Osmania University, the glorious seat of higher learning established 100 years ago, has Chemistry Department as an integral part of the esteemed institution in its stride all through these years since its inception. Chemistry Department currently with 59 faculty members derives its strength from the core values of visionary founders, nurturing hands of eminent educationists at the inception who laid the platform to bring highest quality education to the reach of one and all. Eminent teaching fraternity of the yesteryears along with successful Alumni made immense contributions in the journey of this august institute and it is equally matched by the earnestness of the current academic community and vibrancy of young researchers to continue the legacy and take it to the next level.
The Department of Chemistry one of the oldest and biggest department of Osmania University has a glorious history of 100 years. It was founded in the year 1917 as an undergraduate (B.Sc) teaching institution. From 1928 onwards, the department started offering M.Sc. in chemistry along with B.Sc degree. Since then, the Department has grown with time by introducing specializations in Inorganic, Organic, Physical, Physical organic, Analytical, Pharmaceutical, Pharmacoinformatics, Five Year integrated M.Sc in addition to the undergraduate B.Sc. teaching programme with combinations: MPC, BZC, BtBC, BtZC. In 2000 M.Sc forensic science has been introduced. Currently Osmania University has six constituent colleges, one PG Centre at Mirzapur (Medak district), two more centers at Jogipet and Narasapur, about 120 private and Government affiliated colleges offering M. Sc chemistry and 50 degree colleges offering B. Sc courses.
Research activity in the Department started on a modest scale in 1935 under the guidance of Professor M. Qureshi, Professor of Physical Chemistry and the then Head of the Department. Research was mainly in the fields of photochemistry, colloids, magnetic susceptibility measurements, kinetics of solvolytic reactions and electrochemistry. At that time, the department was housed in temporary buildings which are now a part of college of technology. The department was shifted to its present premises in 1947 and has adequate accommodation for teaching and research activities in various branches of chemistry. Prof. Syed Hussain, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry was the Head of the Department from 1947 to 1953. Prof N V Subba Rao took charge as Head of the Department in 1953 and during his tenure as Head (1953-1976), the department made rapid progress in all the branches of Chemistry- Organic, Inorganic and Physical. After the sad and sudden demise of Prof. N. V. Subba Rao who was the Head of the Department of Chemistry and Principal, University College of Science, OU in 1976, Prof. V. R. Srinivasan, Senior Professor in the department took charge as principal of the college and Prof. T. Navneeth Rao assumed the charge as the Head of the Department. Under their leadership teaching activity of the Department increased several fold. Prof. T. Navneeth Rao relinquished office as Head in 1979 and became Rector in 1983 and latter Vice- Chancellor in 1985. The department has flourished in the rich traditions set earlier by Prof. N. V. Subba Rao and Prof. T. Navneeth Rao and carefully nourished by latter heads of the department whose list along with file photographs has been disclosed. From 2016 onwards the department is headed by Prof. Devadas Manwal.
Teaching for B.Sc. and M.Sc. students continued in the department until 1972 from which year the B.Sc. teaching was discontinued in the university department in view of a number of degree colleges, both constituent and affiliated, coming up in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and the district centres under the academic jurisdiction of Osmania University.
Post-graduate courses were started in 1967 at Nizam College and post-graduate centre, Warangal. This subsequently became a full fledged university and is now named as Kakatiya University. Later on new post-graduate centres – one at Bhiknur (in 1976) to teach M.Sc (Chemistry) with specialization in agrochemicals, fertilizers and pesticides and another at Mirzapur (in 1980) with specialization in sugar chemistry and technology were opened. In 1986 post-graduate courses in M.Sc.(Chemistry) were started at Osmania University Women’s college and Post-graduate College, Saifabad, both in Hyderabad city with inorganic and organic chemistry specializations respectively. In the academic year 1991-92 M.Sc. course in chemistry was started at one of the affiliated colleges, viz., Anwar-ul-uloom college with an intake of 20 students. Later it was introduced in various other affiliated colleges. The students are meticulously trained in theory as well as in experiment in the practical classes.
In addition to the usual one subject specializations like organic, inorganic and physical chemistry in M.Sc. final year, the department introduced new specializations in Physical-Organic chemistry, physical-inorganic chemistry and inorganic-analytical chemistry in the final year of the M.Sc. course, with a view to enable the students taking up these courses to develop the capability to teach all branches of chemistry at the under-graduate level and also for carrying out research work in inter-disciplinary areas.
Special elective papers were introduced in M.Sc. final year based on their relevance to research and industries in and around Hyderabad. These include – natural products, medicinal chemistry, dyes, drugs and intermediates, bio-organic chemistry, bio-inorganic chemistry, solid state chemistry, catalysis, photochemistry, nuclear fuels, explosives, polymers, environmental chemistry, biophysical chemistry, etc.
In view of the growing importance of computers in every field and more so in chemistry, a one unit course which includes both theory and practicals in the basics of compuer programming was introduced at the M.Sc. (Previous) level in the academic year 1990-91.
Student enrolment in post-graduate courses in chemistry progressively increased over the years and selection is now through a common entrance test. The intake of students in M.Sc.(Previous) was 12 until 1952 raised to 36 in 1970 and currently it is 72.
| Name of the College | Intake | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University College of Science | 72 |
| 2 | Nizam College | 72 |
| 3 | Womens College | 120 |
| 4 | PG College of Science, Saifabad | 62 |
| 5 | PG Centre, Bhiknur | 20 |
| 6 | PG Centre, Mirzapur | 20 |
| 7 | PG Centre, Jogipet | 20 |
| 8 | PG Centre, Narasapur | 20 |
| Grand Total | 406 |
The department is actively engaged in improving and modernizing under-graduate teaching. The UGC sanctioned the College Science Improvement Programme (COSIP), the University Leadership Project (ULP) to the department during 1970-71. The COSIP which ended in 1981 has helped the department to develop the expertise in teaching. Under this programme senior members of the department visited affiliated colleges in the city and districts every year for a day or two to give lectures to B.Sc. students and to discuss with the staff members on various problems connected with the teaching of chemistry. Five COSIP newsletters were printed to provide information about the activity of COSIP-ULP and distributed to all the colleges.
The tradition is carried forward through various UGC assisted schemes like DST-FIST.The class-room teaching and laboratory training are well planned and executed by the expert faculty of the department incorporating latest developments in the areas of Chemistry since its inception.
The departmental library holds nearly 11,000 text books, few foreign and national journals and houses nearly 1000 theses in chemistry including organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. The library provides reprographic facilities on payment basis and also caters to the needs of allied subjects who are enrolled as members.
| S.No | Infrastructural Facilities | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total number of class rooms | 5 |
| 2 | M.Sc Class rooms with LCD facility | 5 |
| 3 | M.Sc Students laboratories | 8 |
| 4 | Staff rooms with desks, computers, cupboards & Lockers | 20 staff rooms +25 computers |
| 5 | Research Laboratories | 20 |
| 6 | Instrumentation Labs | 3 |
| 7 | Computer Networking Labs(Web Resources Viz.,Scifinder) | 2 along with 30 computers. |
| Broad band high speed Internet available with Wi-Fi facility for all staff and students |