ST.XAVIER'S COLLEGE
Department of Chemistry
In the year 1924, the Chemistry Department was established at the intermediate level by the initiatives taken by Rev. Fr. Hartenstein. It became an undergraduate department in 1955 under the guidance of dedicated faculty members like Prof. Srinivasan, Prof. D. Felix Packianathan, Prof. K. Pattan, and Prof. V. Rajadurai.
In 2003, under the leadership of Prof. D. Felix Packianathan, the M.Sc. Chemistry program was started in the self-financing section with Dr. S. Stanly John Xavier as the first co-coordinator. The department celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2005 during the headship of Prof. V. Rajadurai.
In 2011, the department was promoted to the level of a research center under Dr. S. Agustine Thomas. The department celebrated its Diamond Jubilee and a mega alumni meet in 2015.
In 2017, Dr. M. S. Selvakumar led the department to success during the 4th NAAC cycle, enhancing the department's reputation. Under his leadership, faculty members like Dr. Stanly John Xavier, Dr. Maria Magdalane, Dr. V. Jeyabal, and Dr. S. Mary Jelastine Kala completed major and minor projects.
In 2020, Dr. Y. Jaya Vinse Ruban organized a record-breaking 27-hour quiz event. The department also exhibited 100 experiments during the college's centenary celebration, winning first place among the science departments.
The department currently has eight Ph.D. holders serving as faculty members, with five additional faculty members in the self-supporting M.Sc. Chemistry section. The department is well supported by lab assistants and storekeepers. The research center has modern instruments including rotary vacuum distillators, UV-Vis spectrophotometers, FT-IR spectrophotometers, and more.
Our research focuses on the following areas:
Currently, 15 Ph.D. scholars are conducting research under the guidance of nine recognized research guides.
The department is equipped with three laboratories for regular classes, two research laboratories, and an air-conditioned instrumentation room. A dedicated department library with over 450 books is available for students. The department also maintains a YouTube channel, “Xaverian Chemtube,” which regularly features quiz competitions through the “Xaverian Quiz Series.”