History
Character of the chemical division has always been shaped by major scientific and educational figures; among the first were Bohuslav Brauner, the distinguished inorganic chemist and friend of D.I. Mendeleev, and Joseph V. Koštíř, the Czech biochemist who in 1953 initiated the creation of a separate department of biochemistry and became its first leader. The most prestigious international award – the Nobel Prize in chemistry – was awarded to professor of physical chemistry Jaroslav Heyrovský in 1959 for his studies of electrolysis on mercury drip electrode polarography and construction in 1922. The results of his research created a world-renowned analytical method and made a huge contribution to the development of physical chemistry and electrochemistry.
Present
From a historical perspective, cooperation with globally recognized scientific figures – graduates of the Faculty of Science’s chemistry program – has been of exceptional importance. To name just a few, we can mention Antonín Holý (1 September 1936 – 16 July 2012; synthesis of new virostatics and cancerostatics) and Josef Michl (12 March 1939 – 13 May 2024; molecular electronics). Among living collaborators from our alumni of top international standing, we can name František Tureček (born 14 April 1950 in Prague; mass spectrometry of biomolecules).
Background
From the beginning, the chemistry division has been linked to the chemical institutions building, which was one of the first structures completed in the Albertov areal in 1904. During its existence, the building has undergone many modifications, of which the most recent, the complete reconstruction and modernization of the interior from 2002 to 2007 can be considered the most important. Thanks to this, the building now provides students and employees with quality facilities and equipment, compliant with the standards of global university centres of chemistry.