Orange Alert

Department of Chemistry

What are living and nonliving things made of? Find out through studying the nature of matter, the composition of substances and their properties and reactions. You'll have hands-on research experience in different areas such as theoretical physical chemistry, drug discovery or organic synthesis.

Immerse yourself in the composition, structure, properties and reactions of matter, especially of atomic, elemental and molecular systems. Experience a challenging but nurturing environment and take courses in analytical, biological, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry.

Undergraduate and graduate students perform original research in a number of different areas of chemistry, from theoretical and experimental physical chemistry to organic synthesis, nanomaterials and biochemistry.

Facilities

The Department of Chemistry is located in the Center for Science and Technology (CST) on the eastern edge of campus.

The department is equipped with state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities and an outstanding technical support staff. Available instrumentation includes the following, to name a few:

  • Isothermal titration calorimeter
  • NMR and X-ray crystallography facilities
  • Ultrafast laser laboratory
  • Several high-resolution spectrophotometers and fluorimeters
  • Electrochemical analyzers
  • HPLC systems
  • Polarimeters
  • IR and Raman spectrometers
  • Instrumentation for GC-MS and LC-MS measurements

Other support services include the Chemistry Stores, an on-campus source for commonly used laboratory supplies and chemicals, and electronics and glass blowing shops, where highly specific research equipment is designed and fabricated. The Science and Technology Library offers an outstanding collection of scientific literature and electronic resources.

Take chemistry out into the world

There are many career possibilities for a chemistry major. Chemical, drug and oil companies are certainly options. Here are some others:

  • Manufacturing companies—such as fragrances, steel, dyes, or computers.
  • Service companies offering testing, cleaning, or analysis
  • Education.
  • Government (national laboratories, agencies, or the military).
  • Entrepreneurial opportunities, start-ups, or think tanks.
  • Legal field. Lawyers with a chemistry degree are highly sought after for their expertise.

Learn more about all your options by speaking with your advisor.

Events
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Events

There are no events in this category right now, but please check the University calendar for many other options.

Recent News
Robert Doyle sitting in a lab.

(Aug. 29, 2023)

A&S Chemistry Professor Receives Award from the American Chemical Society

Professor Robert Doyle wins the honor for studies of an experimental anti-obesity drug that offers consistent weight loss without vomiting and nausea.

Chemistry beaker and periodic table.

(April 14, 2023)

Chemistry Leads Science Demonstrations at STEM Micron Chip Camp

A&S chemistry personnel, along with the local section of the American Chemical Society, provided hands-on science demonstrations to local youth during the April 4 launch of STEM Micron Chip Camp at Liverpool Middle School. The purpose was to interest young people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

Robert Doyle sitting in a lab.

(March 29, 2023)

A&S Chemistry Professor Presents New Research on Anti-Obesity Drug

Professor Robert Doyle shared findings at the ACS spring meeting about a potential new drug which offers steady weight loss without common, unwanted side-effects.

(March 2, 2023)

A&S Faculty Collect Top National Awards and Grants

EES professor Tripti Bhattacharya, physics professor Alison Patteson and chemistry professor Olga Makhlynets are recognized for their innovative and noteworthy research contributions.

Olga Makhlynets portrait.

(Feb. 21, 2023)

Chemistry Professor Recipient of NSF CAREER and NIH Grants

With grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, Olga Makhlynets is researching next-generation hydrogels and protein design.

Recent Publications

Yao, Z.; Zhang, B. S.; Steinhardt, R. C.; Mills, J. H.; Prescher, J. A. Multicomponent bioluminescence imaging with an extended pi-luciferin. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142, 14080. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c01064

Kerr, W. G.; Pedicone, C.; Dormann, S. D.; Pacherille, A.; Chisholm, J. D. “Small Molecule Targeting of SHIP1 and SHIP2.” Biochem. Soc. Trans. 2020, 48, 291-300. DOI:10.1042/BST20190775.

Pedicone, C., Fernandes, S., Dungan, O. M., Dormann, S. M., Viernes, D. R., Adhikari, A. A., Choi, L. B., De Jong, E., Chisholm, J.D. and Kerr, W.G. "Pan-SHIP1/2 inhibitors promote microglia effector functions essential for CNS homeostasis." J. Cell Sci. 2020, 133, jcs238030. DOI:10.1242/jcs.238030.

Moser, B. A.; Escalante-Buendia, Y; Steinhardt, R. C.; Rosenberger, M. Cassaidy, B.; Naorem, N. Chon, A. C.; Nguyen, M.; Tran, N.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Small Molecule NF-kB Inhibitors as Immune Potentiators for Enhancement of Vaccine Adjuvants. ChemRxiv https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.10043138.v1

Wu. M.; Moser, B. A.; Steeves, T. M.; Figueroa, A.; Wallace, B. M.; Kim, S. T.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Steinhardt, R. C. Photon upconversion for the enhancement of microfluidic photochemical synthesis. RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 26172–26175. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9RA03468D