Catalysis

UC Berkeley scientists collaborate with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany on catalyst digital design program

May 31, 2023
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.

First natural enzyme creates azides from scratch

September 30, 2024
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.

New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases to make new, recycled plastics

August 29, 2024
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.

Scientists finally crack nature’s most common chemical bond

May 26, 2020

catalyst based on iridium

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)....

Upcycling: Turning plastic bags into adhesives

December 18, 2020

Large pile of plastic in a dump

While plastic bags clog the waste stream, recycling them isn’t financially attractive, since they’re usually turned into very low-value products. If polyethylene packaging could be processed into high-value products, more of them would be recycled instead of ending up in landfills. (photo: Adobe Stock)

While many cities and eight states have banned single-use plastics, bags...

How a record-breaking copper catalyst converts CO2 into liquid fuels

February 21, 2023

Artist’s rendering of a copper nanoparticle.Artist’s rendering of a copper nanoparticle as it evolves during CO2 electrolysis: Copper nanoparticles (left) combine into larger metallic copper “nanograins” (right) within seconds of the electrochemical reaction, reducing CO2 into new multicarbon products. (Credit: Yao Yang/Berkeley Lab)...

John Hartwig receives the Arthur C. Cope Award

January 13, 2021

Professor John Hartwig

John Hartwig, Henry Rapoport Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded the 2021 ACS Arthur C. Cope Award for the discovery, development, and mechanistic elucidation of practical reactions...

First catalytic example of nitrogen reduction by rare earth metals

April 9, 2024
Polly Arnold and her team have discovered that rare earth metals can form active nitrogen reduction catalysts.

University of California scientist Enrique Iglesia wins prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Prize

June 14, 2023

Professor Enrique Iglesia win Royal Society of Chemistry prize

Enrique Iglesia, Theodore Vermeulen Chair in Chemical Engineering emeritus and Professor of the Graduate...

Dean Toste named next chair of the Chemistry Department

April 27, 2023
Dean Toste

The College is pleased to announce that Dean Toste will serve as the next chair of the Department of Chemistry in the College of Chemistry, effective July 1, 2023.

Dean has been a member of the chemistry faculty since 2002, when he was appointed as an assistant professor by then-chair Judith Klinman. As a world-renowned synthetic organic chemist,...