College of Chemistry

Novel method examines the gas-liquid interface in new detail

July 26, 2022

Demonstration of materials to use to create novel scatter beam

Left: a liquid dodecane flat jet produced by a microfluidic chip nozzle. Right: an incident molecular beam (red line) striking the jet surface. Researchers can analyze the velocity and angular distributions of molecules in the...

Watering Deserts: new ways to pluck water from desert air

February 19, 2020

water adsorption

Adsorption is a process which plucks water molecules from air that has less than 100% relative humidity by attaching them to the surface of a solid material. The molecules are held there by electrostatic connections called Van der Waals forces that link them with the molecules of the pertinent surface. To collect a lot of water this way therefore requires a material that has two properties. One is a large surface area. The other is an appropriate Van der Waals response. Experimental traps that employ this principle have been made using substances called metal-organic frameworks.

Learning goes totally virtual thanks to COVID-19

March 24, 2020

 Andy Lin demonstrates online learning

Andy Lin (top right) interacting with GSI colleagues as he prepares for online ‘virtual’ office hours using Zoom. (Image courtesy Andy Lin)

When the growing coronavirus pandemic compelled campus officials to halt all lectures and most in-person classes as of March 10, most faculty and lecturers were caught off guard. Few had experience teaching...

A behind-the-scenes look at the longevity vitamin PQQ

July 27, 2020

fruit and vegetables

PQQ has been found in fruits and vegetables, such as papaya, kiwi fruit, spinach, green pepper, parsley, celery, and more. Photo: Wen Zhu.

We love food, not only for the joy of eating and sharing meals, but also for the nutrients that our bodies depend on to thrive. Beyond the essential vitamins that everyone needs regularly, scientists have found more...

John Hartwig awarded 2018 Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry

September 27, 2018
Professor Hartwig, is the youngest person to receive the prize since Stuart Schreiber, and the only faculty member from UC Berkeley to have won.

Circular plastic, the utopia of environmentalists, is a reality

March 3, 2020
A team of researchers have designed a recyclable plastic that can be disassembled then reassembled without loss of performance or quality.

Karthik Shekhar awarded 2023 teaching awards

June 1, 2023
Shekhar has been awarded the 2023 Donald Sterling Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching along with the Department of Chemical Engineering Teaching Award.

The College of Chemistry celebrates Jennifer Doudna

November 12, 2020
An informal discussion with Nobel Laureate, and College faculty member, Jennifer Doudna.

UC Berkeley researchers awarded Pew Innovation Funding

September 15, 2020
Pew Scholars Polina Lishko and Ke Xu will collaborate to investigate the role of steroid hormones in Alzheimer’s, a disease affecting more than 5.8 million Americans aged 65 or older in 2020.

Professor Ting Xu honored at Falling Walls Science Summit

November 14, 2022
Prof. Xu discussed her research in a talk entitled: 'Breaking the Wall to Programmable Plastic Degradation through Enzymes'.