The name of Ivan Nikonovich Zakharo remained unknown to the general public during the period of the Russian Empire. However, he made a significant contribution to the development of domestic chemistry by inventing a safe method for drying pyroxylin, an explosive substance used in the production of gunpowder. Zakharo was born in 1866 in the Smolensk province, but from childhood lived in Porokhovye near St. Petersburg, where his family moved. From a young age, he was closely connected with chemistry, which predetermined his decision to study at the Pyrotechnical Artillery School.

After graduating, the young specialist began working at the Okhta factory in the pyroxylin drying workshop, the most dangerous section of the factory. The substance was dried primitively, heated in trays. Pyroxylin, sensitive to high temperatures and friction, often exploded spontaneously, sometimes resulting in fatalities. Once, Zakharo narrowly escaped death: in 1892, he took a day off work and soon learned of a terrible explosion that claimed the lives of 9 people. Initially, he was also considered a victim, as his coat was found in the workshop.

This tragedy made Zakharo think about safe pyroxylin drying. He began experimenting and found an original drying method using alcohol. Although this development was later attributed to Mendeleev, it was Zakharo who first applied it in practice. For this discovery, he received a prize of 100 rubles and the Order of St. Anna. The safe method of drying pyroxylin opened the way for Zakharo's career advancement, and by 1917 he was already a colonel.

After the revolution, he was evicted from his state apartment to a communal flat, and in 1918 he was retired due to health reasons, as he was paralyzed on the right side of his body after a stroke. Despite this, he returned to the factory, as his sons, former royal officers, could not find work. Zakharo worked in the field of electrochemistry until the end of his life and died in 1929 at the age of 63.