In addition to composing music, he was one of the foremost chemists of
his time.
He and his wife had one adopted child, Liza Balaneva.
Because his music was used as the basis for the score of the 1953 musical "Kismet", his name was included in the Tony Awards that the show won, but Borodin himself did not actually win an award for it.
Died of a heart attack while dancing at a costume party in St. Petersburg.