Academician Gheorghe Duca

(February 29, 1952, Copaceni, Singerei,  Republic of Moldova)

Chemist, scientific fields: chemical kinetics and catalysis; environmental and ecological chemistry; redox processes with electron transfer; hydrogen peroxide in the environment, agriculture, food products, and biomedicine; self-purification processes of natural waters; water purification technologies; chemical risk assessment; environmental education.
Doctor habilitate in chemical sciences (1988)

  • University Professor (1988)
  • Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (1992)
  • Full Member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (2000)
 Duca G

Born on February 29, 1952, in the village of Copaceni, Singerei district, currently in the Republic of Moldova. Graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry of the Moldova State University (1974). In 1979, he obtained the PhD degree in Physical Chemistry at the Moldova State University with the thesis entitled “Catalysis of the oxidation of tartaric and dihydroxyfumaric acids.” Between 1985 and 1988, he completed postdoctoral training at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Russia. In 1989, he obtained the Doctor habilitate degree in Environmental Protection, specializing in Kinetics and Catalysis, at Odessa State University with the thesis “Mechanisms of eco-chemical processes in aquatic environments.” In 1992, he was elected Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, and in 2000 Full Member of the same institution. Between 2004 and 2018, he served as President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova.

Immediately after graduation, he joined higher education. He served as Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Moldova State University (1988–1992), professor at Tiraspol State University (based in Chișinău, 2020), Head of the Laboratory of Applied and Ecological Chemistry, USM (1992–1998), Head of the Department of Ecological and Industrial Chemistry at MSU (1992–1998), professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of MSU (1988–present), President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (2004–2018), President of the Chemical Society of the Republic of Moldova (2011–present), professor at the Faculty of Exact Sciences of “D. Cantemir” State University (2011–2020), and Chairman of the Scientific Council of Doctoral Schools of “D. Cantemir” State University (2019–present).

Academician Gheorghe Duca completed numerous training internships abroad in environmental engineering (Sapienza University of Rome, 1989–1990), environmental management (EERO, Netherlands, 1993), environmental impact assessment (Central European University, Budapest, 1996), environmental education (University of California, Riverside, 2000), managerial programs (CRDF and NSF, West Virginia, 2000), and water and waste analysis (American Chemical Society, New Orleans, 2001), as well as serving as visiting professor at Sichuan University, China (2016–2023).

He held important administrative positions in central public authorities: Head of the Parliamentary Commission for Education, Science, Culture, Youth, Mass Media and Sports (1998–2001), Minister of Ecology, Construction and Territorial Development of the Republic of Moldova (2001–2004), and member of the Government of the Republic of Moldova (2001–2018). He was designated by the Government of Moldova as the responsible person for signing key international agreements, including with the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF, 2000), the Memorandum of Understanding with the European Commission regarding Moldova’s participation in the EU Seventh Framework Programme (2011), and the Association Agreement to Horizon 2020 (2014).

Since 2006, he has been Director of the Center of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry of the Institute of Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (since 2022 – of the Moldova State University). He is the founder of the scientific school of Ecological Chemistry and conducts fundamental and applied research in physical, ecological, and environmental chemistry. He contributed to the development of ecological chemistry concepts by studying environmental phenomena through chemical, physicochemical, and biochemical processes. His research focused on elucidating mechanisms of redox transformations in chemical technologies, environmental systems, and biomedicine.

Based on studies of various systems, a general scheme of hydrogen peroxide interaction with metal ions and their complexes was developed, demonstrating the formation of free radicals and reactive intermediates in redox processes. The properties of these intermediates were explained through the Theory of redox processes involving coordination compounds with partial charge transfer (CTPS), according to which thermodynamic equilibrium is established between the primary complex and an electronically excited complex due to partial intramolecular transfer of one or two electrons from donor to acceptor at room temperature. Detailed studies of CTPS systems confirmed the applicability of this theory in homogeneous catalysis, wastewater treatment, winemaking, and biochemical processes in the human body. This theory has become an important contribution to both fundamental science and technological applications, as well as to understanding environmental phenomena.

Based on his research, technologies were developed for physicochemical and biochemical wastewater treatment, waste valorization, production of medicinal and cosmetic substances, reduction of atmospheric pollutants, methods for assessing chemical risks in lung and gastrointestinal cancers, and new procedures for obtaining biologically active substances.

He is author and co-author of over 1800 published works, including 443 scientific articles, 166 patents, 94 monographs, books and manuals, 515 science popularization works, and more than 430 conference presentations; he has also edited 136 publications.

He has supervised 30 PhD and 6 Doctor habilitate theses. He has participated in over 400 national and international conferences and symposia (United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, China, USA, France, Germany, Russia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.). He led State Programs (2004–2008, 2014–2016) and currently leads the national project “Physicochemical mechanisms of redox processes with electron transfer involved in vital, technological and environmental systems” (2020–2023). He has extensive experience in international projects such as INTERREG, FP7, Horizon 2020, CRDF, etc.

He has been a member of the Board of Directors of All European Academies (ALLEA, 2018–2020), the Board of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (2011–2018), the Board of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea Scientific Cooperation Fund (BSCSF, 2010–2021), the Joint Research Centre (JRC, 2013–2021), and the DANUBIUS-RI research infrastructure network (2013–2021).

He is a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2018), Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan (2016), Russian Academy of Sciences (2012), International Higher Education Academy (Russia, 2011), National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2009), honorary member of the Romanian Academy (2007), European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2007), World Federation of Scientists (2006), Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (2006), Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences “Gheorghe Ionescu-Șisești” (Romania, 2006), International Noosphere Academy (Russia, 2005), and the Chemical Societies of the USA (2002) and Poland (2010).

He holds the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from multiple universities in Moldova (ASEM, UEFS, ULIM, Bălți, Cahul, Tiraspol, Comrat), as well as the University of Oradea (2019), Apollonia University of Iași (2018), Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (2018), “Vasile Goldiș” University of Arad (2006), “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași (2000), and other institutions in Bulgaria, Belarus, and the Russian Federation.

He has been awarded numerous distinctions, including the Order “Finis Coronat Opus” (Kingdom of Belgium, 2018), the Order of the Crown of Romania, Commander rank (2015), the “Order of the Republic” (Republic of Moldova, 2011), the WIPO Gold Medal (2011), the “Gloria Muncii” Order (2007), the “Cultural Merit” Order (Romania, 2006), and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Honor (Poland, 2004), among others.

Works

Scientific, didactic and administrative activity

Projects, reports, grants

Membership in professional societies and organizations 

Awards, titles and distinctions 

Personal Webpage

References

  1. Aniversări 70 ani - Chimistul Gheorghe DUCA, 03 martie 2022
  2. Acad. Gheorghe DUCA, CEEChemistry 2022, 3 martie 2022
  3. Acad. Gheorghe DUCA: „Eu cred în Academie și consider că vor veni vremuri bune și pentru noi cei care produc pentru societate cunoaștere, plus valoare și încredere în viitor. Avem nevoie ca în academie să vină o altă generație…”, 14 decembrie 2021
  4. „Știință și inovare“, 28 noiembrie 2021
  5. Ştiinţa în Republica Moldova, 15 iulie 2021
  6. Națiunile produc știință și tehnologie pentru a sprijini dezvoltarea proprie într-un sistem economic global, 9 iulie 2021
  7. Replica președintelui Academiei de Științe a Moldovei, acad. Gheorghe Duca, 19 aprilie 2016
  8. Inovații implementate în industrie sub conducerea academicianului Gheorghe Duca, 29 februarie 2016
  9. EuroDictionar cu Gheorghe Duca, 16 august 2015
  10. Academician Gheorghe Duca: Biobibliografie / Acad. de Ştiinţe a Moldovei, Bibl. Şt. Centrală „Andrei Lupan” (Inst.); ed.: Constantin Manolache; resp. ed.: Ion Valer Xenofontov; Chişinău, Bibl. Şt. Centrală „Andrei Lupan” (Inst.), 2017, 304 p.
  11. Membrii Academiei de Ştiinţe a Moldovei: Dicţionar (1961–2006)/Acad. de Şt. a Moldovei / Col. „Academica”, Chișinău, ÎEP Ştiinţa, 2006, pp. 59-62.
  12. Demir Dragnev, Constantin Manolache, Ion Valerie Xenofontov. Republica Moldova – 25 ani. Repere istorice. Istoria ştiinţei/Acad. de Ştiinţe a Moldovei, Bibl. Şt. Centrală «Andrei Lupan» (Inst.), Centrul de Cercetări Enciclopedice, Chişinău, Biblioteca Ştiinţifică Centrală, 2016, p. 117.
  13. Academicianul Gheorghe Duca: Schiţa genealogică / Alexandru Furtună, Mihai Adauge; resp. de ed.: Constantin Manolache; rec.: Ion Jarcuţchi; Acad. de Ştiinţe a Moldovei, Inst. de Studii Enciclopedice. – Chişinău : Inst. de Studii Enciclopedice, 2012, 63 p.
  14. Treptele unui urcuş: Profil de savant – Gheorghe Duca / Dumitru Batîr. – Chişinău: Î.E.P. Ştiinţa, 2004, 175 p.
  15. Academia de Științe a Moldovei. Academicieni și membri corespondenți. Duca Gh. (coord.), Chișinău, 2015, 192 p.
  16. Aricu A., Nastas R., Cocu M. The Institute of Chemistry at 60 years anniversary. Brief history, ac