astronomy

Paul Kogerman

Paul Kogerman is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Paul Kogerman rather than just read about it. In short: Paul Nikolai Kogerman (5 December [O.S. 23 November] 1891 in Tallinn – 27 July 1951 in Tallinn) was an Estonian chemist and founder of modern research in oil shale. Paul Kogerman was born into a family of gas factory worker (and former sailor).

Key takeaways

Paul Kogerman belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Paul Kogerman to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Paul Kogerman from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Paul Nikolai Kogerman (5 December [O.S. 23 November] 1891 in Tallinn – 27 July 1951 in Tallinn) was an Estonian chemist and founder of modern research in oil shale. Paul Kogerman was born into a family of gas factory worker (and former sailor). He went to an elementary school in 1901–1904 and a town school in 1904–1908. After town school Kogerman earned a living by teaching in church manors near Tallinn. In 1913, he was graduated from the Alexander Gymnasium in Tallinn (Reval) as an extern. Starting in 1913, he studied at the University of Tartu, graduating from its Department of Chemistry in 1918. In the Estonian War of Independence he fought in a unit of Tallinn teachers. In 1919–1920 he got a state scholarship to study at the Imperial College London. In May 1921 he was given a qualification of chemical technologist by the University of London and in 1922 he received the degree of Master of Sciences.

Career From 1921 to 1936, Kogerman was active at the University of Tartu. After the defence of his Master's thesis on the thermal decay of oil-shale, he was elected docent of Organic Chemistry of the University in 1922. He went on to become extraordinary professor in 1924 and full professor in 1925. In 1926 and 1933 he was guest lecturer at the ETH Zürich and in 1927–1928 at Harvard University. In 1934, he defended, in Zürich, his doctoral thesis on the combining and polymerization reactions of the isolated double bond dienes. From 1936 to 1941 Kogerman was professor of organic chemistry at the Tallinn University of Technology, in 1936–1939 he was also a rector of the University. In 1938, Kogerman was selected to the newly established Estonian Academy of Sciences and in 1946 reselected after re-establishment of the Academy as the Academy of Sciences of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. He was the president of the Estonian Naturalists' Society in 1929–1936.

In 1938–1939 Kogerman was ex officio member of the National Council (Riiginõukogu). From October 1939 until the Soviet occupation of Estonia on 21 June 1940 Kogerman served as Minister of Public Education. In 1941 Kogerman, together with his family, was deported by Soviet authorities to the prisoner camp in Sverdlovsk Oblast. He was prematurely released and allowed to return to Estonia in 1945. From 1945 to 1951 he was director of the chair for organic chemistry at Tallinn University of Technology. From 1947 to 1950 he served also as the director of the Chemistry Institute of the Academy of Sciences.

Honors In 1927 Kogerman was decorated with the insignia of the Légion d'honneur and in 1938 with the Second Class of the Order of the White Star. In 2006 the Paul Kogerman scholarship was founded, to be granted to successful master's and doctoral level students of the Faculties of Science and Chemical and Materials Technology of the Tallinn University of Technology.

Significance Paul Kogerman won international reputation with his work on oil shale. He initiated systematic research of oil shale and its products by establishing, together with professor Michael Wittlich, a laboratory to study oil-bearing shales in 1925. Kogerman submitted fundamental work on the structure and origin of oil shale and its chemical characteristics, as well as work on thermal processes.

Publications Kogerman, Paul N. (1922). The Chemical Composition of the Esthonian M.-Ordovician Oil-bearing Mineral "kukersite". University of Tartu. p. 25. ASIN:B0008AA1EM. Kogerman, P. N. (1925). "The present status of the oil-shale industry in Estonia" (PDF). Journal of the Institution of Petroleum Technologists. 11 (50). London: Institute of Petroleum: 16. ISSN 0368-2722. Kogerman, Paul N. (1927). The Oil-shale Industry of Estonia. Estonian ministry of trade and industry. p. 40. ASIN:B00087688I. Kogerman, Paul N.; Kranig, J. (1927). Physical Constants of Some Alkyl Carbonates. p. 11. Kogerman, Paul N. (1927). The Chemical Nature of Estonian Oil-shale: The Origin of Oil-shales. Mattiesen. p. 17. Kogerman, Paul N.; Kõll, A. (1930). Physical Properties of Estonian Shale Oils. Oil shale research laboratory of the University of Tartu. p. 19. Kogerman, Paul N. (1931). On the Chemistry of the Estonian Oil Shale Kukersite. Oil shale research laboratory of the University of Tartu. p. 85. Kogerman, Paul N.; Kopvillem, J. (1932). Hydrogenation of Estonian Oil Shale and Shale Oil. Oil shale research laboratory of the University of Tartu. p. 13. Kogerman, Paul N. (1932). Desulphurisation of Estonian Shale Oil. Oil shale research laboratory of the University of Tartu. p. 14. Kogerman, Paul N. (1933). The Occurrence, Nature and Origin of Asphaltites in Limestone and Oil Shale Deposits in Estonia. Oil shale research laboratory of the University of Tartu. p. 8. Kogerman, Paul N. (1937). Report on the Distillation of Estonian Oil-shales in the Pilot Plant of the K.T.O Patents Ltd. at Vanamõisa, Estonia. ASIN:B00089SQZY. Kogerman, Paul N. (1957). Shale Kerogen as a High-molecular-weight Substance and the Origin of Shales. Associated Technical Services.

Biography Martinson, Helle; Martinson, Karl (1981). Akadeemik Paul Kogerman. Põlevkivikeemia rajaja Eestis. Tallinn. Kogerman, Aili (2004). Paul Kogerman ja tema aeg. Tallinn. ISBN 9985-50-366-X.

References

External links Paul Kogerman's CV Archived 2008-01-03 at the Wayback Machine, by Tallinn University of Technology (in Estonian)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paul Kogerman

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paul Kogerman claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Paul Kogerman before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Paul Kogerman ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Paul Kogerman

In research: Paul Kogerman appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Paul Kogerman in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Paul Kogerman is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1891 births, 1951 deaths, Academic staff of the Tallinn University of Technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Paul Kogerman outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Paul Kogerman in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Paul Kogerman means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Paul Kogerman in simple terms?

Why does Paul Kogerman matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Paul Kogerman?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Paul Kogerman.