Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry

The Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry was formed in 1984 as an off spring of the erstwhile Department of Chemistry. The history of the Department of Chemistry, dates back to 1931 and it was one of the first few science departments to be organised on the Andhra University Campus as a part of the J.V.D.College of Science and Technology. Prof. Ludwig Wolf, an eminent Inorganic Chemist from Europe (Germany) equipped the Chemistry Laboratories in the first few years. In 1934 Prof. T.R.Seshadri took over the leadership from Prof. Wolf and developed the Department of Chemistry into a centre of advanced learning. He was succeeded by savants like Prof. Gandikota Gopala Rao, Prof. Bh.S.V.Raghava Rao, Prof. Neelakantam, Prof. L.R.Row, Prof. M.N.Sastry, Prof. S.R.Sagi and Prof. C.Bheema shankara Rao to guide the destiny of the Department. Under their stewardship the Department developed rich traditions of teaching and achieved international recognition in Research.

BY 1980, the Department of Chemistry of the Andhra University achieved such heights that the Vth Plan visiting Committee of the U.G.C. recommended reorganization of the Department into a School of Chemistry with three constituent Departments in it, to sustain the growth. Following the recommendation of the committee, Andhra University, in 1984, established the School of Chemistry with 1) The Departments of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry 2) The Department of Physical and Nuclear Chemistry and Chemical Oceanography and 3) The Department of Organic Chemistry and Foods, Drugs and Water and Analysis.

To start with, the Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry was offering only two specializations in Chemistry namely, Inorganic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry. Within two years after its establishment (1985), the Department introduced Bio-Inorganic Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry as two more new specializations, in tune with the rapid developments taking place in these two fields. So, the Department is presently offering Analytical, Bio-Inorganic, Environmental and Inorganic chemistry specializations in M.Sc. Chemistry.

It is not out of place to mention here that while the Department of Chemistry of the Andhra University was the first to start Analytical Chemistry specialization in India, the Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry is the first Department to start Bio-Inorganic Chemistry specialization in India. Similarly, this department is the second one in offering Environmental Chemistry specialization at the Post Graduate level in the whole country.