chemistry

Illustration picture shows a person washing her hands. Photo by DIRK WAEM/Belga/Sipa via AP Images

Here’s why washing your hands with soap for 20 seconds protects you from COVID-19

In soap lather, a combination of molecules assemble into bubble-like structures that trap viral matter and other biomaterials—grease, oil, dirt—and rinse them down the drain, says Thomas Gilbert, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa March 20, 2020

Steven A. Lopez is an assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology in the College of Science at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

He’s training computers to find new molecules with the machine learning algorithms used by Facebook and Google

Using the same techniques that help social media algorithms learn about you, Northeastern assistant professor Steven Lopez is training machine learning algorithms to find millions of new molecules and help make materials for cancer therapy, renewable energy, and other important technologies.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa January 6, 2020

Former graduate student Camille Martin, working with Northeastern chemistry and chemical biology professor Leila Deravi, has synthesized a chemical found in the skin of longfin squid. The goal? To recreate the animal's natural sun-blocking ability. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Synthetic squid can save you from sunburn

There’s nothing worse than a sunburn. Actually, there is—the potential damage that sunscreen can do to our bodies and the environment. …

by Aria Bracci September 25, 2019

Northeastern graduate David Murison is now a scientist at Sanofi Pasteur in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

This conference will prepare PhD students for careers beyond academia

Northeastern graduate David Murison said that the university's careers office helped him strengthen his resumé and think like a hiring manager. Now a scientist at Sanofi Pasteur, Murison will return to campus on Wednesday to speak at a conference to help doctoral students prepare for careers outside of academia.

by Greg St. Martin October 2, 2018

Angelina Choy, who studied chemistry at Northeastern, said she never expected to work in a cider house. Here, she stands among the company's 15 fermentation tanks. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The right chemistry makes hard cider look easy

“This is not what I expected to be doing when I was thinking about jobs in college,” said Angelina Choy, an assistant cidermaker at Downeast Cider House and a Northeastern graduate who studied chemistry. “But, I love this. I love what I do.”

by Molly Callahan September 27, 2018

Everything you want to know about fireworks this Fourth of July

Fireworks bring Independence Day celebrations to new heights. But todayøs complex aerial displays would likely be unrecognizable to the people who invented fireworks. Explore their humble beginnings and what makes them pop with this interactive explainer.

by Hannah Moore July 3, 2018

Baby, you're a firework. Photo via iStock.

The science behind fireworks

Have you ever wondered what makes a firework…work? We did. So we asked Michael Pollastri, associate professor and chair of the chemistry department, what’s happening inside those Fourth of July favorites—and which color fireworks are particularly challenging to create.

by Molly Callahan July 3, 2017

Travis DeLano, S'17, will study organic chemistry in graduate school at the California Institute of Technology. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Meet the graduates: Travis DeLano

Each day this week, as the campus community prepares for Friday’s Commencement, we’ll introduce you to a member of the graduating class. Travis DeLano is a University Scholar with a near-perfect GPA and a passion for chemistry. Here, he reflects on his past five years at Northeastern and looks ahead to the future.

by Jason Kornwitz May 1, 2017

09/19/16 - BOSTON, MA. - Leila Deravi, Assistant Professor in the College of Science, poses for a portrait at Northeastern University on Sept. 19, 2016. Photo by: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Squid-inspired electronic screens: How one professor builds tech solutions that replicate nature

Assistant professor Leila Deravi takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the proteins that drive complex biological systems and building materials in the lab that replicate those systems. Among her research projects are optical displays inspired by squids and a face cream that strengthens skin proteins to reduce wrinkles.

by Thea Singer November 29, 2016

Graduate researcher wins fellowship to design drugs to combat deadly disease

Chemistry doctoral student Dana Klug makes possible drug options the way a chef makes a gourmet dish—adding an atom of hydrogen here, removing an atom of nitrogen there—to stop a deadly parasite in its tracks.

by Thea Singer August 31, 2015