Debrecen4U August 28, 2025

A major international conference was held at the University

After twenty-two years, the most important international conference on chiroptic spectroscopy was held again in Hungary, this time at the University of Debrecen. 

“Nobel Prize-winning chemist Bernard L. Feringa opened the 20th International Conference on Chiroptical Spectroscopy, which was organized in Hungary again after twenty-two years at the University of Debrecen. The four-day conference featured presentations by renowned researchers from all over the world on the latest chiroptical techniques and their applications in the spatial structure of organic molecules,” unideb.hu reported.

Chiroptical spectroscopy is a structural analysis method that examines the interaction of chiral, non-racemic substances with polarized light, thereby determining their spatial structure. According to one of the most renowned chemists in the field, chirality is the very imprint of life.

“Biopolymers essential for life, DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates all exist in mirror-image forms, of which one predominates in the living world. Life would not exist without them. It is still a mystery and a source of considerable debate as to what caused the predominant presence of one form in living organisms. At this conference, discussions on the topic have been ongoing for decades, and we are giving lectures on the fundamental approaches to chirality. Chiroptic spectroscopy is also extremely important for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, as many chiral active ingredients are marketed in only one stereoisomer, because the other stereoisomers can have different, even harmful, effects,” Nobel Prize-winning chemist Bernard L. Feringa told unideb.hu who arrived at the University of Debrecen on Monday for the 20th International Chiroptic Spectroscopy Conference.

A Global Conference with Local Significance

The conference, which is organized every two years, originally started in Central and Eastern Europe, but nowadays it is hosted by the largest cities in the world; it was most recently hosted in Hiroshima, and before that in New York. This gives special significance to the fact that Hungary can host the international conference for the third time.

“It was organized in Budapest in 1987 by Professors Márton Kajtár, Miklós Hollósy, and Sándor Antus, but this is the first time that we can welcome the most respected representatives of the field in Debrecen. With the four-day conference, we also pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor Koji Nakanishi, the defining researcher of chiropractic stethoscopy,” Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology of the University of Debrecen, Tibor Kurtán, emphasized.

Members of Koji Nakanishi’s former research group, who work on the topic, were also invited to the conference, and they will commemorate the renowned researcher in two separate sections. The conference series celebrates its 40th anniversary, as it was first organized in Sofia in 1985.

The University of Debrecen has played a key role in advancing the field

Former head of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Debrecen, Sándor Antus introduced chiroptical spectroscopy to the University of Debrecen, and the research group that built on his work is now internationally recognized.

Another iconic figure in the field was Márton Kajtár, a stereochemist in our country. It is no coincidence that his former student, András Perczel, also actively participated in the organization of the conference.

“The field itself is relatively narrow, so, as always, about 150 experts gathered for the conference. It is like a big family, so this meeting is both scientific and friendly, where generations have grown up,” head of the Department of Organic Chemistry of Eötvös Loránd University, András Perczel, summed up.

Welcoming the World to Debrecen

The conference’s renowned speakers were welcomed by Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Gróf Tisza István Foundation for the University of Debrecen, György Kossa; Chancellor Zoltán Bács; and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology of UD Ferenc Kun at the Kenézy Villa on Tuesday. It was stated at the informal meeting that the institution is always happy to host events that can not only enhance the knowledge of students but also help the scientific activities of teachers and researchers.

Source:dehir.hu, sciencedirect.com | Photo credit: Facebook (Debrecen városa)