SLAC topics

Chemistry and catalysis RSS feed

Catalysts are the unsung heroes of chemistry, accelerating reactions used to make fertilizers, fuels and consumer products. Our work aims to make catalysts more efficient and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Energy sciences

Depiction of four techniques used to study a single-atom catalyst.

Photograph

Stanford’s Roger Kornberg received the 2006 chemistry Nobel for work on RNA transcriptase, shown on screens. 

Roger Kornberg received the 2006 chemistry Nobel for work on RNA transcriptase
SLAC Science Explained

Molecular movie-making is both an art and a science; the results let us watch how nature works on the smallest scales.

Molecular movie filmstrip.
News Feature

By revealing the chemistry of plant secretions, or exudates, these studies build a basis for better understanding and conserving art and tools made with...

Plant secretion from what is called "grass tree."
News Feature

Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times...

An illustration shows the pocket in an enzyme called ECR where the carbon fixing reaction takes place.
News Feature

Less than a millionth of a billionth of a second long, attosecond X-ray pulses allow researchers to peer deep inside molecules and follow electrons...

Illustration of attosecond coherent electron motions.
News Feature

High-speed X-ray free-electron lasers have unlocked the crystal structures of small molecules relevant to chemistry and materials science, proving a new method that could...

Crystallography illustrations
News Feature

New research questions ‘whiff of oxygen’ in Earth’s early history.

Blue and purple image showing cracks where arsenic and copper entered a shale sample.
News Brief

Recently developed methods now in use at SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron helped a team of chemists better understand how certain bacteria turn light into chemical...

A diagram of a protein molecule with white spirals and multicolored webs indicating key parts of the molecule.
News Feature

Through her work with this nationwide program, Curry plans to make high-power laser facilities more accessible to researchers.

Chandra Breanne Curry
Video

Public lecture presented by Franklin Fuller

Public Lecture | Photosynthesis: How Plants Build the Air we Breathe - Atom by Atom
Video
News Feature

A better understanding of this process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy.

water droplets on plant
Public Lecture Poster
Details
Public Lecture poster: picture of movie