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.

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
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
News Feature

The results could lead to a better understanding of reactions with vital roles in chemistry and biology.

UED conformers
News Brief

Scientists who perform experiments at SLAC’s lightsources gathered online for research talks, workshops and discussions.

Aerial view of industrial-looking research buildings
News Feature

High-power lasers will work in concert with the lab’s X-ray laser to dramatically improve our understanding of matter in extreme conditions.

diamond rain
News Feature

This is the first direct observation of a hydroxyl-hydronium complex – important for a wide range of chemical and biological processes from the tails...

ued ionized water
News Feature

The award recognizes her research and service at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.

News Feature

Much like crystallizing rock candy from sugar syrup, the new method grows 2D perovskites precisely layered with other 2D materials to produce crystals with...

Illustration of layers of 2D materials assembling themselves from chemicals tumbling in water