Staff:
1. Assoc. Prof. Nina Dimitrova Dimcheva, PhD – Head of Department
2. Prof. Vassil Borisov Delchev, PhD, DSc
3. Assoc. Prof. Maria Kostadinova Stoyanova, PhD
4. Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Nikolaev Petrov, PhD
5. Assist. Prof. Vanina Vasileva Ivanova, PhD
6. Assist. Prof. Hristiana Nikolaeva Krasteva, PhD
7. Assist. Prof. Cvetina Dimitrova Stoinova
8. Ivanka Georgieva Angelova, MSc

• Biocatalysis and Bioelectrochemistry
  Research focused on catalytic activities and electrochemical characteristics of oxidative enzymes immobilized on carbonaceous matrices; modification of electrodes by electrically active enzymes, platinum group metals and related studies (linear and cyclic voltammetry, rotating-disk electrode technique, potential step methods etc.). Fields of interests: electrochemistry; electrocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis; development of carbon matrix-immobilized enzymes; enzyme-modified graphite and noble metal electrodes; amperometric biosensors, fuel cells.
  Team:
  Assoc. Prof. Nina D. Dimcheva, PhD
  Undergraduate and graduate students

  Selected publications:
  1. T. Dodevska, E. Horozova and N. Dimcheva, “Electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide on modified graphite electrodes: application to the development of glucose biosensors”. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. (2006) 386 (5) 1413-1418.
  2. N. Dimcheva and E. Horozova, “Horseradish peroxidase-based organic phase enzyme electrode”, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. (2005) 382 (6), 1374-1379.
  3. N. Dimcheva, E.Horozova and T.Shougova, “The Enzyme source effect on the performance of a catalase organic phase enzyme electrode”, Monats. fuer Chemie, (2005) 136, 147-152.
  4. N. Dimcheva, E. Horozova and Z.Jordanova, “A Glucose Oxidase Immobilized Electrode Based on Modified Graphite”, Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung (2002) 57C, 705-711. 5. E. Horozova, N. Dimcheva and Z. Jordanova, “Study of Catalase Electrode for Organic Peroxides Assays”, Bioelectrochemistry (2002) 58, 181-187.

• Environmental Catalysis
  The research group working on environmental heterogeneous catalysis, is involved in the development of advanced oxide materials with potential application as catalysts for the abatement of highly toxic compounds in aqueous solutions and in gaseous emissions. The investigations are focused on the following topics: – Synthesis and characterization of new individual and mixed oxide systems of transitional metals Ni, Co Fe, Mn (bulk and supported) as an active phase of low-temperature catalysts for pollution abatement. – Investigation on the activity and selectivity of catalytic systems in ecologically important catalytic reactions (liquid phase oxidation of alcohols, aldehydes, phenols and their derivatives, cyanides, and sulfides as well as oxidation of CO and VOC’s in an gaseous phase). – Studies on the interrelationship between structural and chemical properties of solid materials and their catalytic properties – Investigation on the regularities of the liquid phase catalytic oxidation reactions of organic compounds. – Development of new solutions for the treatment of waste water containing highly toxic compounds either of organic origin (alchohols, aldehydes, phenols and the derived from them) or of inorganic origin (CO, cyanides, sulfides, arsenic and ions of heavy metals along with ammonium salts). – Development of methods for the treatment of cyanogenic waste in a galvanic production.
  Team:
  Assoc. Prof. Maria Stoyanova, PhD
  Assist. Prof. Vanina Ivanova, PhD

  Selected publications:
  1. St. Christoskova, M. Stoyanova, “Catalytic degradation of CH2O and C6H5CH2OH in wastewaters”, Water Research, 36 (2002) 2297-2303.
  2. St. Christoskova, M. Stoyanova, M. Georgieva, “Mixed Ni-Mn- oxide systems as catalysts for complete oxidation. Part II: Kinetic study of liquid-phase oxidation of phenol”, Applied Catalysis A: General, 249 (2003) 295-302.
  3. M.Stoyanova, St. Christoskova, M. Georgieva, “Aqueous phase catalytic oxidation of cyanides over iron-modified cobalt oxide system”, Applied Catalysis A: General, 274 (2004) 133-138.
  4. M. Stoyanova, S. Christoskova, “Novel Ni-Fe- oxide systems for catalytic oxidation of cyanide in an aqueous phase”, Central European Journal of Chemistry, 3 (2) (2005) 295-310.
  5. St. Christoskova, M.Stoyanova, D. Vasilev, “Active oxygen in oxide catalytic systems for environmental catalysis” Monatshefte fur Chemie, 137 (8) (2006) 1043-1051

• Computational chemistry
  The major scientific investigations can be summarized into three groups: i) theoretical study of intramolecular proton transfers in  -dicarbonyl compounds, as well as in the nucleic acid bases, barbiturates etc.; ii) conformation analysis of flexible organic molecules, such as malonaldehyde, acetylacetone, oxaloacetic acid and other; iii) theoretical investigation of the intermolecular H-bonding and intermolecular (solvent-assisted) proton transfer in the nucleic acid bases. All computations are performed by means of GAUSSIN 03, GAUSSIAN 98 and GAMESS program packages available in the research group and installed on the computational server at the Technical university of Vienna (Austria).
  Team:
  Prof. V. Delchev, PhD, DSc

  Selected publications:
  1. V. B. Delchev, “Hydrogen bonded complexes of acetylacetone and methanol: HF and DFT level study” (2004) Monatshefte für Chemie, 135:3, 249-260.
  2. V. B. Delchev, H. Mikosch, “H-bonded complexes between acetylacetone and two molecules of methanol: HF and DFT level study” (2005) Journal of Molecular Modeling, 11:6, 474-480.
  3. V. B. Delchev, H. Mikosch, “DFT study of the gas phase proton transfer in guanine assisted by water, methanol and hydrogen peroxide” (2006) Journal of Molecular Modeling, 12:2, 229-236.
  4. V. B. Delchev, H. Mikosch, “Theoretical study of the hydrogen-bonded complexes serotonin-water/hydrogen peroxide” (2006) Journal of Molecular Modeling, 12:3, 272-280.
  5. V. B. Delchev, H. Mikosch, “Theoretical study of the intermolecular H-bonding and intermolecular proton transfer between isocytosine tautomeric forms and R,S-lactic acid ” (2007) Journal of Molecular Modeling, 13:1, 19-28