College of Chemistry

Michael Zuerch receives Society of Hellman Fellows award

June 20, 2021

example of extreme photonics in the lab

Extreme photonics and nonlinear optics in the lab. Photo courtesy Michael Zuerch

The College of Chemistry is pleased to announce that Assistant Professor of Chemistry Michael Zuerch has received an award in support of his research from the...

Are heavy metals toxic? Scientists find surprising clues in yeast

June 7, 2021

Rare earth elements

Elements on the periodic table that make up the lanthanides, or rare-earth heavy elements.

Lanthanides are rare-earth heavy metals with useful magnetic properties and a knack for emitting light. Researchers had long assumed that lanthanides’ toxicity risk was low and therefore safe to implement in a number of high-tech breakthroughs we now take for...

Harold Urey was not a fan of the atomic bomb he helped develop

August 6, 2020

Harold Urey, 1940s

Urey at his desk, photograph, circa late 1940s (Northwest Indiana Times)

Missoula first noticed Harold Urey in May of 1915, when the University of Montana announced the winners of the annual C.A. Duniway Scholarship Books.
Urey, a 22-year-old freshman from Indiana by way of a mining camp in the Gallatin Mountains, received the biology award....

Berkeley researchers demonstrate new technique for surface-sensitive second harmonic generation utilizing non-linear optics with a table-top laser

May 19, 2021

AAAS cover -- Michael Zuerch announcement

On the cover of Science Advances. Artist’s impression of the XUV-SHG on a titanium foil. Credit: Ella Marushchenko

Interfaces and surfaces are of central importance to many open scientific questions. For example, in order to design more energy-efficient all solid-state...

Scientists Print All-Liquid 3-D Structures

March 29, 2018

3d printed waterAn international group of scientists that includes the Aldo De Benedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Phillip Geissler have developed a way to print 3D constructs using water and oil. Their fascinating findings have been published in...

Alumna Geraldine Richmond nominated to serve in the Department of Energy

May 11, 2021

Geraldine Richmond

Image credit – Todd Cooper / jasontoddcooper.com

Geraldine Richmond (Ph.D. 80, Chem), University of Oregon’s (UO) Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry, has been nominated to serve in the Biden administration as undersecretary for science in the...

PMP 先鋒材料科技集團與柏克萊加州大學化學院建立合作關系

April 5, 2021

Heathcock Hall front entrance illustration

Conceptual rendering of the ground floor entrance of Heathcock Hall looking East. (Courtesy HOK Architects)

PMP 先鋒材料科技集團(PMP Tech)承諾的1000萬美元,不僅可以為未來柏克萊加州大學化學、化學工程及化學生物學專業學生提供更多的學習機會,還將用於建造一幢具備開創性的教學樓,為化學科學家和工程師們提供一流的科研工作環境。

PMP Tech以制造用於消費電子產品的創新高科技彈性體和其它環保橡膠產品享譽全球。2020年,...

PMP Tech Forms a Bond with the College of Chemistry

April 5, 2021

Heathcock Hall front entrance illustration

Conceptual rendering of the ground floor entrance of Heathcock Hall looking East. (Courtesy HOK)

A $10 million commitment from Taiwan-based company Pioneer Material Precision Tech (PMP Tech) will catalyze educational opportunities for future generations of Berkeley chemistry, chemical...

A new technique could make some plastic trash compostable at home

April 23, 2021

With moderate heat, enzyme-laced films of the plastic disintegrated in standard compost or plain tap water within days to weeks, Ting Xu and her colleagues

“Biodegradability does not equal compostability,” says Xu, a polymer scientist at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She often finds bits of biodegradable plastic in the compost she picks up for her parents’ garden. Most biodegradable plastics go to landfills, where the conditions aren’t right for them to break down, so they degrade no faster than normal plastics.

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Building awareness for a sustainable society and lifestyle

April 23, 2021

Practicing a sustainable lifestyle

A young woman practices sustainable living purchasing bulk items in a store. (adobestock)

At UC Berkeley, students can teach classes called Decal to spread awareness and fun about the topics they are passionate about. Kelly Chou, currently a senior studying...