College of Chemistry

Markita Landry receives the 2020 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award

October 19, 2020

Markita Landry acknowledges receipt of Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award

Laura Bush, Editorial Director of Spectroscopy magazine virtually presented Markita Landry with the Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award during the 2020 SciX 2020 conference. Photo courtesy of...

Why you should stay single: The scientific benefits of using a single photon

October 8, 2020

Hamburger stack

Like many other labs, Graham Fleming’s group is focusing on interdisciplinary techniques to make new discoveries and explore the mysteries of fundamental processes. Chemistry graduate student Kaydren Orcutt highlights how researchers can combine physics and biology, generating single photons in a bid to unentangle the mysteries of photosynthesis.

The scientists in...

The College welcomes new faculty member Ashok Ajoy

September 24, 2020

Ashok Ajoy

Ashok Ajoy (photo John Fyson)

We are really delighted to welcome Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ashok Ajoy to the College of Chemistry. Ashok most recently held a postdoctoral appointment in the lab of Alex...

College of Chemistry receives award to grow graduate diversity

October 2, 2020

diversity, equity and inclusion

For immediate release

The College of Chemistry was recently awarded one of nine four-year grants from the UC Berkeley Graduate Diversity Pilot program. The program was established in July 2020 as one of a series of campus initiatives...

Holy grails: seeking out selective C–H activation

October 1, 2020

Demonstration of complexity of C-H targets

The sheer number of C–H bonds in the precursor to the antibiotic erythromycin shows just how tricky a task it is to target a single one. The oxidation of a single C–H bond (red) makes erythromycin six times more biologically active than its precursor 6-deoxy erythromycin A – this chemical feat...

UC Berkeley Greener Solution program receives EPA funding

September 25, 2020

Examples of green food packaging

UC Berkeley’s Greener Solutions program has been selected as one of the national grantees to receive EPA funding for a new program. This initiative partners students with companies interested in adopting sustainable chemistry. UC Berkeley’s $194,832 grant will help identify alternatives to chemicals of concern currently used in the carpet and food...

Metal wires of carbon complete toolbox for carbon-based computers

September 24, 2020

Illustration of graphene nanoribbon

Scanning tunneling microscope image of wide-band metallic graphene nanoribbon (GNR). Each cluster of protrusions corresponds to a singly-occupied electron orbital. The formation of a pentagonal ring near each cluster leads to a more than tenfold increase in the conductivity of metallic GNRs. The GNR backbone has a width of 1.6...

Black chemists discuss strategies for dismantling systemic racism in science

September 23, 2020

Black chemists online

Illustration by Daniel Fishel

Taking cues from the #BlackInChem movement, Stereo Chemistry interviews Black chemists and asks what’s working and what comes next.

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Ron Cohen talks about the Beacon project

August 26, 2020

In a new video from Ron Cohen, UC Berkeley Professor of Chemistry and Earth and Planetary Sciences, the remarkable change in our atmosphere with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic is explored. Cohen postulates what the world would be like with fewer CO2 emissions.

UC Berkeley researchers awarded Pew Innovation Funding

September 15, 2020

Ke Xu, Polina

Image: Polina Lishko and Ke Xu (UC Berkeley)

The Pew Charitable Trusts has annouced the 2020 grantees of the Pew Innovation Fund which supports research collaborations among alumni of their...