Sergey Lebedev chemist

Sergei Vasilievich Lebedev (1874–1934) was a Russian/Soviet chemist best known for inventing polybutadiene synthetic rubber, the first commercially viable and mass-produced type of synthetic rubber. Born in Lublin, he studied in Warsaw and St. Petersburg, where he graduated from St. Petersburg University in 1900. After working at the Petersburg Margarine Factory, he held academic positions, including Professorships at the Women's Pedagogical Institute and the Saint Petersburg Academy for Military Medicine. In 1925, he became the leader of the Oil Laboratory (later the Laboratory of Synthetic Resins) at St. Petersburg University.

Lebedev’s research focused on polymerization, particularly butadiene. He was the first to achieve synthetic rubber from polybutadiene in 1910 and published foundational works on the topic. By 1928, he developed an industrial method for producing synthetic rubber using metallic sodium as a catalyst. This innovation became critical for the Soviet Union due to its limited access to natural rubber. The first synthetic rubber plants were launched in 1932–33, and by 1940, the Soviet Union led global production of synthetic rubber.

Lebedev’s work was recognized with numerous honors, including the Order of Lenin (1931) and election as a full member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (1932). His contributions were also adopted by other nations; during World War II, his method for producing butadiene from ethyl alcohol was used by the German rubber industry. Lebedev died in Leningrad and is buried in Tikhvin Cemetery.