Volodymyr Solomonovich Finkelshtein was born on August 8 (20), 1896 in Berdychiv (now Zhytomyr region) in a Jewish teacher's family. Studied at Berdychiv Commercial College, than joined the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology. In the summer of 1916, after the industrial practice at the Putilov factory, Volodymyr was enlisted as a volunteer for military service. A year later, he received a vacation for health reasons, and subsequently was demobilized and released from military duty. In March 1918, he resumed studying, but already at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. Here he began research under the direction of a well-known Ukrainian scientist, physicist-chemist prof. V.O. Plotnikov (later - Academician), one of the pioneers of electrochemical studies of non-aqueous solutions. In 1919-20, Volodymyr Finkelshtein performed and successfully defended his thesis "Cryoscopy of strong water solutions". After graduating in 1920 from the institute and obtaining the title of engineer-technologist, he became a professorial scholar and continued to work at the Department of Physical Chemistry of the Institute.
Наукові праці в галузі електрохімії.
In 1929 he moved to Dnipropetrovsk, worked as a teacher of the Mining Institute. In parallel he became Deputy Director of the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Head of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Electrochemistry. After opening of the Chemical-technological institute in 1930 in Dnepropetrovsk he also began to work in this educational institution.
In May 1934, V. S. Finkelstein was elected as a corresponding member of the AUAS (since 1936 - the Academy of Sciences of the USSR) in the field of physical chemistry. In addition, on August 14, 1936, V.S. Finkelstein was awarded a scientific degree of a doctor of chemistry without defense of the dissertation.
May 10, 1937 prof. V.S. Finkelstein was arrested. 1 July, 1937 he was expelled from the Academy of Sciences. He was accused of being one of the leaders and active members of the Trotskyist Menshevik organization. On the basis of these allegations V.S. Finkelstein was sentenced to a higher degree of punishment. On September 16, 1937 he was shot. In 1957, he was rehabilitated posthumously and renewed in the Academy of Sciences.
Reference
Valerij S. Kovalenko, Viktor F. Vargalyuk, Nadiia V. Stets V. S. Finkelstein associate member of an USSR: Dnipropetrovsk period of life and scientific activities // Journal of Chemistry and Technologies, 2018, 26(1), 50-57