Chemistry and catalysis

With up to a million X-ray flashes per second, 8,000 times more than its predecessor, it transforms the ability of scientists to explore atomic-scale, ultrafast phenomena that are key to a broad range of applications, from quantum materials to clean...

SLAC scientists showed that a carbon-metal compound with a perfectly placed nickel atom plays a key role in converting carbon dioxide into components for food and energy. 

Researchers demonstrate a way to remove the potent greenhouse gas from the exhaust of engines that burn natural gas.  

The results should further our understanding of similar reactions with vital roles in chemistry, such as the production of vitamin D in our bodies.

After decades of effort, scientists have finally seen the process by which nature creates the oxygen we breathe using SLAC’s X-ray laser.

Two GEM Fellows reflect on their summer internships at SLAC and share their thoughts on representation and mentorship.

Encapsulating precious-metal catalysts in a web-like alumina framework could reduce the amount needed in catalytic converters – and our dependency on these scarce metals.

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

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 materials.

Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times faster than plant enzymes do during photosynthesis. The results stand to accelerate progress toward converting carbon...

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 as they zip around and ultimately initiate chemical reactions.

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 advance semiconductor and solar cell development.