Named in honor of Vladimir Stepanovich Shpak (1909– ), distinguished technical organic chemist and director of the State Institute of Applied Chemistry in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) from 1953 to 1977. He was the initiator and organizer of fundamental, scientific and technical investigations of the main organic synthesis processes of new classes of chemical compounds. He has introduced new technologies into the chemical and petrochemical industries. At present he is the chairman of the Northwestern Scientific Board of the Russian Academy of Sciences on burning and the editor-in-chief of the journal Applied Chemistry. (M 35484) _ _.