Chemistry education researchers at UCI study how students from elementary school through college understand chemistry, why they have difficulties learning certain concepts, and how best to enhance their learning. The research collaborates with teachers in K-12 schools, and at other colleges and universities.
Inorganic and organometallic chemistry research at UCI ranges from synthesis of organometallic complexes for organic synthesis and industrial catalysis to materials science based on supramolecular and macromolecular inorganic building blocks to the generation of greenhouse gases by metal-based enzymes.
UCI is internationally recognized for its program in atmospheric chemistry, with the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Professor F. S. Rowland for his work on ozone destruction in the stratosphere by chlorofluorocarbons. Our Ph.D. program has a unique specialization in atmospheric chemistry that focuses on fundamental chemical principles applied to atmospheric systems.
Theoretical and computational chemistry is based on a rigorous mathematical or simulational approach to problems of chemical, physical, or biological interest. The laws of nature-quantum or classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics-provide the foundation, while the tools range from pencil and paper to massively-parallel supercomputers.
Analytical Chemistry at UCI is best described by three overlaping thrust areas that coincide with the varied research interests and expertise of our faculty. These are: Environmental and atmospheric analysis (Blake, Finlayson-Pitts, Hemminger, Nizkorodov), Materials analysis (Hemminger, Penner, Corn, Law, Ardo), and Bioanalysis (Corn, Penner, Weiss, Martin, Ge).
