Institute of Chemistry

History and Structure

The Institute of Chemistry (IQ) provides undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as research in the chemistry field. Nowadays, it is one of the most important human resources research centers in Brazil and Latin America.

The IQ originated with the Industrial Chemistry Institute School of Engineering which was opened in 1935 to house the Industrial Chemistry Program created on July 17, 1920.

During its 45 years of activity, the Industrial Chemistry institute developed educational programs in the areas of chemistry and chemical engineering as well as services of analysis and testing. It also embraced the Institute of Technology - Chemistry Sector (today Foundation of Science and Technology of the Rio Grande do Sul State – CIENTEC), the Institute of Food Technology (today Institute of Science and Food Technology of UFRGS – ICTA) and the Radiochemistry division of the Physics Institute and the Coal Experimental Institute.

Another important contribution to the development of Chemistry at UFRGS took place at the Institute of Philosophy with the creation of the Teaching Program in Chemistry and the Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, in 1942.

In 1970, the Institute of Chemistry of UFRGS was founded, due to the actualized educational reform. The new unit was constituted as a central institute responsible for implementing teaching and research skills relating to Chemistry to the whole university. Its faculty was formed by teachers of the Engineering School, the Institute of Philosophy, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Faculty of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and the Institute of Geosciences, divided in three departments: Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physicochemical department.

Since 1981, the Institute of Chemistry and its supplementary unit, The Management Center of Chemical Waste, have been installed in an area of approximately 10,000m² in the Campus do Vale. Currently, it is constituted of 42 administrative staff and a faculty of 80 professors:

• 41 in the Department of Inorganic Chemistry
• 21 in the Department of Organic Chemistry
• 18 in the Physicochemical Department
• The majority of its faculty has a doctoral degree and a full-time dedication to teaching.

Undergraduate

The institute is the headquarters of the Chemistry program (Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry and Teaching degree In Chemistry) with approximately 430 enrolled students. In addition to the chemistry program, various disciplines are offered in the majors of Pharmacy, Engineering, Physics, Geology, Biomedicine, Biological Sciences, Nutrition and Agronomy.

Graduation

The Chemistry Institute offers a Graduate Program, including a Masters degree and a Doctoral degree in Chemistry, currently involving approximately 300 individuals. In addition to these programs, the Institute takes part in two interdisciplinary graduate programs in Materials Science, with the Institute of Physics and the Engineering School, and the program of Microelectronics, with the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Informatics, and the Engineering School.

Research

The main research areas developed by the Institute are polymers, electrochemistry catalysis, organic synthesis, materials chemistry, ionic liquids, analytical and environmental chemistry, oil chemistry, fuel and lubricants, organometallic chemistry, theoretical and computational chemistry, molecular dynamics, solids and surfaces, chemistry education and radioactive tracers.

Contacts:

INSTITUTO DE QUÍMICA

Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500

Porto Alegre, RS

Agronomia

91.501-970

Brasil

Phone: +55 51 3308-6302

Fax: +55 51 3308-7304