The life and activity of Professor Mustafin were reflected in a number of papers [1–7] and even monographs [8–9], including that in the series of scientific biographic literature of the Nauka publishing house [8].
Mustafin was the broad spectrum of his scientific interests: he successfully worked in analytical, organic, physical, and inorganic chemistry; bio- and geochemistry; and the philosophy and history of science.
The first of Mustafin’s scientific works, which were devoted to mellitic acid, were highly appreciated by the Russian chemistry Academician Nikolay Zelinsky and recommended for publication in the journal Doklady Akademii Nauk.
It, in turn, allowed him to solve two problems, the first, about the paths of the natural formation of caustobioliths from the products of the postmortem transformations of plant tissues; and the second, about the possibility of the synthesis of valuable oxygen-containing organic compounds from black or brown coal by their oxidative decomposition.
To create such methods, the scientist synthesized the total mellitic acid anhydride, which was found to form orange-red crystals with naphthalene, dark blue with anthracene, brown-red with phenanthrene, and light brown with veratrole.
Being on the border of organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry, this field grew with the most interesting results, stimulating the further development of spectroscopic, potentiometric, luminescent, and other methods of analysis.
Based on the results of his own experiments and calculations, Mustafin came to the conclusion that there are objective reasons restricting the possibilities of improving the sensitivity and accuracy of chemical analysis with organic reagents.
Further scientific considerations allowed Mustafin to calculate the sensitivity limits of various analytical reagents and the most widespread methods of analysis in the 1950–1960s.
The division of analytical chemistry headed by Mustafin conducted intensive experimental research into the synthesis and search for new effective reagents for inorganic ions.
This method consists in the introduction of appropriate indifferent dyes into the reaction system, capable of improving the contrast of the color transition of the indicator at the equivalence point and, thus, to increase the sensitivity of titrimetric determinations.
In addition to the chemical analytical properties of ions, the monographs included detailed determination procedures with the recommended reagents for gravimetric, titrimetric, photometric, and luminescent analysis.
The fundamental historical and scientific work by Mustafin was the monograph «Ocherki po istorii khimii» (Sketches on the history of chemistry), in which he considered the major events in the accumulation of chemical knowledge and the development of experimental methods for studying substances.
A great deal of attention was given by the scientist to the problems of natural scientific education: he, with pleasure, read Sunday lectures for senior pupils from Saratov’s schools; maintained friendly relations with many school teachers who asked for his help in quite different problems; and introduced professor’s consultations, the most democratic dialogue between the professor and student, into practice.
Professor Mustafin sincerely wished to give his love of analytical chemistry to the surrounding people, improving the facilities of his students, and presenting complicated information vividly and memorably.
After the death of the scientist, the journal continued publishing papers prepared by him during the last years of his life, followed by the works of his students and the materials of conferences devoted to his memory.
Such conferences, Mustafin’s readings, and scientific workshops are regularly held at the Saratov State University by his students in memory of their teacher and analytical chemist of the first half of the 20th century.