We introduce a new method to study rational conjugacy of torsion units in integral group rings using integral and modular representation theory. Employing this new method, we verify the first Zassenhaus conjecture for the group PSL(2, 19). We also prove the Zassenhaus conjecture for PSL(2, 23). In a second application we show that there are no normalized units of order 6 in the integral group rings of M 10 and PGL(2, 9). This completes the proof of a theorem of Kimmerle and Konovalov that shows that the prime graph question has an affirmative answer for all groups having an order divisible by at most three different primes.

Let $F$ be a field of characteristic $p\geq 0$ and $G$ any group. In this article, the Engel property of the group of units of the group algebra $FG$ is investigated. We show that if $G$ is locally finite, then ${\mathcal{U}}(FG)$ is an Engel group if and only if $G$ is locally nilpotent and $G^{\prime }$ is a $p$-group. Suppose that the set of nilpotent elements of $FG$ is finite. It is also shown that if $G$ is torsion, then ${\mathcal{U}}(FG)$ is an Engel group if and only if $G^{\prime }$ is a finite $p$-group and $FG$ is Lie Engel, if and only if ${\mathcal{U}}(FG)$ is locally nilpotent. If $G$ is nontorsion but $FG$ is semiprime, we show that the Engel property of ${\mathcal{U}}(FG)$ implies that the set of torsion elements of $G$ forms an abelian normal subgroup of $G$.

Let $\Gamma $ be a group and ${\Gamma }^{\prime } $ be a subgroup of $\Gamma $ of finite index. Let $M$ be a $\Gamma $-module. It is shown that $M$ is (strongly) Gorenstein flat if and only if it is (strongly) Gorenstein flat as a ${\Gamma }^{\prime } $-module. We also provide some criteria in which the classes of Gorenstein projective and strongly Gorenstein flat $\Gamma $-modules are the same.

In this article, a Blackburn group refers to a finite non-Dedekind group for which the intersection of all nonnormal subgroups is not the trivial subgroup. By completing the arguments of M. Hertweck, we show that all conjugacy class preserving automorphisms of Blackburn groups are inner automorphisms.

We consider the isomorphism problem for partial group rings $R_{\hbox{\scriptsize\it par}}G$ and show that, in the modular case, if $\textit{char}(R)\,{=}\,p$ and $R_{\hbox{\scriptsize\it par}}G_1\,{\cong}\, R_{\hbox{\scriptsize\it par}}G_2$ then the corresponding group rings of the Sylow $p$-subgroups are isomorphic. We use this to prove that finite abelian groups having isomorphic modular partial group algebras are isomorphic. Moreover, in the integral case, we show that the isomorphism of partial group rings of finite groups $G_1$ and $G_2$ implies $\Z G_1\,{\cong}\, \Z G_2$.

We show that p-groups of order p5 are determined by their group algebras over the field of p elements. Many cases have been dealt with in earlier work of ourselves and others. The only case whose details remain to be given here is that of groups of nilpotency class 3 for p odd.