The research of the Department is divided into three research areas with underlying research groups
Inorganic Chemistry
Biomass is a vast, renewable source of carbon, which currently covers just a fraction of the world’s chemical production. The potential for biomass to replace an important part of oil and other fossil
carbon resources is enormous. Based on this fact, the Inorganic Chemistry Section is expanding in practically all areas related to “green” transition including new catalytic pathways to be applied in bio-refineries.
The section consists of the Centre for Catalysis and Sustainable Chemistry (CSC) and the research groups on Metalloprotein Chemistry and NanoChemistry and until January 2012 the Energy and
Material Science Group The different research groups interact strongly, thus securing an efficient use of the sections’ advanced research equipment.
The section is responsible for the education of students in all areas of inorganic chemistry and related applied fields such as catalysis and flue gas cleaning.
Organic Chemistry
Using organic chemistry as a tool to learn more about fundamental biology is a new trend
known as Chemical Biology. Having the ultimate goal of suggesting new drug candidates the field has been a strategic focus area at DTU Chemistry over the recent years. A new activity rising in importance at the Organic Chemistry Section is bio-refinery applications of organic chemistry. Research under the section will typically have a dual approach of looking both at fundamental science, while also contemplating biological and pharmaceutical applications including bio screening, drug discovery and drug delivery systems.
The section’s educational activity consists of introductory courses in all disciplines of organic chemistry followed by high-level courses in e.g. NMR spectroscopy and modern synthetic strategy and methodology, including synthesis of compounds of interest to the pharmaceutical industry.
Physical Chemistry
Recently, it has been realized that the same logic which has driven natural selection in species is reflected all the way down to the molecular level. Learning from the way molecules have been
optimized through evolution for specific purposes is a new activity at the Physical Chemistry Section. The research has a dual aim of adding to fundamental understanding, and looking at potential applications for instance in optimizing enzymes for industrial purposes.
The section is built around the Physical and Biophysical Chemistry Group, complemented by X-ray and Protein Crystallography, Analytical Chemistry and Raman Spectroscopy. The section is also involved in the Center for Molecular Movies (CMM) and the Danish Centre for use of Synchrotron X-ray and Neutron facilities (DANSCATT).
The section establishes the basic foundation in physical chemistry needed in all disciplines of chemistry and chemical engineering as well as advanced courses related to the sections research in experimental characterization and computer simulations of chemical structures and reactions.