History

The Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences was established on November 18, 1964 on the basis of the Council of Ministers Decree No. 352/64, advancing the Department of Organic Synthesis of the Polish Academy of Sciences to the rank of a Research Institute. However, the scientific activity of the facility began in 1954 with the establishment of the Department of Organic Synthesis of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The first director of the Department was Professor Osman Achmatowicz. His function was taken over in 1957 by Professor Tadeusz Urbanski.

The Department of Organic Synthesis of the Polish Academy of Sciences initially had 13 laboratories, which, due to the reconstruction of the war-torn country, were located in the buildings of the university’s chemical faculties. Five of these laboratories – led by professors: Osman Achmatowicz, Wiktor Lampe, Wanda Polaczkowa, Stanisław Malinowski and Tadeusz Urbański – were located in Warsaw. There were two laboratories in Łódź: the first was led by Professor Bolesław Bochwic, and then Professor Jan Michalski, and the Head of the second was Professor Eligia Turska. There were two laboratories in Wrocław, headed by professors Tadeusz Rabek and Zdzisław Tomasik. The remaining laboratories were located in Poznań, Kraków, Gliwice and Gdańsk, and were headed by professors Jerzy Suszko, Jan Moszew, Włodzimierz Kisielów and Zygmunt Ledóchowski, respectively.

In 1965, the Warsaw laboratories of the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences were moved to Kasprzaka 44/52 Street and temporarily located there in new pavilions built for the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the same year, the administrative structure of the Institute was established, consisting of departments and laboratories. Since the Institute of Organic Chemistry shared the area at Kasprzaka Street with the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a decision was made to partially joint administrative and technical services. Currently, the Institutes are completely independent and use only the auditorium and the library together.

In the organizational structure of the Institute of Organic Chemistry PAS, from the date of its establishment to the end of 1970, the Production and Services Center operated, on the basis of which, in 1971, by the decision of the Academy authorities, the “Chemipan” Experimental Department of the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS and the Institute of Organic Chemistry PAS was established. For 12 years, the Department was a separate organizational unit in full economic settlement. The subject of the Department’s activity was and still is the introduction of scientific achievements to the economy, mainly on the basis of scientific research of the IPC PAS and IOC PAS. In 1983, by the decision of the Scientific Secretary of the Polish Academy of Sciences, “Chemipan” was incorporated into the structure of the IPC PAS, however, pursuant to the above decision, the structure of the Department, the appointment of management and the annual production programs are approved in agreement with the IOC PAS management.

The first director of the Institute was Professor Tadeusz Urbański. His successors were: Professor Marian Kocór (from April 1967 to July 1972), Professor Paweł Nantka-Namirski (from July 1972 to July 1979) and Professor Mieczysław Mąkosza (from July 1979 to July 2004). From July 2004 to December 2010, Professor Marek Chmielewski was the Director of the IOC PAS, and from September 1, 2011 – Professor Sławomir Jarosz. Currently, this function is performed by Professor Daniel T. Gryko since September 1, 2019.

The Institute’s off-site facilities, located in Gliwice, Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław, split off in 1966, 1972, 1980 and 1986, respectively, and then gave rise to new facilities of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Thus, the Łódź facility was transformed into The Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, the Poznań facility was transformed into The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, the Gliwice facility was transformed into the Carbochemistry Department, and the Wrocław facility was incorporated into The Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research PAS.

Currently, 17 research groups work at the Institute.