During the past years the members of the teaching and scientific staff of the department have made great efforts in organization and improvement of teaching in order to prepare highly qualified specialists able to solve complex theoretical and experimental problems.

           As a specific feature of the teaching at the Department there could ever been mentioned the combination of the profound theoretical education in main topics with experimental training in the practical laboratories and with own scientific research.

           The results of many investigations fulfilled have become a valuable contribution into international scientific expertize. The early studies in the chemistry of rare elements fulfilled under the supervision of the Science Academy members, Professors V.I. Spitsin and A.V. Novoselova were connected with the creation of the technology of Mo, W and Be separation from ores and development of the chemistry of these elements and uranium.

           A substansial development of the scientific potential of the Department has started after the transfer of MSU to the new campus at Vorobjovy Hills. Already in 1953 the Department consisted of 5 scientific laboratories - the Laboratory of Chemistry of Rare Elements (Full Member of the USSR Science Academy Professor V.I. Spitsin), Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Heterogeneous Equilibria (Full Member of the USSR Science Academy Professor A.V. Novoselova), Laboratory of Chemistry of Platinum Metals (Full Member of the USSR Science Academy Professor I.I. Chernyaev), Radiochemistry Laboratory (Corresponding Member of the USSR Science Academy Professor A.N. Nesmeyanov) and Laboratory of X-Ray Crystallography (Associate Professor Yu.P. Simanov). In 1956-1967 were organized laboratories where the studies were carried out on wide range of problems in chemistry and physics of semiconductors, separation of Zr and Hf, application of mathematical methods in the planning of experiments. At the same time the research in the chemistry of Te, Se, Sc and rare earths was intensively developing.

           The comprehensive investigations carried out laid the physicochemical background for the synthesis of new compounds and materials possesing valuable electric (semiconductors, ferroelectrics, solid electrolytes), magnetic (ferrites) and optical (chalcogenide spinels) properties.

           Since 1988 at the department started the intensive development of a new research direction - the chemistry of high temperature superconductors (HTSC), which now includes such areas as the synthesis and crystal chemical diagnostics of new compounds possessing HTSC properties; development of deposition techniques for the preparation of superconducting films; development of the scientific pr inci ples of techniques to prepare the ceramics with high critical current values. The discovery of a new generation of HTSC by E.V. Anti pov and S.N. Putilin has become a pride of the Department. During the last years has significantly improved the international reputation of the Department, increased the number of publications in the international scientific journals. The International Workshop on Chemistry and Technology of HTSC Materials (MSU-HTSC), which has already become traditional, achieved a great success.

           The scientists of the Department has got a great merit for the development of the national scientific periodicals. Thus Russian Journal of Inorganic Chemistry was during a long time headed by V.I. Spitsin and A.V. Novoselova and Russian Chemical Journal by Yu.D. Tretyakov.

           In the frame of the research program "Universities of Russia" created in 1992 at the Department are carried out the studies aimed at creation of HTSC and sensor materials and formation of highly qualified specialists in the field of Materials Science. The latter part of this program is successfully realized at both the Deartment and at the Department of Materials Sciences, the new faculty of MSU, which creation was initiated by the department of Inorganic Chemistry.

           The contemporary scientific image of the Department is originating from the comprehensive, original and profound character of the investigations carried out, including the development of the chemical synergism as a new scientific instrument in creation of unusual substances and materials. At the department at present are functioning 6 research laboratories, those of Inorganic Crystal Chemistry, Chemistry of Coordination Compounds, Chemistry and Physics of Semiconductor Materials, Soft Inorganic Synthesis, Inorganic Materials Science and Diagnostics of Inorganic Materials.

The Department today

• sublimators SNH-15 ("Usifroid", France)
• spray drier "Buchi 190" (Switzerland)
• original installations for MOCVD processing of films Ya-15000 and 00-102 TG devices ("MOI", Hungary)
• laboratory dispergator ("Fritsch", Germany), dispersion analyzer ("Fritsch", Germany), hot pressing equipment ("Klein", Germany)
• low temperature resisto- and magnetometers, dylatometers and equipment for high temperature measurements of resistivity in gaseous media with different partial presure of oxygen
• transition electron microscope JEM 2000FX (Japan)
• scanning electron microscope REM 100U
• laser mass-spectrometer LAMMA-1000 ("Leybold-Heraus", FRG) (qualitative elementary microanalysis, microanalysis of admixtures in materials, local phase analysis, microanalysis of organometallic and isotope substituted compounds, layer by layer analysis of thin films, microanalysis of the products of sorption)
• mass-spectrometer of secondary ions and neutral molecules INA-3 ("Leybold-Heraus", FRG) (quantitative analysis of surface, layer by layer analysis of surfacial and interface layers, the products of isotope substitution)
• modern powder (STADI-P) and single-crystal (CAD-4) X-ray diffractometers, permitting to fulfill precisive structure investigations
• two DRON-3M X-ray difractometers, four Guigne cameras
• Auger microprobe analyzer JAMP-10 ("JEOL")