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Study finds that tweaked synthetic polymers boost conductivity
A new study marks a significant step forward in positioning synthetic polymers as an alternative for expensive, unsustainable minerals used in the manufacture of devices such as conductors, transistors and diodes.These newly tweaked polymers — developed by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign...
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Researchers reveal intermediate’s key role in palladium-photocatalyzed reactions
For nearly 30 years, scientists studying light-driven palladium-catalyzed reactions have suspected that a fleeting species of palladium plays a key role in the process. Leveraging their expertise with special ligands that stabilize intermediates so they can be seen and characterized,...
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Sculpting strong C—H bonds in complex natural products
 A team of chemists led by M. Christina White, William H. and Janet G. Lycan Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has unveiled a breakthrough in selective oxidation chemistry that could significantly advance drug development with natural products. In...
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Ben Snyder named 2025 Packard Fellow
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Benjamin Snyder, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile...
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Study: Light-driven reaction leads to advanced hybrid nanomaterial
 Scientists are exploring many ways to use light rather than heat to drive chemical reactions more efficiently, which could significantly reduce waste, energy consumption, and reliance on non-renewable resources.A team of chemistry researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-...
"Believe in the power of the experiment"

Nobel laureate and alumnus Omar M. Yaghi (PhD, '90)

The 12th person from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to win the Nobel Prize, alumnus Omar M. Yaghi (PhD, '90) said it was as a graduate student at Illinois that he learned from his PhD advisor Walter Klemperer how to do rigorous science and become a scientist that can break new ground, not somebody who follows other people’s discoveries.  

More about Omar Yaghi

Research Areas in Chemistry

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Analytical Chemistry
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Chemical Biology
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Inorganic Chemistry
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Materials Chemistry
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Organic Chemistry
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Physical Chemistry

Chemistry Learning Center

The Chemistry Learning Center (CLC) is an opportunity for all undergraduates enrolled in general chemistry to receive help with homework, meet with teaching assistants and connect with other students taking the same courses. 

CLC Information & Resources

Chemistry courses offer study abroad opportunities

Explore these two courses in the Department of Chemistry that offer short-term study abroad opportunities that will enrich what you learn in the classroom by applying your knowledge to real-world experiences while exploring another part of the world. 

Coffee, Chemistry, and the Community in Panama Natural Products in Costa Rica

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John Christian Bailar, Jr. (1904 – 1991)

Spotlight: Bailar, Jr., John Christian (1904-1991)

John Christian Bailar, Jr. was born in Golden, Colorado in 1904 and received his degrees in chemistry from Colorado and Michigan. He became an instructor at the University of Illinois in 1928 and began a sixty-three year career in Illinois - Department of Chemistry. He became associate professor in 1930 and full professor in 1943. Although interested in organic isomerism as a graduate student, it was while teaching a general chemistry course that he realized that isomerism, the occurrence of different compounds with the same chemical composition, is a general phenomenon that could also exist...