Organometallic chemistry :

Catalyst design, metal mediated organic transformation, reaction development,Organometallic chemistry investigates the properties of organometallic compounds and the transformations involving them. Our faculty have been working on developing organometallics as synthetically useful catalysts. There has been considerable research on novel reaction development using metal mediated organic transformation. Cutting edge topics like C-H bond activation and functionalization are also some of the frontiers being explored in the department.

Professors working in this area are - MSB, PG, DM, RM, SJG

Nanomaterials and polymers :

Material science and new material engineering is a strongly interdisciplinary area with potential applications in semiconductors, solar cells and self-cleaning materials. There are strong programmes in the department trying to synthesize and test liquid crystalline polymers, conducting polymers and electrochromic materials. Hydrogen storage, widely considered as one of the major impediments in using Hydrogen as fuel, is also a topic of investigation. There is also a strong collaboration with Applied Materials unit on Nanotechnology?

Professors working in this area are - AK, CS, KS,

Spectroscopy :

Spectroscopy has often been called quantum mechanics in action. Spectroscopy has historically been used to verify the principles of quantum mechanics. The ultrafast dynamics laboratory uses femtosecond-nanosecond time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to study chemically relevant process. Path breaking techniques like single molecule spectroscopy has been used to investigate rare events like inhomogeneity in specific molecular properties that are normally obscured by ensemble measurements.

Professors working in this area are - AC, AD, GNP

Inorganic chemistry :

Although inorganic chemistry has been regarded as one of the conventional branches of chemistry, it is most relevant to the world we live in today than ever before. The department has been active in a variety of fields ranging from designing artificial photosynthetic units to making qubits for quantum computing. Active areas of research include organochalcogen chemistry, supramolecular assembly and study of electron transfer complexes. Facilities like single crystal XRD and high resolution mass spectrometry ensure that research in the department is not limited by the availability of facilities.

Professors working in this area are - MSB, GKL, RM, CPR, MR, MS, HBS

Catalysis :

Catalysts are the workhorses of chemical transformations in both industry and academia. The very diversity in the possibilities of making a chemical reaction more facile has opened up opportunities in pollution prevention, homogenous catalysis and green chemistry. The N-Heterocyclic carbene as ligand in catalysts has also been one of the hot topics in research.

Professors working in this area are - MSB, PG, GKL, SJG

Biochemistry :

Bio-inspired catalysts, de novo protein design, protein folding, carb recognition in cancer, study of chemically modified RNA/DNA, protein regulation mechanism, drug protein interactions, Bio inorganic, sensors, Biomimetics.

Professors working in this area are - DM, CPR, SD, SSK, PPI, RA, NK, KS

Theory and computation :

Theoretical chemistry has been trying to answering the fundamental questions concerning reactivity and molecular properties. Recently, computational chemistry has come to its help by letting high performance computers perform the calculations and letting the chemists concentrate on the analysis and interpretation of the results. Questions relating to a continuum of systems starting from single molecules to cell cycles have been routinely address using Density Functional Theory, statistical mechanics and molecular dynamics. Research featuring reaction mechanism investigation, magnetism photosynthesis modelling and protein folding are being pioneered in the department.

Professors working in this area are - GR, RBS, RC, SK, SP, YUS, BLT, MKM SND

Organic chemistry :

Here at IIT Bombay, the department has been actively involved in extending the frontiers of organic chemistry especially in domains of asymmetric synthesis and natural product synthesis. Some groups are involved in rigorous methodology improvement as new reactions is what really expands the boundaries of organic chemistry. Research has also been active on the bio-related side with groups involved in glycomics, carbohydrate synthesis and drug design. Molecules with theoretically interesting properties are studied in purely academic interest. Other areas of research include metathesis, photochemistry and organocatalysis.

Professors working in this area are - RAF, SJG, KPK, SRK, SSK, INN, PPI, VKS, CMRV

Physical chemistry :

Today, physical chemistry strives to address problems relating to charge transfer, nanoparticle properties, solvation dynamics etc., Chemistry of surfaces and interfaces and weak intermolecular interactions has been another field of interest in the department. Understanding liquid state theory and condensed phase dynamics have been used to model chemical reactions. The faculty has been successful in digging out the physical principle behind the chemical phenomenon using tools of mathematics and physics like Feynmans path integral, statistical mechanics, non-linear dynamics and stochastic models.

Professors working in this area are - GNP, BLT, SK, RC, NK, CS, KS, AD, AC, SP, YUS, RA, MKM SND

Research Areas