It was announced today that the 2019 Wolf Prize for Chemistry has been awarded to professors John F. Hartwig from University of California at Berkeley and Stephen L. Buchwald from MIT, for the development of efficient transition-metal catalysts that have revolutionized drug manufacturing, leading to breakthrough in molecule and synthetics design.
A team of researchers from the lab of Peidong Yang have received a phase one grant for their project to develop an integrated system to synthesize sugars from CO2. NASA is preparing to land humans on the Moon in 2024, the agency is keeping a keen eye on technologies needed for Mars missions that will follow. New technologies will be needed to sustain human life as we move out into the stars.
Scientists formulated and characterized a graphene-based electrocatalyst that potentially makes the production of hydrogen peroxide more selective, efficient, and cost effective.
The BBVA Award recognized key advances in catalysis that enable "control and acceleration of chemical reactions," improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption across various industrial processes.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, has today announced a three-year collaboration with the research group of John Hartwig at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
A team of researchers reported the discovery of the first natural enzyme capable of creating complex molecules, azides, from simpler molecules, which could lead to safer drug development and biological research.
The catalytic process, discovered by researchers at UC Berkeley, efficiently reduces polymers to chemical precursors, bringing a circular economy for plastics one step closer to reality.
Illustration: A catalyst (center) based on iridium (blue ball) can snip a hydrogen atom (white balls) off a terminal methyl group (upper and lower left) to add a boron-oxygen compound (pink and red) that is easily swapped out for more complicated chemical groups. The reaction works on simple hydrocarbon chains (top reaction) or more complicated carbon compounds (bottom reaction)....