The department of Physical Chemistry was created in 1956, and since 1969 it has been located on the fourth floor of the Faculty of Chemistry building of the University of Barcelona (UB). Currently, it has more than 100 members, including: professors, lecturers, postdoctoral researchers, postgraduate students, technicians, and administrative and service staff.

The department has fourteen  fourteen research groups, addressing a wide spectrum of problems of current and growing interest in the field of chemistry. The variety of research lines, ranging from applied experimental studies to fundamental theoretical investigations, reflects the diverse interests of the research staff, which is an important defining feature of the department.
In addition to teaching pure Chemistry, the department of Physical Chemistry also provides more specialised courses, such as: Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Geological Engineering and Environmental Sciences. The department is further responsible for a number of Masters and PhD postgraduate research programs.