Some Theorems on Embedding of Rings

A.I. Shirshov

1. Introduction
The present work is a sequel to the author’s article [4]. The main topic is special
Jordan algebras over rings, but the methods employed also allow us to obtain new
results for other classes of algebras. The main result of the present article concern-
ing special Jordan algebras is a necessary and sufficient condition for speciality (or
semispeciality) of a Jordan algebra formulated in terms of the algebra itself (Theo-
rems 8 and 9). Other new theorems deal with the general theory of nonassociative
rings (Theorems 2, 3, 4, 5).

2. Some embedding theorems

Suppose we have a commutative1 associative ring Σ and a set Ω of (nonassociative)
multilinear polynomials in the independent variables x, y, z, . . . with coefficients
in Σ. Then we can speak of Ω-algebras over Σ, i.e., algebras over Σ in which the
polynomials in Ω vanish identically after substituting elements of the algebra for
the variables x, y, z, . . . . In the usual sense we will speak of free Ω-algebras over
Σ. Generally speaking, all algebras considered here will be nonassociative.
Definition 1. Let Sk be the free Ω-algebra over Σ with k generators. A countably
infinite subset N of Sk , which is a free generating set for the subalgebra T it
generates in Sk , will be called distinguished if any ideal I of T is the intersection
of the ideal I generated by I in Sk with the subalgebra T .
Definition 2. The smallest natural number k (if it exists) for which Sk contains a
distinguished subset will be called the basis rank 2 of the set Ω over Σ.
Mat. Sbornik N.S. 40 (82), (1956), no. 1, 65–72.
c 2009 Translated from the Russian original by M.R. Bremner and M.V. Kochetov.
1 The word “commutative” is omitted in the Russian. [Translators]
2 Literally, the “dimension”. [Translators]
48 A.I. Shirshov

Theorem 1. If a set of identical relations Ω has basis rank k over the ring Σ, then
any Ω-algebra R over Σ that has a finite or countably infinite set of generators can
be isomorphically embedded into some Ω-algebra with k generators.
Proof. Suppose that we have a distinguished subset N in the free Ω-algebra Sk ,
and as before let T be the Ω-subalgebra generated by N in Sk . Then the algebra
R is isomorphic to the quotient of T by some ideal I. The ideal I generates in Sk
an ideal I such that I = I ∩ T . Therefore the quotient algebra Sk /I contains a
subalgebra isomorphic to T /I and hence to R. 
Theorem 2. If some set Ω of identical relations has basis rank k over Σ, then any
Ω-algebra K over Σ can be isomorphically embedded into an Ω-algebra N over
Σ each of whose countable subsets is contained in a subalgebra generated by k
elements.
Proof. We will assume that the collection {Bα } of countably infinite subsets of
K is well-ordered by the index variable α which ranges over some well-ordered
set. Suppose we have already constructed an Ω-algebra Kα over Σ that is an
extension of the algebra K such that each subset Bβ , β < α, is already contained
in a subalgebra generated by k elements. If Bα itself lies in a subalgebra with
k generators then we set Kα+1 = Kα . Now suppose that Bα does not lie in
any subalgebra of Kα with k generators. We extend the set Bα to some set Λα of
generators of Kα . Consider the free Ω-algebra Qα over Σ with the set of generators
Λα of the same cardinality as Λα . Then we arbitrarily select k elements a1 , a2 ,
. . . , ak in the set Λα , and a distinguished set Tα in the free Ω-algebra Qαk over Σ
that is generated in the algebra Qα by the elements ai (i = 1, 2, . . . , k). Select a
countably infinite subset tα α
1 , . . . , tr , . . . of the set Tα that has a countably infinite
complement in Tα . Clearly, the subalgebra K α generated in Qα by the set


Λα = {tα s | s = 1, 2, . . .} ∪ Λα \ {ai | i = 1, . . . , k} ,

is a free Ω-algebra, since from any relation which is non-trivial (i.e., not a conse-
quence of Ω) we could obtain a non-trivial relation for the elements of the set Tα
by replacing the generators from Λα that are not in Tα by arbitrary elements of Tα .
From this it follows that the algebra Kα is isomorphic to the quotient algebra of
K α by some ideal Iα , where Iα can be chosen such that the images of the elements
tα
i (i = 1, 2, . . . , r, . . .) correspond to the elements of Bα . The ideal Iα generates in
Qα some ideal I α . We will prove that I α ∩ K α = Iα .
Let d be an arbitrary element of this intersection. Since d ∈ Iα , it can be
written as a (nonassociative) polynomial each of whose terms contains a factor
from Iα ; and since d ∈ Kα , it can be written as a polynomial in elements of Λα .
Comparing these two expressions, we obtain an equation in the free Ω-algebra
Qα over Σ, which obviously will still be valid if the free generators from the set
Λα \ {ai | i = 1, . . . , k} which occur in it are replaced by (distinct) elements of the
0
set Tα \ {tα s | s = 1, 2, . . .}. Let I α be the ideal of Qαk generated by the finite set
of elements obtained as a result of this replacement of the elements Iα that occur