College of Chemistry

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.

College of Chemistry announces lectureship in honor of professor William Lester

December 7, 2020
by David Villani | Daily Californian

William Lester

William Lester during his time at IBM. (photo: courtesy William Lester)

UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry established a new lectureship for research from traditionally underrepresented scholars in honor of campus graduate professor William Lester.

Lester is a longtime campus faculty...

Peidong Yang and Sunjay Kumar named AAAS Fellows

November 30, 2020
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Sanjay Kurmar and Peidong Yang

Photo: Sanjay Kumar and Peidong Yang. (File photos UC Berkeley)

Congratulations to Professors Sanjay Kumar and Peidong Yang on being elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest scientific societies. The distinction was awarded this year to 489 scientists, engineers and innovators for...

AIChE student chapter wins Western Region title

November 19, 2020
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

2019-2020 executive board AIChE student chapter

AIChE UC Berkeley Student Chapter leadership pose during their weekly ZOOM meeting to discuss club events. Members include Jeremy Murphy-Ortega, Ashutosh Bhadouria, Julia Glasser, Stephen Chang, Esther Leem, Sancialita Sathiyamoorthy, Andrea Chen, Samantha Yang, Meagan Macavinta, Ariana Dunlap,...

Road to chiral alkylamines paved with iridium

November 12, 2020
Leigh Krietsch Boerner | C&EN

Iridium reaction

Alkylamines are one of the most useful compounds in a chemist’s bag of tricks. Pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and polymers often contain these functional groups. Ideally, chemists would like to make alkylamines from widely available feedstocks, but the existing methods for doing so don’t excel at reacting with internal alkenes....

New test detects coronavirus in just 5 minutes

November 5, 2020
Robert F. Service | Science

Jennifer Doudna discusses new COVID-19 test

Jennifer Doudna talks with Alex Ehrenberg, a graduate student in integrative biology who is helping organize the FAST trial of saliva tests for COVID-19. Photo: UC Berkeley/Irene Yi

Researchers have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to come...

UC Berkeley-led university alliance formed to increase STEM diversity in academia

November 2, 2020
Claire Daly | Daily Californian

Attendees of the 2018 UC Berkeley led Research Alliance conference

Attendees at the California Alliance AGEP Research Conference and Annual Retreat, UC Berkeley 2018. (photo: Research Alliance)

The Research University Alliance, or RUA,...

A network of cubes opens the door for new COF chemistry

October 29, 2020
by Ariana Remmel | C&EN

illustration of a newly designed COF is composed of repeating borophosphonate cubes linked at the vertices

A new covalent organic framework uses boron and phosphorus to make complex connections. This new COF is composed of repeating borophosphonate cubes linked at the vertices. O = red; B = pink; P...

Holy grails: seeking out selective C–H activation

October 1, 2020
By Jamie Durrani | Chemistry World

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
College of Chemistry Press Release

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...