Characterization and synthesis of natural products, highly strained organic compounds, organic reaction mechanism, singlet oxygen chemistry, high temperature bromination of organic compounds. Synthesis and reactions of alycyclic compounds. Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of organic compounds and design of chiral ligands. Electronic absorption spectra, electrochemistry, kinetics and mechanisms of ligand substitution reactions of transition metal complexes. Photo catalytic reactions of olefins. Intrazeolite organometallic chemistry. Preparation and characterization of organometallic compounds. Carbon supported and unsupported Pt and “Pt + second metal” nanoparticle catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells. Electrochemical properties of minerals and mineral enrichment. Solid state reactions of rare earths. Preparation and crystallographic investigation of inorganic materials. Physicochemical studies of colloids and soils. Negative ion studies in the gas phase. Application of quantum chemical methods to spectroscopic studies. Measurement and control of hazardous substances in various environments. Application and development of nuclear, analytical, atomic spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques for pollution studies and for analysis of trace elements in biological materials. Development of various atomic spectrometric techniques. Synthesis and characterization of polymeric materials for industrial use. Application of electrochemical, thermal, radiochemical and r.f. plasma methods for preparation and/or modification of polymeric materials. Developing new methods for preparing ionic, stereoregular and flame-retardant polymers. Conducting polymers. Studies on composites and polymer blends. Simulation studies of polymers and surface dynamics. Synthesis and characterization of polymers for medical and biotechnological applications. Enzyme immobilization, controlled release, biocompatibility studies. Artificial enzymes and fluorescent chemosensors, molecular marker isolation for mapping and genotyping of plants, enzyme kinetics.

Research laboratories are equipped with the following instruments: MS/MS/MS Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer Electrospinning System, 400 MHz solid-liquid Bruker NMR, GC-MS, Huber X-ray diffractometer, Rigaku Miniflex X-Ray Diffractometer, Small Angle X-Ray Scattering, Magnetic Susceptibility meter, Numerous FTIR, UV-Visible, AA, ICP, ICP-OES, and ICP-MS, Fluorescence spectrometers, GC and HPLC, Nuclear Analytical instruments with Ge-Li detector, Lloyd Mechanical Tester, Thermal Analysis (DSC, TGA), Mechanical Dynamic Analyzer, Contact Angle Goniometer, Instron Mechanical Tester, various mechanical property testing devices, Branbender Extruder, hot presses, RF Cold Plasma system, ESR, GPC, automated viscometer, and potensiostats cyclic voltametry and related electrochemical studies. The department also has machine and glass-blowing shops.