News

2009-12-31 - Parachute cords, climbing ropes, and smart coatings for bridges that change color when overstressed are several possible uses for force-sensitive polymers being developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. The polymers contain mechanically active molecules called mechanophores. When pushed or pulled with a certain force, specific chemical reactions are triggered in the mechanophores...

2009-12-31 - Dr. Ben McCall has won the prestigious 2009 Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

2009-12-31 - Neil Kelleher received the 2009 Biemann Medal from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. The Biemann Medal recognizes a significant achievement in basic or applied mass spectrometry made by an individual early in his or her career. Nominees should be within 15 years of receipt of the Ph.D. at the time they are nominated. The award is presented in honor of Professor Klaus Biemann whose...

2009-12-31 - The Holiday Chemistry Magic Show was featured on YouTube and on the Popular Science web site. See the Popular Science article & video or the...

2009-12-31 - Water molecules and proteins make good dance partners, and LAS scientists have the evidence to back it up. An LAS research team has become the first to measure the activity of water molecules as they perform an intricate ballet during protein folding, a process that enables proteins to perform their jobs within the body. Water molecules are not idle spectators to the folding process, but are...

2009-12-31 - A new method to induce protein folding by taking the pressure off of proteins is up to 100 times faster than previous methods, and could help guide more accurate computer simulations for how complex proteins fold, according to research by a team of University of Illinois scientists accepted for publication in the journal Nature Methods and posted on the journal's Web site May 31.

2009-12-31 - A study led by researchers at the University of Illinois reveals how a cellular protein recognizes an invading virus and alerts the body to the infection.The research, described this week in the journal Science and led by Illinois physics professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Taekjip Ha, settles a debate over how the protein, RIG-I (pronounced rig-EYE), is able to distinguish...

2009-12-31 - John Hartwig was selected to receive the prestigious 2009/2010 Joseph Chatt Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry for his highly original research in organometallic catalysis.

2009-12-31 - Dr. John Hartwig of Chemistry has just won the 2009 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award for his work in the "Development of New Practical Catalytic Reactions Including Efficient C-H Bond Activation and Coupling Reactions".

2009-12-31 - Chemistry Commencement will be held on Sunday, May 17th this year. For more information on Chemistry Commencement, please see the Chemistry Commencement website.

2009-12-31 - Scott Denmark was awarded the Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods at the annual American Chemical Society meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. They cited "his insightful and scholarly analysis of reaction mechanisms that have inspired his creative approach and rigorous development of novel synthetic transformations of broad utility".

2009-12-31 - Dr. White and group's research into a C-H oxidative macrolactonization approach reviewed by multiple sources has been reviewed and highlighted by: C&E News at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i36/8736notw1.html RSC Chemistry World at http://www...

2009-12-31 - For every star in the universe, there are 1 billion bacteria here on earth. In the human body alone, you can find 10 times more bacterial cells than there are total human cells in the body. "The number is so big that I can't even wrap my mind around it," says LAS microbiology1 professor William Metcalf, who has long been fascinated...

2009-12-31 - In the classic fairy tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes," Hans Christian Andersen uses the eyes of a child to challenge conventional wisdom and help others to see more clearly. In similar fashion, researchers at the University of Illinois have now revealed the naked truth about a classic bell-shaped curve used to describe the motion of a liquid as it diffuses through another material. "The new...

2009-12-31 - Roman Boulatov's new research into molecular bonds featured in Illinois' News Bureau. Read the article here: http://news.illinois.edu/news/09/0617bonds.html