From the citadel of Presidency College, Kolkata, the first ray of chemical education sprang in 1872-73. The preeminence of the Chemistry Department of Presidency College is due to Sir Alexander Pedler, FRS, who published the first research article in chemistry from India. In 1886 postgraduate teaching was introduced for the first time. In 1889 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, an alumnus, joined the college after returning from Edinburgh and paved the way for active and devoted researches in the field of chemistry. The department attracts the best talents in our undergraduate programme. Our students are placed as scientists and faculty members in the prestigious institutes in India and abroad.