INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY

- Carry out science and technology tasks in the field of chemistry and related fields.

- Conduct training of science and technology personnel and engage in international cooperation in the field of chemistry and related fields.

- Provide certain science and technology services.

During the 2021–2025 period, the Institute of Chemistry led the implementation of 631 research projects and tasks at various levels. These included 90 state-level tasks, 287 tasks at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology level, and 254 institutional-level tasks. Most projects yielded positive results, with outputs meeting or exceeding the targets specified in the approved proposals.

From 2021 to 2025, the Institute of Chemistry published 1,670 works in domestic and international journals. This total comprised 1,310 international publications - including articles in SCI-E indexed journals (with over 65% classified as Q1 or Q2 according to SCImago rankings) and other international journals with ISSNs - as well as 360 domestic scientific papers. During this period, the Institute was granted 102 patents for inventions and utility solutions.

The Institute is a leading research entity in Vietnam specializing in the extraction and structural elucidation of natural compounds and essential oil research. It has participated in projects involving essential oils, such as:

- Surveying and identifying the country's essential oil resources, and researching the scientific and technical foundations for their extraction and production.

- Researching the production of flavoring agents from readily available raw materials, thereby laying the groundwork for the development of a flavoring industry in Vietnam. Conducting chemical surveys to identify valuable essential oil-bearing plants.

- Conducting chemical research to support interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at expanding and enhancing the production efficiency of specific essential oil plants with high export value.

- Researching processes for producing aroma chemicals (single fragrance compounds) from essential oils. Notably, research revealed that Vietnamese Ocimum basilicum L. (sweet basil) leaf essential oil contains 90% methyl chavicol - a value comparable to that of French basil harvested on the island of Corsica. This finding has created a high-value export product (priced at 30,000–40,000 USD per ton) and assisted the foreign trade sector in meeting essential oil export targets.

- A comprehensive survey of the star anise regions in Lang Son was conducted between 1970 and 1974, covering aspects such as resource volume, quality, and essential oil processing; the study concluded that the distillation process required modernization and recommended securing funding to import a complete distillation production line from the French company Tournaire. The project involved qualitative and quantitative analyses of the chemical composition of star anise essential oil - considering factors such as soil conditions, plant varieties, eco-physiology, and biochemistry - as well as assessments of resource volume, quality, and oil yield potential. It identified the causes of poor-quality oil production and proposed measures for the harvesting, cultivation, and development of star anise trees, along with appropriate methods for preserving the star anise flowers. Based on these findings, the star anise essential oil distillation technology was upgraded to a capacity of 100 tons per year during the 1977–1980 period.

- Collaborated with Naforimex Corporation (Ministry of Foreign Trade) and biologists (Vietnam Institute of Science) to research varieties of mint and white holy basil (Ocimum gratissimum). This work resulted in the domestication of two new mint varieties and one white holy basil variety for large-scale cultivation and essential oil production in the Northern Delta; the initiative utilized non-agricultural land, boosted farmers' incomes, and contributed to local economic development.

- Developed processes and installed pilot-scale equipment to isolate individual aroma compounds - such as geraniol, citronellal, and citronellol - from lemongrass essential oil.

- Researching extraction processes for various fragrance compounds widely used in the soap and cosmetics industries - such as terpineol and terpinyl acetate from pine oil, ionone from Litsea cubeba oil, and anisaldehyde from star anise oil - for industrial-scale production at the Duc Giang Chemical Plant.

- In recognition of these achievements, the research cluster on essential oils and fragrances received an award from the Vietnam Institute of Science (1985) and a Certificate of Merit from the Hanoi People's Committee in May 1985. The research and development achievements in this field during that period not only successfully piloted an interdisciplinary research model but also made practical contributions to the country's socio-economic development (through 30 contracts across 12 provinces and cities). Furthermore, they served as the basis for securing UNDP funding for the Vietnam Institute of Science’s project "Development of Industrial Production of Essential Oils, Aroma Chemicals, and Fragrances" (VIE/84/010), leading to the establishment of the Essential Oil and Fragrance Scientific-Production Union in June 1985 (later renamed the Essential Oil and Natural Products Company).

- 1985–1986: Researched, designed, and manufactured equipment to refine Melaleuca oil increasing its cineole content from 40% to nearly 70% for the Binh Tri Thien Pharmaceutical Union; this enabled the Union to export the oil and secure raw materials for pharmaceutical production.

- 1987: Successfully researched and manufactured equipment to extract furfural from corn cobs, with a capacity of 30 kg per batch.

- 1987–1990: Commissioned by the Vietnam Tobacco Union, designed and manufactured tobacco leaf cutters and drying kilns for use in Vietnam's tobacco-growing regions.

- 2005: Conducted an enterprise-support project titled "Research, design, and pilot manufacture of a high-efficiency, fully digitally automated, packed high-vacuum distillation column for refining Vietnamese essential oils for export (capacity: 1,000 kg/batch)." Using this column, the Institute successfully refined various essential oils - including cinnamon, Litsea cubeba, Melaleuca, pine, and lemongrass - to meet export standards.

- In 2010, the Institute collaborated with a Russian Federal Scientific Center to implement a project titled "Installation of low-vacuum distillation equipment and a packed column for the production of pure alcohol with a capacity of 100 kg/day." This project successfully applied high-tech, clean, low-pressure distillation technology - utilizing flexible packing materials - to produce pure alcohol without the use of auxiliary agents (such as lime or gasoline).

- In 2016, the project "Research on chemical composition, and investigation and quality assessment of Agarwood essential oil currently produced in Vietnam" was conducted. The project established a dataset regarding the composition, content, and quality of Agarwood essential oil derived from both wild and cultivated Vietnamese raw materials, categorized by growing region and distillation method; it also developed an analytical procedure for determining the content and chemical composition of Agarwood essential oil using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

600 MHz high-resolution magnetic resonance spectrometer system

SC-1000 Supercritical Liquid CO₂ Extraction System (equipment for experimental research and pilot-scale production applications)

Application for the manufacture of fire-resistant products (Key project at the Academy level, TDPCCC.03/20-23)