The teaching of chemistry at VŠB-TU Ostrava was based on the pioneering tradition that had its roots in Příbram. This royal mining town, famous for its mines and smelters of lead and silver ore, became the seat of the Mining Academy in 1849, which was declared a university in 1894, but it was not until 1904 that it acquired all the rights of a university and the name: Vysoká škola báňská.
In 1951, VŠB was divided into three faculties: the Faculty of Mining, the Faculty of Metallurgy and the Faculty of Mining Engineering. The Faculty of Metallurgy and the Institute of Chemistry were located in the reconstructed building of the former Business Academy in the centre of Ostrava.
In 1955, the original Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry was renamed the Department of Chemistry.
In 1958, three new institutes were created within the Department of Chemistry. One of the newly established departments was the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Radiochemistry.
In 1962, the Department of Chemistry was divided into two separate departments: the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry.
In 1970, the Faculty of Metallurgy of the University of Science and Technology underwent a change in the organisational structure and composition of the departments. The Department of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry and the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry were merged to form a single DepartmentofChemistry.
In 1978, the Department of Theory of Metallurgical Processes was separated from the Department of Chemistry and incorporated as the Department of Physical Chemical Basis of Metallurgical Processes and Radioisotopes into the Department of Iron and Coke Metallurgy. The teaching of physical chemistry was also transferred to this Department. Two years later, the Department of Physico-Chemical Foundations of Metallurgical Processes and Radioisotopes was organizationally incorporated into the newly established Department of Non-Ferrous Metals.
After the construction of the new campus of the University of Science and Technology in Ostrava - Poruba in 1973, the management of the Department, some of the academics and the R&D laboratories moved to the new premises. However, the teaching laboratories remained in the original building in the centre of Ostrava.
In 1990, the transformation of the Faculty of Metallurgy at the VŠB was initiated. From the Institute of Physico-Chemical Foundations of Metallurgical Processes and Radionuclides an independent Department of Theory of Metallurgical Processes and Physical Chemistry was created.
In 1991 the Faculty of Metallurgy was renamed the Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering and the Department of Chemistry provided teaching of chemical subjects for the faculties of HGF, FMMI, FS and FEI.
After the abolition of the Department of Ecology at HGF, the Department of Chemistry established the Institute of Environmental Protection in Industry, to which the staff of the abolished Department was transferred. The Institute existed in the Department of Chemistry until the creation of a separate Department of Industrial Environmental Protection (616) in 2002.
In 1995, a degree programme in Process Engineering was approved, sponsored by the Department of Physical Chemistry and Process Theory (619).
In 1997, the Department of Chemistry was divided into two separate departments: the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Materials Testing (615) and the Department of Chemistry (617). Department 615 was partially relocated within the campus of VŠB-TU in Ostrava Poruba to Building N, the lecture laboratories remained in the original Building E, as did the laboratories of Department 617.
The joint Department of Chemistry was re-established on 1 January 2014.
On April 1, 2022, the Department of Chemistry and Physico-Chemical Processes (651) was created by merging three departments: the Department of Industrial Environmental Protection (616), the Department of Chemistry (617), and the Department of Physical Chemistry and Process Theory (619).