The oldest chemical Institute of Azerbaijan, the Institute of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (IIPC) was founded in 1935 on the basis of Sectors of Chemistry and Applied Chemistry and was firstly called the Institute of Chemistry of the Azerbaijan Branch of Academy of Sciences of USSR. Since 1937 till the end of the World War II the IIPC included departments of organic, inorganic, physical chemistry and petrochemistry.
Those years in the Institute there were working so eminent scientists as the corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of USSR K.A.Krasutsky (the first head of the Institute), S.Z.Roghinsky, Yu.H.Mamedaliev, V.S.Gutyria, young scientists and later academicians of Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan M.F.Naghiev, S.D.Mekhtiyev, B.K.Zeynalov, I.A.Orudzheva, corresponding members Sh.A.Mamedov, M.M.Movsumzade, B.A.Dadashev and others, who made a considerable contribution into the native and world science. Later by academician H.B.Shakhtakhtinski, corresponding members H.Kh.Efendiyev, V.F.Negreyev, Kh.S.Mamedov, Z.H.Zulfugarov, T.Kh.Kurbanov, P.G.Rustamov, professors I.L.Bagbanli, P.F.Rza-zade, A.K.Miskerli, I.A.Mamedov, A.I.Alekperov were founded science schools and directions of fundamental and applied investigations, which are now being developed by their disciples, and which exerted a great effect on the development of chemistry in the Republic.
At present there are 22 laboratories and 6 scientific sectors operating in the Institute. Scientific staff is represented by a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences R.G.Rizaev, 26 professors and 154 doctors.
Today the IIPC is the leading research Institute of the Azerbaijan Republic and one of leading Institutes of near abroad in the field of inorganic and physical chemistry and in mineral raw processing technology. The scientific mainstream of the Institute covers problems of the creation of theoretical bases of synthesis of inorganic materials and substances with special physico-chemical properties, the rational use and complex processing of mineral resources, development of scientific principles of the preparation and use of catalysts and adsorbents on the basis of natural and synthetic materials, methods of metals' protection from the corrosion.
Over a 60+ years research the scientific activity the Institute's scientists have achieved great successes in solving of a number of the most important fundamental and applied problems.
In the field of chemistry and treatment of mineral raw materials, the following technology processes have been developped and introduced into the practice:
In recent years fundamental works in the field of solid chemistry, chemistry of semiconductors, coordination chemistry, catalytic transformation, physical chemistry of dispersed systems and surface fenomena have been in progress. Great attention has been paid to development of thermodynamic functions and phase diagrams calculation methods, thermodynamic modelling of materials. New inorganic substances were synthesized, which possess photo- and thermoelectric, magnetic properties and most of which are used as semiconductor materials in the electronics. On the basis of organometallic and complex compounds obtained in the Institute there was ogrganized mass production of new photo-, and electronic X-ray resistors, the low reflecting oxydic covers for the making of photo-pattern and non-silver photosensitive materials for X-ray patterns.
In the field of the structural chemistry the crystalline structures of cement silicates, zeolites, borates, a number of synthesized triple chalkogenydes of rare earths, complexes, organometallic and biologically active compounds have been interpreted, some crystallochemical regularities and some correlation relationship between structure and physico-chemical porperties of compounds have been found, and new semiconductor phases with pre-given structures have been predicted.
The researchs in the corrosion field have been mainly directed to study of corrosion processes in complex aggressive media and development of inhibitor, electro-chemical and combined methods of metal protection. A study of electro-chemical processes of making the metal, polymetal and semiconductive films and covers, electric refining and sedimentation processes, electric catalyst of organic compounds and the industrial technologies on their bases have been developed. In the field of physico-chemistry of surface fenomena and catalysis there have been created scientific ground of colloidal chemistry of the washing-out clayey systems and dispersions, which are used in the drilling at oil and gas deposits. The theoretical and practical results have been obtained on studying of catalytic dehidrogenating and oxidation of hydrocarbons and their derivatives. It in industry have been realized effective processes of the obtaining of a number aromatic nitriles. The physico-chemical investigations (energetic, spectroscopic, etc.) of natural and synthetic zeolites different structural groups have been carried out, mechanism of their dehydration and criteria of thermostabilizations have been established.
Comprehensive investigations have been carried out on arsenate-iodometric determination of some metal ions. Systematic investigations have been conducted on thermogravimetric and titrimetric methods of determination of rare and non-ferrous metal ions by means of ammonium tetrarhodano-diamine-chromate. High selective and high sensitive photometric and extraction-photometric methods of some metal ions' determination in complex natural and industrial materials by means of azoderivatives of pyrocatechol, safranine, ethacrydine and tret-buthylphenol have been treated.
Most of investigations carried out have been qualified as inventions and more than 300 certificates and 27 foreign patents have been received. More than 3000 scientific articles and 58 monograhies have been published. Just over the past 20 years there have been defended 25 doctoral (Doctor of Sciences) and 104 Ph.D. theses and high skilled experts for foreign countries have been trained. IIPC takes active part in international collaboration with some leading scientific institutions, scientific industrial concerns and firms, higher educational establishments of Europe, Asia, America. A number of the IIPC scientists have carried out the joint researchs and pilot works, lectured in England, Holland, Germany, USA, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Pakistan and so forth.
A number of international workshops and conferences were organized by IIPC in Baku: All-Union conference on physico-chemical analyses of semiconductors and chromatography (1982), International conference on the processes of self-spreading high-temperature synthesis (1982), the 3rd Soviet-Indian seminar on Catalysis and Progress in chemical technology (1986), etc. Results of scientific investigations of the Institute's scientists were awarded with Lenin Prize (1961) and twice by the Azerbaijan State Prize (1978, 1980). 10 scientists of the IIPC were elected (1994) as members of the New York Academy of sciences.
In 1972 the Nakhchivan Scientific Center was founded, which treats the scientific grounds of complex treatment of mineral and vegetable resources of the Autonomic Republic, and in 1981 the Special Experimental Design Bureau was founded under the Institute where a pilot complex processing of mineral raw is conducted.
Today the personnel of the IIPC has a great creative potential to carry out fundamental and applied investigations in the field of inorganic and physical chemistry and directs this potential to further improvement of chemical and metallurgical production technologies, the application of the achievements to ecological clean and economic productions and technological processes in the name of prosperity of the sovereign Azerbaijan Republic.