Professor H. Moissan madeoutstanding contributions to thedevelopment of applied chemistry inthe late XIX and early XX century. For thefirst time he obtained fluorine in freestate, studied a number of fluorinecompounds, designed an electricarc furnace and set the foundationof high-temperature chemistry.He synthesized many high-meltingcompounds and isolated boron andother elements by reducing their oxides, finallyhe theorised and attempted the preparation of artificial diamond(1). He was awarded with the Nobel Prize (1906) in recognition to theisolation of fluorine and for his studies on high-temperature chemistry.He died suddenly in Paris in February 1907, shortly after his return fromreceiving the Nobel Prize in Stockholm. ...