Table 2. Nominal Values for R* at 23.9°C (75°F)
Note: (a) The values listed are for one inch of thickness.
(b) The values listed are for one meter of thickness.

Vladimir Nikolaevitch Ipatieff, one of the founding fathers of high-pressure catalysis, was the innovating force behind some of this country's most important petroleum processing technologies in the years leading up to World War II.

The Early Years

Ipatieff was born in Russia in 1867. As a member of the privileged (i.e., noble) class, Ipatieff prepared for a military career. Early on in his education, Ipatieff gravitated toward the sciences, and in particular chemistry.

Ipatieff's formal training in chemistry began in earnest when, at the age of twenty-two, he entered the Mikhail Artillery Academy in St. Petersburg. The Academy was founded to give technical training to officers who were to serve as...