{"id":3689,"date":"2026-01-04T22:24:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T16:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=3689"},"modified":"2026-01-05T11:28:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T05:58:52","slug":"famous-chemistry-scientists-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/famous-chemistry-scientists-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous Chemistry Scientists of India and their Contributions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From ancient to modern times, the contributions of Indian scientists to chemistry have been significant. In\u00a0<strong>ancient India<\/strong>, chemistry was known as\u00a0<strong>Rasayan Shastra<\/strong>\u00a0or Rasatantra or Rasakriya. In the early years<strong>\u00a0after independence<\/strong>, Indian chemists contributed immensely to what came to be called\u00a0<strong>'reverse engineering'\u00a0<\/strong>and they perfected the market for the manufacture of cheap generic drugs so much so that India has now come to be known as a\u00a0<strong>'pharmacy of the world',\u00a0<\/strong>ranking 3rd in pharmaceutical production.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Development of Chemistry in India<\/h2>\r\n<p><strong>Science and Technology<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0<strong>ancient and medieval India<\/strong>\u00a0covered all the major branches of human knowledge and activities, including mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, medical science and surgery.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Ancient India's contribution to Science and Technology included\u00a0<strong>principles of chemistry\u00a0<\/strong>that did not remain abstract but also found expression in practical activities like the distillation of perfumes, and aromatic liquids, manufacturing of dyes and pigments and extraction of sugar.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC):<\/strong>\u00a0In pottery making during the IVC, chemical processes were carried out in which materials were mixed, fired and moulded to achieve their objectives.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Residents of the IVC had\u00a0<strong>access to gold and copper mining<\/strong>, and the area was possibly a source of semi-precious stones. This is seen in the jewellery recovered in the vicinity.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Vedic Age:\u00a0<\/strong>The chemical activities of this period were illuminated by the\u00a0<strong>Puranas<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Upanishads<\/strong>. The Indian alchemists were skilled at casting metals, extracting metals from their ores, and smelting metals.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>For example: The\u00a0<strong>Ramayana and the Mahabharata<\/strong>\u00a0mention weapons with arrowheads coated with a variety of chemicals, indicating their knowledge of\u00a0<strong>Alchemy<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Vaiseshika Darsana of Kanada<\/strong>\u00a0propounded the\u00a0<strong>concept of the atom<\/strong>\u00a0and its indivisibility and the law of cause and effect.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>\u2018Artha Sastra\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0also describes the qualities of Gold and silver.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Gupta Empire: Nagarjuna, the famous alchemist lived during this period. The use of mercury and iron in medicines indicates a deep knowledge and understanding of Chemistry.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Due to the smiths' knowledge of\u00a0<strong>advanced metal technology<\/strong>, bronze images of the\u00a0<strong>Buddha\u00a0<\/strong>began to be produced on a large scale. The Mehrauli\u00a0<strong>Iron Pillar\u00a0<\/strong>stands free of rust and corrosion for centuries.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>In Medieval India<\/strong>, gold making and elixir synthesis were the two main characteristic streams of alchemy.\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The\u00a0<strong>Rasvidya\u00a0<\/strong>(Indian Alchemy texts) reveal the use of a variety of organic and inorganic substances.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Famous Chemistry Scientists of India<\/h2>\r\n<p>The achievements of Indian scientists have been recognized at the global level. These achievements will play a decisive role in India joining the list of developed countries.<\/p>\r\n<p>Some prominent Indians who excelled in the field of chemistry are given below:<\/p>\r\n<h3>Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944)<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/prafulla_chandra_ray_9cf09dc6db.png\" alt=\"prafulla chandra ray\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Prafulla Chandra Ray was a chemist and industrialist who founded Bengal Chemicals &amp; Pharmaceuticals (India\u2019s first pharmaceutical company).<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He is regarded as the \u2018Father of Chemical Science in India\u2019 and he established the first Indian research school in chemistry.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He contributed to inorganic and organic nitrites.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>In 1895 he reported the first synthesis of the hitherto unknown mercurous nitrite, Hg2(NO2)2.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Around 1914, he initiated work on organic thio compounds like thiols, thioethers, and related species and their binding to metals.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Books: A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of Sixteenth Century (1902), \u2018Life and Experience of a Bengali Chemist\u2019 (autobiography).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (1934)<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/cnr_rao_b59cbbba19.png\" alt=\"cnr rao\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Professor C.N.R. Rao is a well-known expert in structural and solid-state chemistry.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He has contributed significantly to chemical spectroscopy, molecular structure, surface chemistry, and high-temperature superconductivity.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>His early research focussed on the application of spectroscopic techniques to study molecular structure.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>He studied many chemically important issues using electronic and vibrational spectroscopy, including correlations between spectra and structural features, the effects of the environment, vibration analysis, etc.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>His research has paved the way for the creation of comprehensive models that explain the behaviour of numerous metal oxides and sulfides.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Awards: He is the winner of the first India Science Award, (2006).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, and Bharat Ratna (2014).<\/p>\r\n<h3>Har Gobind Khorana (1922-2011)<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/har_gobind_khorana_67ca1d2695.png\" alt=\"har gobind khorana\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Har Gobind Khorana was a founder of chemical biology and a pioneer in molecular biology.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He was one of the first researchers to show the function of nucleotides in protein synthesis and helped to crack the genetic code.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He had synthesised a more complex molecule, Coenzyme A, which is involved in digestion.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>This success marked him as one of the most important biological chemists of his time.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>In 1972, he completed the total synthesis of a functional gene outside a living organism.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>He also showed it could function appropriately in a bacterium.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Awards: Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for contributions toward elucidating the genetic code.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (1894-1955)<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/shanti_swarup_bhatnagar_3112188317.png\" alt=\"shanti swarup bhatnagar\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar played a significant part in the building of post-independent S&amp;T infrastructure and in the formulation of India\u2019s S&amp;T policies.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He was the Founder-Director of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He did considerable work in applied and industrial chemistry.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>The first industrial problem undertaken by him was the development of a process to convert bagasse (peelings of sugarcane) into food cake for cattle.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Best known for making wax odourless, he also discovered how to make the kerosene flame taller and larger, thus helping multitudes of Indian households.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Book: \u2018Physical Principles and Applications of Magneto Chemistry (Bhatnagar jointly with K.N. Mathur)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Awards:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Order of the British Empire: Based on his significant contributions to both pure and applied chemistry, the British government awarded Bhatnagar the Order of the British Empire in 1936.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Padma Vibhusan.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>The \"Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science &amp; Technology\" was instituted in his honour by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research in various fields of science.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar (1943)<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/dr_raghunath_anant_mashelkar_8768e84420.png\" alt=\"dr raghunath anant mashelkar\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is one of India\u2019s most eminent scientists known for his contributions to India\u2019s National Chemical Laboratory and CSIR.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Dr Mashelkar\u2019s pioneering research in polymer science and engineering is covered in several research journals.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He is best known for his crusade against the US patents on turmeric, neem and basmati rice.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Arguing that the healing properties of turmeric are well known as traditional knowledge in India, he fought a successful legal battle to revoke the patent. This victory was so significant that it changed the way patents were classified, and earned him the moniker of \u2018The Warrior of Haldighati\u2019.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Awards:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Padmashri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>First Indian to be elected a Fellow<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Venkataraman Ramakrishnan (1952)<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/venkataraman_ramakrishnan_373f4cbce1.png\" alt=\"venkataraman ramakrishnan\" \/><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Venkataraman Ramakrishnan is a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist. His contributions include work on the atomic structure of the ribosome.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He studied the structure of chromatin and histone, which aids in the understanding of how DNA is arranged in cells.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He determined the atomic structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit and then the structures of the whole ribosome in a variety of states and in complexes with various antibiotics.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>He explained through the 3D technique how ribosomes react with different chemicals.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on ribosomal structure and was knighted in 2012.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From ancient to modern times, contributions of Indian scientists to chemistry have been significant. Chemistry was known as Rasayan Shastra or Rasatantra or Rasakriya in ancient India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[614,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-3689","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-quest-level-3","8":"tag-famous-chemistry-scientists-of-india","9":"tag-quest"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19790,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3689\/revisions\/19790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}