History

History of Faculty

The history of teaching chemistry and scientific research in the branch of chemistry at Lviv university goes back to 1784 when the first chemical laboratory was founded.

In 1851 the department of chemistry was opened, which was the beginning of modern chemistry departments and chemistry faculty. The foundation of the department and the laboratory have synchronized with the period of intensive accumulation of experimental data in the field of organic chemistry, fast development of the industry of aniline dyes, and the pharmaceutical industry. It also explains the fact, that scientific research of the chemists of universities was concerned mainly with organic chemistry till the beginning of the ХХ century.

In 1894 the chemistry department moved to the special building (nowadays – Kyrylo & Methody Str., 6/8). In July 1895 chemistry department was divided into the department of organic chemistry and the department of inorganic chemistry.

In 1935 the department of physical chemistry was separated from the department of inorganic chemistry. The chemical faculty of Lviv university was founded in the 1944-1945 academic year consisting of four departments: inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and physical and colloidal chemistry.

Since the very foundation, a lot of well-known scientists worked fruitfully in the department of chemistry and then in the chemistry faculty. One of them was the first professor of chemistry at Lviv university Burhard Schiverek (1742-1807), who combined teaching activity with the research of mineral waters of the region. The first chief of the department of chemistry was professor Franz Pless (the years of activity 1851-1855), who actually organized the creation of a chemical laboratory. After him, the department of chemistry was supervised by Leopold Pebal (the years of activity 1857-1865) and Edward Linnemann (the years of activity 1866-1871). Since 1872 the chemistry department was headed by the well-known Polish scientist Bronislav Radzyshevskiy (1834-1914), who worked continuously for 38 years at Lviv University. Besides immense pedagogical work, Bronislav Radzyshevskiy was greatly engaged in scientific activity, which covered a wide range of questions in organic chemistry: aromatic hydrocarbons, benzoin compounds, glyoxaline compounds, and the phenomenon of phosphorescence of organic compounds. Significant work was carried out by B. Radzyshevskiy in the field of the research of mineral waters of the region. The scientist created the first school of organic chemists at Lviv University. The pupils of B. Radzyshevskiy were well-known for that time scientists Yulian Shram (1852-1926), Stanislav Opolskiy (1876-1918), and Bronislav Liahovich (1856-1903).

Before World War II a significant contribution to the development of chemical science at the university was made by professors Stanislav Tolochko (1860-1935), and Roman Malakhovskiy (1887-1944), Volodymyr Tshebyatovskiy (1906-1982), Victor Kemulia (1902-1985). The first dean of the chemistry faculty was associated with professor Fedir Derkach (1908-1987).

The success of the chemistry faculty in postwar years was connected with the names of professors Yevhen Cherkashyn (1905-1982), Petro Krypyakevych (1923-981 ), Yevhen Gladyshevskiy (1924-2012), Oleh Zarechniuk (born 1923-2002), Roman Skolozdra (1940-1999), Oksana Bodak (1942-2005), Yuriy Kuz’ma (1934-2006), Mykola Zemlianskiy (1905-1976), Mykola Tsvietkov (1920-2006), Roman Kucher (1925-1991), Stepan Chykhriy (1963-2005), Yevgen Koval’chuk (1939-2012), associated professors Vasyl Zolotukhin (1903-1993), Olexandr Komliev (1903-1972), Roman Holovatiy (1902-1978).