Over the years, main group chemistry has led to discoveries that have greatly affected our understanding of the fundamentals of science and given rise to compounds of practical importance. For example, qualitative bonding models have contributed to our knowledge of chemical reactivity, and materials such as semiconductors, ceramics, and polymers have found a range of applications. More recent developments in the field have shown that the chemistry of heavier main group elements has more parallels with transition metals than with their lighter congeners, allowing the isolation of many previously unknown species and observing their novel reactivity.
Main group chemistry research at the University of Jyväskylä combines elements from inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, and fuses together the departmental focal areas in Functional Molecules and Materials and Chemical Nanoscience. At the faculty level, our research group is affiliated with the Nanoscience Centre, a collaborative research unit focussing on molecular nanoscience. We have also established many national and international collaborations that involve sharing expertise and infrastructure, and thereby further the research objectives of the group.
