College of Chemistry

John Hartwig receives the Arthur C. Cope Award

January 13, 2021
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

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...

Shine On: Avalanching Nanoparticles Break Barriers to Imaging Cells in Real Time

January 13, 2021
By Theresa Duque | Berkeley Lab

Experimental images of thulium-doped avalanching nanoparticles

From left: Experimental images of thulium-doped avalanching nanoparticles separated by 300 nanometers; at right, simulations of the same material. (Credit: Berkeley Lab and Columbia University)

Since the earliest microscopes, scientists have been on a quest to build...

Omar Yaghi awarded the German Chemical Society gold medal

March 4, 2020
College of Chemistry Press Release

Omar Yaghi

Omar Yaghi has been awrded the the 2020 August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze. The German Chemical Society bi-annually presents this prestigious award to an outstanding national and international chemists in a wide range of fields. Among the oldest chemistry awards, the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze gold medal was first awarded in 1903. The award is intended to recognize outstanding achievements in chemistry; in particular by scientists working outside of Germany.

Professor Christopher J. Chang awarded the Humboldt Research Award

January 8, 2021
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Christopher J. Chang

Christopher J. Chang, Class of 1942 Chair Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Berkeley, has been awarded the Humboldt Research Award. The award, honoring internationally recognized researchers, includes a stay at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg where Professor Chang will be hosted...

New $115 Million Quantum Systems Accelerator to Pioneer Quantum Technologies for Discovery Science

August 26, 2020
by Dan Krotz | Berkeley Lab

dilution refrigerator

The Quantum Systems Accelerator will optimize a wide range of advanced qubit technologies available today. Berkeley Lab uses sophisticated dilution refrigerators to cool and operate superconducting quantum processor circuits. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $115 million over five years to the Quantum...

Tracing the many paths of vision

December 23, 2020
Christina Bielmeier| Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology

zebra fish eye under fluorescent lighting

A new study reports results on decodeing the molecular diversity of neurons in the zebrafish retina. The resulting catalog documented studying individual cell types in the retina and linking them to a specific structure, function and behavioral...

Upcycling: Turning plastic bags into adhesives

December 18, 2020
By Robert Sanders | UC Berkeley media relations

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...

In Memoriam: Charles B. Harris

March 10, 2020
College of Chemistry Press Release

Charles B. Harris

It is with tremendous sadness that I write to share the news that Charles Harris, respected colleague and dedicated champion of the College, passed away at his home this morning; he was 79 years old. Charles was born in New York in 1940 but spent most of his youth in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a suburb just outside of Detroit. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1963 and his Ph.D. degree from MIT in 1966. Charles joined the Berkeley faculty in the Department of Chemistry in 1967.

How water helps the substrate into the enzyme

December 15, 2020
Press Release | Ruhr-Universität Bochum

eyedropper with liquid

When water is present in tiny quantities – much less than in this droplet – it develops special properties. (photo: Roger Ashford, Adobe Stock)

An international research team has investigated water molecules in a tiny cage – and discovered previously unknown properties.

Researchers from Bochum and UC Berkeley have...

Scientists recruit new atomic heavyweights in targeted fight against cancer

December 15, 2020
Theresa Duque | Berkeley Lab

Katherine Shield (from left), Dahlia An, and Tyler Bailey at Berkeley Lab

Research authors Katherine Shield (from left), Dahlia An, and Tyler Bailey (lead author) are part of a research team that developed new methods for the large-scale production, purification, and use of the radioisotope cerium-134, which...