the amino compounds of Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR.[5]

Since 1956, Babayan was a corresponding member, and since 1966 - an academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR.[3] In 1961, Babayan was recognized as an Honored Scientist of the Armenian SSR.[2]

From 1976 to 1983, Babayan was a chief editor of Armenian Chemical Journal.[4]

She was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the II-IV convocations of the Armenian SSR.[2]

Araxie Babayan died on 13 February 1993 in Yerevan and is buried at Nubarashen cemetery.[3]

• The Order of Friendship of Peoples
• The Order of the Red Banner of Labor
• The Order of the Badge of Honour