Department of Chemistry - News page

MC2 in Cordoba U

��SM�� — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 13:13:13 +0000

Representing ��SM��’s Chemistry Department, the MC² facility, and the QCAM-FRQNT strategic cluster, Petr Fiurasek was honored to be invited to the University of Córdoba to deliver two lectures. One presentation was part of the advanced characterization course for physics master’s students. Beyond the scientific discussions, the visit aimed to foster collaboration between the University of Córdoba and Quebec universities through MITACS and various mobility programs

Eric McCalla Na-ion battery research is in the news

��SM�� — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:56:33 +0000

The Eric McCalla lab's work improving Na-ion battery cathodes has been highlighted in a nice article and video by Patrick de Bellefeuille from MétéoMédia.

Matt Harrington receives the 2024 Award for Excellence in Materials Research Chemical Institute of Canada

��SM�� — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:44:07 +0000

The Award for Research Excellence in Materials Chemistry is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who has made an outstanding contribution to materials chemistry while working in Canada. Congratulations to Professor Matthew J. Harrington of ��SM�� on being the recipient of this award. https://buff.ly/48ZBMhp

Thomas C. Preston awarded grant from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

��SM�� — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 15:20:42 +0000

Funding to support research on atmospheric aerosol particles and the emergence of life on Earth

Professor Thomas C. Preston -- jointly appointed to the departments of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Chemistry -- has been awarded a grant of USD$800,000 by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The grant will support Professor Preston’s research on atmospheric aerosol particles, with the goal of advancing understanding of the origin of life's building blocks on early Earth.

New sustainable catalyst: Fast, selective, reductive conversion of CO2!

��SM�� — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 18:48:36 +0000

Anthropogenic climate change drastically affects our planet, with CO₂ being the most critical gaseous driver. Here, we present a fast, effective, and sustainable route for coupling diverse alcohols, amines and amides with CO₂ via heterogenization of a natural metal-based homogeneous catalyst through decorating on functionalized graphene oxide. Combined synthetic, experimental, and theoretical studies unravel mechanistic routes to convergent 4‑electron reduction of CO₂ under mild conditions.

Highly functionalized all-cellulose nanocomposites via bacteria-enabled in-situ modifications

��SM�� — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 13:28:23 +0000

Dr. Seyed Mohammad Amin Ojagh, from Prof. van de Ven's research group and his colleagues, introduced a novel class of highly functionalized nanocellulose-based materials for diverse applications, recently published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. This study involved the in-situ modification of bacterial cellulose (BC) with hairy nanocellulose (HNC), resulting in nanocomposites with enhanced physicochemical properties compared to BC alone.

From Windy City to wilderness champion

��SM�� — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 15:46:46 +0000

In the heart of Lanaudière, Quebec, a 233-hectare tract of wilderness stands as a living testament to the resilience of nature and the generous stewardship of ��SM�� chemistry professor Linda Reven.

The Faculty of Science Excellence award goes to... Chantal!

��SM�� — Mon, 27 May 2024 17:39:14 +0000

Kudos to Chantal who received the Faculty of Science Excellence award, a testament to her exceptional contributions to our graduate students and department at large over the past 38 years. Chantal's work is multifaceted, and the success of our nowadays well over 230 Graduate Student Population hinges in great part on her relentless work in our department.

Nanoplastics in Water: Artificial Intelligence-Assisted 4D Physicochemical Characterization and Rapid In Situ Detection

��SM�� — Tue, 07 May 2024 13:28:13 +0000

For the first time, The Ariya lab present a much-needed technology for the in situ and real-time detection of nanoplastics in aquatic systems.
We show an artificial intelligence-assisted nanodigital in-line holographic microscopy (AI-assisted nano-DIHM) that automatically classifies nano- and microplastics simultaneously from nonplastic particles within milliseconds in stationary and dynamic natural waters, without sample preparation.

A para- to meta-isomerization of phenols

��SM�� — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:36:45 +0000

Phenols are a common functional group of many naturally occurring and biologically active molecules, including many that are part of the human diet. In 2020 alone, ~60% of small molecule drugs approved by the FDA contained a phenol or a closely related phenolic ether, underscoring their importance to the pharmaceutical industry.

Global Undergraduate Awards- Glen Loo

��SM�� — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:11:55 +0000

Recently, Glen Loo from the Lumb Group received an award from the Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA) for the work he did during a 5-month research internship. Glen had come to ��SM�� from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and worked with graduate mentor Carlos Azpilcueta-Nicolas on the photoinduced dearomatization of biaryl compounds. Glen’s work was ranked within the top 10% of all entries in the Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences category, receiving an award of “Highly Commended” by the GUA committee.

Pallavi Sirjoosingh: Winner, Principal’s Prize for Teaching Excellence (Faculty Lecturer)

��SM�� — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 14:39:44 +0000

A packed Leacock 132 can be an intimidating place when you’re down in front and looking back up at more than 600 undergrads about to study university-level chemistry for the first time.

It’s exactly where Pallavi Sirjoosingh wants to be.

What does a Greek God and former ��SM�� Chemistry Professor Bernard Belleau OC FRSC have in common?

��SM�� — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:26:30 +0000

Bernard Belleau was famous for developing the nucleoside analogue 3TC for viral treatment. Here, we show that a nucleoside analogue triggers a cell death mechanism named after Thanos, the Greek God of nonviolent deaths. The nucleoside analog, cytarabine, has been used as the frontline treatment of leukemia for more than 50 years, but patient survival rates are less than 20%.

Memorial Tribute – Byung Chan Eu (1935–2023)

��SM�� — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:11:59 +0000

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Professor Byung Chan (“BC”) Eu on August 25^th, 2023, at the age of 88 while in hospital. BC was born in 1935 in Seoul, Korea and earned a BSc in Chemistry at Seoul National University in 1959. He was admitted to the graduate school of Seoul National University in 1960, but soon was drafted into the Korean army which he served until 1962. On his discharge from the army, he left Korea to pursue his graduate studies at Brown University, earning a PhD in 1965, and completing a research fellowship at Harvard University in 1967.

The Clara Benson Award

��SM�� — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 12:17:53 +0000

The Clara Benson Award is presented to recognize a woman who has made a distinguished contribution to chemistry, in memory of the late Clara Benson who contributed immensely to both CHEM and equity (1^st female Prof at UofT). This award is sponsored by The Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs. Prof. Karine Auclair from ��SM�� is the recipient of the 2023 Clara Benson Award.

Detecting airborne viruses in a blink of an eye

��SM�� — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:11:47 +0000

Until now, there was no real-time airborne virus tracking technology, hindering the understanding of rapid virus change, transmission and associated health impacts. Led by the Ariya' lab, in collaboration with colleagues at ��SM�� Faculty of medicine and U. de Montreal, we developed an AI-Laser technology (called Nano-DIHM) that allowed real-time physicochemical tracking of virus-laden droplets in milliseconds. The detection system was demonstrated to detect active MS2 bacteriophages, inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and RNA fragments, and an MS2 mixture with metallic and organic compounds.

A novel in-situ and real-time four dimensional capability for the nano and microplastic life cycle research

��SM�� — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:46:18 +0000

The Ariya lab developed a novel nano-digital inline holographic microscope (nano-DIHM) was used to advance in-situ and real-time nano/microplastic physicochemical research, such as particle coatings and dynamic processes in water.

The Obituary of Dr. John F. Harrod

��SM�� — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:56:37 +0000

Dr. John F. Harrod, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry at ��SM�� passed away peacefully in Montreal on January 26, 2023, in his 89^th year.

Biogenic optical devices for solar energy conversion: glass-like shells of diatoms help turn light into energy in dim conditions

��SM�� — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:34:03 +0000

A ��SM�� research team led by Professors Mark Andrews (Department of Chemistry) and David Plant (Electrical Engineering) has shown how the glass-like shells of phytoplankton (diatoms) help these microscopic organisms perform photosynthesis in dim light conditions. Despite amounting to only about 1% of the global plant biomass, phytoplankton account for about 50% of the planet’s photosynthetic activity and at least half of the world’s oxygen production.

Introducing Professor Doctor Hélène Seiler!

��SM�� — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 18:37:58 +0000

��SM�� Chemistry congratulates Dr. Hélène Seiler on her appointment as an Assistant Professor of Physics in the Free University Berlin!

Efficient room-temperature phosphorescence of covalent organic frameworks through covalent halogen doping

��SM�� — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 17:51:42 +0000

Room-temperature phosphorescence in organic solids is rare. In a recent article from Perepichka group E. Hamzehpoor, C. Ruchlin and coworkers reported highly phosphorescent boroxine Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) using the covalent doping approach and controlling the ratio of halogenated precursors. Their well-defined porosity enables oxygen sensing with millisecond response time over a wide range (10³…10^-5 torr) of partial oxygen pressure. Read the full paper in Nature Chemistry.

High Voltage Cathodes

��SM�� — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 16:41:36 +0000

The performance of Li-ion batteries with high-voltage cathodes continues to be impractical for commercial devices due to several materials' limitations. In a recent article in collaboration with Samsung, Eric McCalla and co-workers systematically addressed these issues by using high-throughput screening with dopant selections covering much of the periodic table to achieve dramatically improved energies and extended cycling.

Dance in support of Ukraine

��SM�� — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 17:58:39 +0000

Our own Aleksei Kavun, a Ph. D. student from the Li lab, participated in the Révolution dance competition with a political message supporting Ukraine. His heartfelt dance was broadcasted on the TVA channel on September 18th. Aleksei's Ukrainian father, Mikhail Kavun, was illegally detained in Russia and later recognized as a political prisoner. On the stage of the Révolution, Aleksei sent his message of support to his father and all victims of the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as political prisoners in Russia.

Come join our faculty! Apply to our faculty position in Polymer Chemistry before October 15 2022

��SM�� — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:07:56 +0000

We are currently holding a search for our next faculty member. Please share widely the job post for an assistant professor position in Polymer Chemistry. Find out all the information here: /chemistry/jobs/faculty-positions.

A Novel Technology for Real-time Detection of Toxic Particle Contaminants in a blink of an eye!

��SM�� — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 19:48:04 +0000

The Ariya group demonstrates the detection of viruses like MS2 bacteriophage, mercury-containing particles, and other heavy metals as common toxic contaminants, as single particle in real-time or the cluster of particles, in a blink of an eye (milliseconds).

The Department of Chemistry releases a special issue to Celebrate ��SM��’s Bicentennial

��SM�� — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:36:56 +0000

2021 marked ��SM��’s bicentennial and the department produced a Special Issue in the Canadian Journal of Chemistry to celebrate this important hallmark and provide an overview of the breath of research produced by our community. This special occasion also was a good time to reflect on our recent past, and this the Special issue includes an overview of the Department’s history from 1965-2019. The contributions to the Special Issue came from lead authors, who were former Ph.D. students or past and present faculty members.

Visualizing how polarons form in the best thermoelectric material yet developed

��SM�� — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 18:00:21 +0000

Thermoelectrics can generate electrical power from waste heat and could make an important contribution to sustainable energy production if their efficiency is improved. Engineering efficient thermoelectrics, however, requires a sophisticated understanding of the fundamental interdependencies between electrical and thermal transport, for which improvements in our understanding of how charge carriers are coupled to lattice vibrations (phonons) is needed.

Passing of Professor Emeritus Adi Eisenberg (1935-2022)

��SM�� — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 15:50:14 +0000

With heavy hearts, we announce that Professor Emeritus Adi Eisenberg (1935-2022) has passed away on January 12, 2022. A Holocaust survivor, Dr. Eisenberg has earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1960, worked as a NATO post-doctoral fellow at the University of Basel with Werner Kuhn (1961-1962), and joined UCLA in 1962 as an Assistant Professor. He moved to ��SM�� as an Associate Professor in 1967, where he was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in 1975 and was named Otto Maass Chair in 1992.

The emissions of BC and other air pollutants in Montreal, and impacts of COVID-19

��SM�� — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 15:34:01 +0000

Graduate student Houjie Li and Professor Parisa Ariya discovered that the concentrations of black carbon (BC), PM_2.5, CO, NO_x decreased up to 72% in downtown Montreal during COVID-19 lockdown period, revealing those human activities account for most air pollutants in the cities.

Hassan Fakih Awarded the 2021 Dr. Alan M. Gewirtz Memorial Scholarship

��SM�� — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:05:22 +0000

Hassan Fakih who is a PhD Candidate in the Sleiman Lab has been awarded the 2021 Dr. Alan M. Gewirtz Memorial Scholarship.

Passing of Dan Petrescu (1991-2021)

��SM�� — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 17:39:08 +0000

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dan Petrescu on Sunday, October 3rd, 2021. Dan was born in 1991 in Germany but raised in France. He left Europe for the United States in 2009 to pursue his education. Dan studied for his B.A. in Chemistry from 2009-2013 at Boston University. He then went on to obtain his M.A in Physical and Biophysical Chemistry at Boston University from 2013-2015. From 2015 on, he was a PhD candidate under the supervision of Professors Amy Blum and Mark Andrews at the Department of Chemistry, ��SM��.

Two grad students win First Place Award for oral presentation at IUPCA/CCCE 2021 Virtual conference

��SM�� — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 19:00:31 +0000

The department of chemistry is really proud of graduate students Zi Wang, from the Ariya group, and Kayrel Edwards, from the Barrett group, for being award two first place award for the oral presentations they delivered at the virtual #IUPCA/CCCE conference on August.

Passing of Dr. David A. I. Goring (1920-2021)

��SM�� — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:17:27 +0000

A graduate of ��SM�� and Cambridge, Dr. Goring has passed away at the age of 100. Dr. Goring joined Paprican Institute in 1955, with his labs on the third floor of the Pulp and Paper building. Through his affiliation with the Chemistry Department, he taught graduate courses and supervised approximately 20 graduate students, most of whom went on to research positions in the Canadian Pulp and Paper Industry. Dr. Goring’s ground breaking work on how wood components are modified by chemical pulping has been of great importance to the pulp and paper industry.

Passing of Dr. James M. Fresco (1926-2021)

��SM�� — Wed, 26 May 2021 21:05:34 +0000

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. James M. Fresco, a former Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, ��SM��, on Sunday, May 23, 2021, just a few months short of his 95^th birthday.

A Sustainable Technology for Quantification of Micro- and Nano-plastics in the Environment

��SM�� — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:51:08 +0000

Global plastic productions have increased remarkably over the past few decades. Unwanted plastic inputs, specifically, micro- and nano-plastics, into the environment become emerging concerns across the world. However, the quantitative analysis of micro/nano-plastics still remains a major challenge, especially in the complex environmental matrices. In their recent work, the Ariya’s lab developed a wide range of recyclable nanostructures, which provided promising ultra-trace capabilities for both soluble and insoluble micro- and nano-plastic quantification.

Intelligent polymeric nanoformulations sense and deliver at precise locations

��SM�� — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 13:48:07 +0000

Delivering active pharmaceutical agents to target sites continues to pose tremendous challenges. Much effort has been devoted to formulating endogenous stimuli-sensitive nanocarriers that could load sufficient cargo, stay intact during their passage to desired locations, and provide controlled release pathways. Through a clever design, using synthetic articulation of branched miktoarm star polymers, we have developed multi-tasking drug loaded soft nanoparticles, which can sense extra- and intracellular environments.

Resolution of the Passing of Emeritus Professor Mario Onyszchuk (1930–2021)

��SM�� — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:49:31 +0000

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Professor Mario Onyszchuk on January 1, 2021. Mario was born in 1930 near Lviv in Poland, now a part of Ukraine. He grew up in Montreal, earned a BSc in Chemistry from ��SM�� in 1951, an MSc from U Western Ontario (1952; C. Sivertz) and a PhD from ��SM�� under Carl Winkler (1954). He then moved to England where he received a second PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1956 (H.J. Emeléus).

Resolution on the Passing of Emeritus Professor William C. Purdy (1930-2019)

��SM�� — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:44:27 +0000

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. William Crossley Purdy, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemistry, ��SM��, on October 30, 2019, after a prolonged illness.

New Synthetic Strategies to Mimic Biosynthetic Oxidative Bond-Formation

��SM�� — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 13:35:28 +0000

Cytochrome P450, and related iron-containing oxygenases, catalyze a broad range of oxidative bond-forming processes that create complex natural products. Well-known examples include ‘canonical oxidations’, which convert C-H bonds into their corresponding alcohol derivatives (C-OH) via a classical mechanism of rebound. In these well-known cases, C-H abstraction affords a substrate radical that recombines with the enzyme’s Fe-(III)-OH center to form the new C-OH bond.

The Future of Hydrogen as an Energy Source?

��SM�� — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 20:05:37 +0000

One of most active research areas nowadays is the use of solar energy to produce hydrogen by so-called “water-splitting” reactions. Dr. Butler has co-authored with colleagues from the U.K. and Pakistan a comprehensive review on this topic entitled “Recent Developments and Perspectives in CdS-based Photocatalysts for Water Splitting”. This review examines recent work in attempts to improve the photocatalytic efficiency and stability of CdS for H₂ production from water Journal of Materials A, in press (2020). Dr.

A fluorescent probe for all seasons; bright and sensitive

��SM�� — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 21:56:02 +0000

Researchers at ��SM�� designed and synthesized the brightest fluorescent nucleobase analog (FBA) reported to date.

Prof. Tomislav Friščić joins 30 other academics world wide to send a strong message about diversity, equity and inclusion

��SM�� — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 15:01:14 +0000

A team of ca. 30 diverse scientists from all around the world, and from all walks of life, have come together to compose the article A diverse view of science to catalyst change, highlighting and promoting the importance and benefits of equity, diversity and inclusion in science.

Congratulation to Prof. Hanadi Sleiman on securing prestigious COTTRELL SEED award

��SM�� — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 23:29:26 +0000

Dr. Hanadi F. Sleiman has been selected as a recipient of the COTTRELL SEED (Singular Exceptional Endeavors of Discovery). This honor carries with it an award of $50,000 to support the very first instances of highly creative projects. The Cottrell SEED Award, part of the competitive Cottrell Plus Awards of the Research Corporation (USA), recognizes outstanding teacher-scholars who engage in innovative activities to enhance their teaching or research programs. The research project supported by this award in Dr.

Congratulations to Prof. Auclair, Sleiman, McKeague and Friscic for being awarded prestigious chairs

��SM�� — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 15:06:34 +0000

The department of chemistry is proud to announce four of our professors are bringing home prestigious awards. Prof. Karine Auclair received a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobials and Green Enzymes in the CIHR stream. Prof. Hanadi Sleiman saw her Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in DNA Nanoscience (NSERC) renewed. Prof Maureen McKeague received a Tier 2 Canada Canada Research Chair in Genomic Chemistry (CIHR). Prof. Tomislav Friscic was renewed his William Dawson Chair.

CHEM 267 Trailer

��SM�� — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 21:07:12 +0000

Interested in what’s happening in the Chemistry Department for Fall 2020? Check out this trailer for CHEM 267, which gives a hint of things to come!

Dept. of Chemistry statement on racism, equity and inclusivity

��SM�� — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 15:06:15 +0000

As we reflect on issues of racism in science and society, #ShutDownAcademia, #ShutDownSTEM, and #Strike4BlackLives, I would like to emphasize that the ��SM�� Chemistry Department remains committed to the high principles of equality and inclusivity. We are proud of our incredibly diverse population of students, staff, and faculty who came to ��SM�� from 6 continents and over 30 different countries. The individual contributions of each member of our family make ��SM�� Chemistry a very special place, both in Canada and worldwide.

Arthur Saul Perlin (1924-2020)

��SM�� — Mon, 11 May 2020 01:47:52 +0000

It is with great sadness that the Department of Chemistry announces the passing of Professor Emeritus Arthur Saul Perlin on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, just a few days short of his 97^th birthday. Professor Perlin was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and spent all of his early years in the Maritimes, many of them working on the family farm, The Sanitary Dairy. He eventually came to ��SM�� to study Chemistry and Music, where he obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.

Congratulations Jeremy Dawkins who won 1st Prize at the 3 Minutes to Change the World

��SM�� — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 15:06:49 +0000

On February 5, at Hôtel Château Laurier Québec, the Association Québécoise de la Production d’Énergie renouvelable (AQPER) held the 3 Minutes to Change the World student competition during its 2020 symposium. Jeremy Dawkins from the Mauzeroll group won the 1^st prize money with his presentation on Li-Ion Batteries. Congratulations Jeremy!

The Passing of Professor Joan Power

��SM�� — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 19:26:30 +0000

Joan F. Power (1958-2019)

Associate Professor of Chemistry, ��SM��. Joan was the first woman faculty member to serve in the Department of Chemistry.

Beloved daughter of Bernard Power and the late Pauline M. Power (Coty), sister of Michael Power (Ruth) of White Horse, Yukon, Christine of Ottawa, and Mark (Mariette) of Blainville, Quebec.

Post-doctoral fellow Mingxin Liu wins prestigious 2019 IUPAC-Zhejiang NHU International Award for Advancements in Green Chemistry

��SM�� — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 20:26:23 +0000

The IUPAC-Zhejiang NHU International Award for Advancements in Green Chemistry is a collaborative award established to encourage young and experienced chemists, and to emphasize the importance of advancements in Green Chemistry and the value of sciences to human progress. Mingxin is one of the 3 awardees in the junior category

The Canadian Society for Chemistry and Chemical Institute of Canada are highlighting our department for excellence

��SM�� — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 17:45:44 +0000

This year, the department was recognized by 4 prizes and awards from the Canadian Society for Chemistry and Chemical Institute of Canada to highlight the excellent of our researchers. Congratulation to profs. Lumb, Ariya, Barrett and Friscic for your remarkable successes:

1) JP Lumb – Keith Fagnou Award in organic chemistry (link: https://www.cheminst.ca/awards/csc-awards/keith-fagnou-award)

SFU announces 2019 Honorary Degree recipients - Dr. Joe Schwarcz

��SM�� — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 13:15:04 +0000

Canada’s first female general surgeon of First Nations descent, a cultural visionary, and a co-founder of Vancouver’s Amnesty International chapter are among 10 distinguished individuals to receive honorary degrees in 2019 from Simon Fraser University.

Two chemists recognized at the Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement through Media

��SM�� — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:41:22 +0000

The Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement through Media was created to recognize those who go beyond their studies and research to engage with the media or the public. The department of chemistry was doubly recognized this year, as two of its members received awards.

Professor Theo van de Ven received the John S. Bates Memorial Gold Medal

��SM�� — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 14:33:00 +0000

The John S. Bates Memorial Gold Medal is the highest distinction awarded to a Member of PAPTAC (the Pulp And Paper Technical Association of Canada). The Gold Medal is in recognition of long term scientific and technological contributions to the pulp and paper industry. The last time this medal was awarded to a Member of the Chemistry Department was in 1994, when David Goring received this award. Prof.

Researchs make a new kind of plastic from crustacean and insect shells

��SM�� — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 14:56:58 +0000

Thomas Di Nardo (MSc) and Audrey Moores discovered a new method, based on mechanochemistry and aging, allowing to turn chitin into a new, long molecular weight chitosan. This new material has interesting mechanical properties and is envisaged for applications to biomedical, food packaging and high value fibers. This discovery was covered in a number of news outlets:

Better CRISPR Through Chemistry and Collaboration

��SM�� — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 16:02:22 +0000

CRISPR has jumped to the forefront of gene editing, with game-changing applications like gene therapy, GMO-free designer crops, and synthetic organisms. It makes precise engineering and control of nearly any genome possible. But CRISPR is not perfect and its continued development relies on understanding and modifying the naturally occurring enzymes.

Two ��SM�� Women Chemists Awarded!

��SM�� — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 20:12:05 +0000

Aurélie Lacroix (currently PhD student in Dr Hanadi Sleiman lab) and Dr Maryam Habibian (former student from Dr Masad Damha lab and currently postdoc fellow at Stanford in Dr Eric Kool laboratory) were both awarded the Chu Family Foundation Scholarships for Early Career Women in Science.The award by The International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids (IS3NA) is given to 3 women bi-annually in the field of nucleoside/tide and/or nucleic acid research a

Grinding enzymes to break down cellulose

��SM�� — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 14:32:03 +0000

Cellulose, one of the three major components of plants, is showing great promise as a renewable source for many convenience products. It is made of glucose, a molecule which can be fermented by microorganisms into virtually any desired small molecule of interest. More especially it can be converted to ethanol to make sustainable biofuels.

Watching energy flow in solids with ultrafast electron bursts

��SM�� — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:35:50 +0000

The way individual atoms and molecules move in materials has important consequences on properties such as electrical conductivity, heat capacity and acoustics. Even in solids, atoms are always moving back and forth about some average position, and this motion occurs through specific wave-like modes called phonons. Phonons form elementary excitations in the material and can therefore carry energy in the form of heat. As temperature increases, so do the number of phonons and vice-versa. The group of Dr.

Linking Localized Corrosion of Stainless Steel to Titanium

��SM�� — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 02:10:00 +0000

��SM�� researchers have discovered the consequence of adding titanium and other stabilizing agents to high performing stainless steel on the material’s localized corrosion mechanism.

In a study published in npj Materials Degradation, the researchers describe a suite of electrochemical techniques used to characterize the material’s corrosion properties both on the macro and micro scale.

Congratulations to the ChemPhoto Exhibition!

��SM�� — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 13:55:24 +0000

The first edition of the ChemPhoto: ��SM�� Department of Chemistry Photo Exhibition took place in February and March 2018. The winners were selected by popular vote (total votes: 266) and are:

1st place: Le Jaune et le Bleu by Chenghao Liu, Ehsan Hamzehpoor
2nd place: Painter Palette by Mahdi Roohnikan
3rd place: Holy smokes Batman, is this Kryptonite!? by Igor Huskić

The award ceremony took place during the bagel hour on March 29th.

��SM�� Chemistry Graduate Emily Cranston gave the Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecture at ACS New Orleans 2018

��SM�� — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 13:49:05 +0000

Two Kavli Lectures are held at every ACS national meeting as the result of collaboration between ACS and The Kavli Foundation, an internationally recognized philanthropic organization known for its support of basic scientific innovation in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics.

Congratulations to Alexandra Gellé on winning first place in the #RSCNano category of The Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Conference 2018

��SM�� — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 21:12:09 +0000

The Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Poster Conferences are the biggest chemistry conferences ever organized as they are held entirely over Twitter. Chemists are invited to join this online conference by tweeting they poster, allowing people all over the word to share they research and engage with the scientific research community, without having to travel!

Congratulations to Hanadi Sleiman and CJ Li for securing major Canadian Society for Chemistry awards

��SM�� — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 18:28:32 +0000

In 2018, Hanadi Sleiman will receive the R.U. Lemieux Award and CJ Li the Alfred Bader Award.

These awards will be presented to them during the 101st Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition which is taking place in Edmonton from May 27-31, 2018.

ChemPhoto: ��SM�� Department of Chemistry Photo Exhibition

��SM�� — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:15:25 +0000

The ��SM�� Chemistry Outreach is proud to launch the first “ChemPhoto”, a photo exhibition of chemistry to coincide with Nuit Blanche on March 3 2018. The chemistry-themed photo exhibition is open to students and staff in the Department of Chemistry at ��SM��. The purpose of the exhibition is to showcase the beauty of science and to foster interest in chemistry to the general public.

Who can participate: undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs and staff in the ��SM�� Department of Chemistry.

Congratulations to Richard Lincoln for receiving the 2017 Gerhard Closs Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society

��SM�� — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:18:20 +0000

Richard Lincoln in the Cosa group received the 2017 Gerhard Closs Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society in Florida in the New Year, where he gave an award lecture entitled “Lighting and Enlightening the Chemistry of the Cell”. This award was set in remembrance of Professor Gerhard L. Closs by the Inter-American Photochemical Society to reward contributions from graduate and undergraduate students for oral presentation at the I-APS Winter Conference on any subject involving photochemistry. Congratulations Richard!

Shaking up gold and palladium

��SM�� — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 03:13:31 +0000

Mechanochemical method makes noble metal compounds without solvents or harsh reagents. Read more in Chemical & Engineering News, the magazine of the American Chemical Society.

Memorial Tribute – Allan S. Hay (1929–2017)

��SM�� — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 12:52:16 +0000

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our friend and colleague Allan S. Hay, who passed away peacefully on August 14, 2017. Prof. Hay had an international reputation as one of the most creative and productive polymer synthesis chemists of all time. He made landmark discoveries in reactions leading to polymers/plastics that have had enormous impact on commercial products for the last 50 years.

Siba Moussa receives the Micro-Nanosystems Design Award

��SM�� — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 13:34:56 +0000

We’re pleased to let you know that ��SM�� student Siba Moussa (supervisor Janine Mauzeroll, Dept. of Chemistry), has received the Micro-Nanosystems Design Award for her technology, “A Micro-liter Temperature-Controlled Flow Cell for Small Scale Studies of CYP 3A4 Enzyme Behavior.”

Ms Moussa’s technology enables electro-chemical monitoring of enzymes, leading to a better understanding of their role in disease development. Judges praised her full working prototype for its multidisciplinary breadth, and its use of cost-effective materials.

Dr. Mona Nemer, ��SM�� Chemistry Alumni, named Canada’s Chief Scientist

��SM�� — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 19:07:20 +0000

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has selected ��SM�� Alumni, Dr. Mona Nemer (PhD 1982 in Organic Chemistry under the supervisor of Prof. Kelvin K. Ogilvie) to be the country's top scientist. Read more

Photo: Adam Scotti

Laura Pavelka awarded the 2017 ��SM�� Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching

��SM�� — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 12:29:42 +0000

The Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching was established in 2000 to recognize excellence in teaching and its importance to the academic experience of students at ��SM��. Traditionally awarded at Fall Convocation, awardees are named at the ranks of Faculty Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor. Laura is the 2017 recipient at the rank of Faculty Lecturer. Past winners can be viewed here (link 1), including Chemistry Department faculty Ariel Fenster (2013), Paul Wiseman (2007), Hanadi Sleiman (2002), and David Harpp (2001).

Grad student Xi-Jie Dai and Postdoc Associate Haining Wang receive the provincial excellent student researcher award

��SM�� — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:22:23 +0000

Dr. Xi-Jie Dai and Dr. Haining Wang share the prestigious Étudiants-chercheurs étoiles award (September, 2017) from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT). This award recognizes the exceptional research contributions of university students (master's, doctorate), postdoctoral fellows and members of professional orders who are enrolled in advanced research training programs in any of the areas covered by the three Fonds de recherche du Québec. Xi-Jie Dai performed his Ph.D.

Using nanomaterials to illuminate new pathways for old chemistry

��SM�� — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:09:26 +0000

Researchers at ��SM�� have discovered a new way to use nanomaterials of a particular size and shape to perform old chemistry in a new fashion. Their finding, published in ACS Catalysis, highlights the use of cubic silver nanoparticles to harvest light for the activation of hydrogen in their hydrogenation reactions. These silver nanocubes possess an optical property called the surface plasmon resonance and their paper explores the use of these special properties in catalysis.

��SM�� introduces new Bio-Physical Sciences undergraduate curriculum

��SM�� — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 14:49:32 +0000

Bio-Physical Science seeks to understand the functioning of living systems from the level of individual molecules up to ecosystems by applying tools and theories drawn from physical sciences. The departments of Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Physiology, and Computer Science have brought together a set of undergraduate programs encompassing the many aspects of this expanding, interdisciplinary field.

Congratulations to our Graduate Student Awardees for 2016-2017!

��SM�� — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:38:16 +0000

We are very proud to announce the names of a the 2017 Graduate student awards! The award ceremony took place on a patio of the department on a sunny June 27 2017. On the photo, see from left to right: Rob Harkness, Yasser Gidi, Mihai Burai Patrascu, Igor Huskic, Collin Sonnichsen, Richard Lincoln, Leonora Abdullahu, Dustin Duncan, Zheng Huang, Sebastian Skanvik. The full list of awards is below:

RESEARCH AWARD

Udho Parsini Diwan Prize
Igor Huskic (Friscic)

"Minerals with metalorganic framework structures" Sci. Adv. 2016, 2:e1600621

Congratulations to J.P. Lumb on his tenure and appointment as associate professor

��SM�� — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 18:25:59 +0000

Prof. J.P. Lumb received his tenure and is promoted to the rank of associate professor. Congratulations!

Bio-Inspired Coupling of Phenols and Amines

��SM�� — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:40:41 +0000

1,2-Oxy-aminoarenes are omnipresent in biologically active molecules and advanced materials, but current syntheses are often atom and step inefficient, and can require highly optimized and expensive catalysts. Recent work, conducted by graduate student Kenn Esguerra and postdoc Wenbo Xu in the Lumb Group, has made important strides towards improving the efficiency of 1,2-oxy-amioarene synthesis by interfacing two unrelated, but complementary, biosynthetic processes.

The Li group uses alkyl carbanions to make greener nucleophilic additions

��SM�� — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 22:01:05 +0000

Xijie Dai, Haining Wang and C.J. Li have recently demonstrated that carbonyl derivatives could be used in a similar fashion to Grignard reagents using a smart Umpolung strategy and thus replaced organometallic-based reagents for nucleophilic carbonyl addition reactions for alcohol synthesis.

The second issue of the student-led ��SM�� Green Chemistry Journal is out!

��SM�� — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 21:48:42 +0000

For the second year in a row, students from the Green Chemistry course (CHEM 462) are releasing their journal issue, published online as The ��SM�� Green Chemistry Journal. This volume gathers the reviews written by students who took the course. Students used peer evaluation, similar to the standard in scientific publication as a means to raise the quality of all the papers submitted.

Dima Perepichka becomes Sir William C. Macdonald Chair in Chemistry

��SM�� — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 15:39:33 +0000

The Sir William C. Macdonald Chair in Chemistry was established in 1901 and is one of the oldest Named Chairs at the University.

Dima has a significant international reputation that was recently validated in the Full Professor promotion process, and are one of the world’s most creative “designers” and makers of novel materials.

Graduate student makes a video for the 2017 NSERC Science, Action! competition

��SM�� — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 19:09:38 +0000

Graduate student Bryan Lee from Dr. Ariya group has submitted a video for the 2017 NSERC Science, Action! competition. His video is titled “Mercury on the Move”, which briefly speaks on the impact of mercury pollution in the environment to the public. His video is live on YouTube now, which can be found here.

Memorial Tribute – Donald Duke Patterson (1927-2016)

��SM�� — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 21:37:12 +0000

It is with great sadness that we announce the untimely passing of Emeritus Professor Donald Patterson at age 89. Donald Patterson was born on October 13, 1927, in Montreal where he excelled at school, first at Selwyn House and then at Westmount High. In 1944, he placed first in the province in the Quebec high school final exams. He went on to study Mathematics and Physics at ��SM�� (B.Sc. ’48 ; M.Sc. ’50), and then chemistry for his PhD at the University of Bristol, England (1950-1953).

Grad Student Cristina Mottillo receives a national thesis award

��SM�� — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 20:10:17 +0000

Dr. Cristina Mottillo is the recipient of the prestigious 2017 CCUCC Chemistry Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institute of Chemistry (CIC). The Award, sponsored by the Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC), recognizes a recent Ph.D. graduate for their outstanding achievement and potential in research. Cristina performed her Ph.D.

The Tsantrizos and Berghuis groups unravel important mechanistic insight into metabolic regulation/dysregulation with important implications for the treatment of cancer

��SM�� — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 18:34:39 +0000

Human farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (hFPPS) plays a key role in the prenylation of small GTPases, such as RAS and RAP 1A, which are intimately involved in oncogenesis. An allosteric pocket of the enzyme has been of particular interest as a therapeutic target, however, its natural biological function has been (until now) unknown. The teams of Berghuis (Biochemistry) and Tsantrizos (Chemistry) have just reported that the catalytic product of hFPPS, farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), bind to this pocket and locks the enzyme in a conformationally inactive state.

Mittermaier and Moores secure funding for two major instruments via CFI-John R. Evans Leaders Fund

��SM�� — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 19:19:45 +0000

Prof. Tony Mittermaier was awarded a CFI-John R. Evans Leaders Fund to acquire a 800 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnet. Most human diseases are caused by malfunctions in the fundamental molecules of life: proteins, DNA, and RNA. Studying the structure and flexibility of the molecules at the atomic level therefore helps us to understand diseases and find cures, much in the same way that the blueprint of an engine can help us to fix it when it is broken.

Janine Mauzeroll becomes Technical Editor for Journal of The Electrochemical Society

��SM�� — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 03:39:05 +0000

ECS recently announced the appointment of Janine Mauzeroll to the position of Technical Editor for the Organic & Bioelectrochemistry area for the Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES). Read more about Dr. Mauzeroll’s research areas and her plans for growing this area of JES.

Congratulations: Ashok Kakkar becomes full professor

��SM�� — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:32:15 +0000

On December 2016, Prof. Ashok Kakkar was promoted full professor.

CJ Li is named fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, for the advancement of science in developing countries

��SM�� — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 21:04:44 +0000

Professor Chao-Jun Li, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) at ��SM�� has been elected during the Academy’s 27^th Annual General Meeting in Kigali Rwanda, as one of the 40 new fellows of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Established in 1983, the TWAS is an academy of the world's most accomplished scientists and engineers, constituted of 2004 elected Fellows in more than 90 countries. Prof. C-J Li was elected in recognition of his pioneering work on a wide range of new synthetic reactions for Green Chemistry.

The Ariya group develops a green method to recycle mercury

��SM�� — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 03:10:13 +0000

��SM�� researchers led by Professor Parisa A. Ariya in Montreal-Canada developed an innovative two-step green technique to remove and recycle mercury from spent compact fluorescent lamps, using a near zero-energy system. The new findings by Hu et al. (2016) appear in the journal of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

This research was highlighted by Advances in Engineering in a press release.

Spinoff Anomera winner of the GreenCentre Canada Innovation House Chemistry Countering Climate Change (IHC4) Competition

��SM�� — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 02:39:58 +0000

Anomera can now count itself as an award winning ��SM�� Chemistry spinoff! The company is a recent winner of the GreenCentre Canada Innovation House Chemistry Countering Climate Change (IHC4) Competition. Anomera joins a prestigious history of innovation from the Department.

��SM�� Startup Team Selected as One of the Ten Incredible Semi-finalists for the 2016 Skolar Award

��SM�� — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 03:58:59 +0000

Co-founders of the start-up ACSYNAM, Inc., a spin-off venture from the ��SM�� Department of Chemistry, have been selected as one of the ten incredible semi-finalists to compete for a €100,000 prize in the 2016 Skolar Award competition. Dr. Cristina Mottillo, post-doctoral researcher and CSO of ACSYNAM, Inc., will be representing the team by presenting a three-minute science pitch to a panel of judges and an audience from non-scientific backgrounds.

Money coming to the Auclair Lab from the other end of the world!

��SM�� — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 19:29:45 +0000

Professor Auclair was recently awarded funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. The two co-applicants involved in this application, Prof. Auclair and Prof. K. J. Saliba from The Australian National University, will share approximately $185,000 per year for 3 years to work on "Understanding and targeting coenzyme A biosynthesis and utilization in Plasmodium falciparum".

Palladium(II) Dithiocarbamates - Anticancer Metallodrugs of the Future?

��SM�� — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 21:04:11 +0000

Most chemistry students are well aware of the anticancer properties of cisplatin, cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂, as a result of the pioneering work of Professor Barnett Rosenberg and his colleagues at the Michigan State University in the late 1960s. Over the years, this simple Pt(II) coordination complex and some structurally closely related ones have become the FDA-approved drugs of choice for cancer treatment, especially ovarian and testicular cancers.

2016 ��SM�� Chemistry Outreach Awards

��SM�� — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 17:23:31 +0000

Congratulations to Justin Chang (Auclair group), Pierre-Olivier Ferko (Moores group - Photo), Samantha Gateman (Mauzeroll group), Igor Huskic (Friscic group), Victoria Jackiewicz (Arndsten group) and Siting Ni (Lennox group) for winning the first ��SM�� Chemistry Outreach Awards. From helping to found the Outreach group to getting students of all ages excited about Chemistry, these trainees have worked hard to communicate science to the general public in a fun, safe and engaging way.

Anna Albertson wins the 2016 Udho Parsini Diwan Award

��SM�� — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 15:02:56 +0000

The Udho Parsini Diwan Award rewards the graduate student in the ��SM�� Chemistry program who has written the best research article published the year before. Here is how Anna Alberston presents her winning article.

Dr. Manish K. Mishra is a finalist for the 2016 Reaxys PhD Prize

��SM�� — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:15:41 +0000

We would like to congratulate Dr. Manish K. Mishra, currently working in the Department of Chemistry as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Robin Rogers, who has been selected to be among the 45 finalists for the 2016 Reaxys PhD Prize. The Reaxys PhD Prize is open to students currently in a PhD program or who recently completed their PhD, with emphasis on the areas of synthetic chemistry (e.g., organic, inorganic, organometallic, coordination, medical, materials, and polymer chemistry).

Convocation 2016: Celebrating the class of 2016, Paul Anastas and Tomislav Friscic

��SM�� — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 15:51:36 +0000

This year, the ��SM�� convocation of the faculty of science highlighted the ��SM�� efforts in Green Chemistry. Paul Anastas, the director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University, who is well known as the "father of Green Chemistry", received a honorary degree and delivered an inspirational address to the graduating students. Encouraging them to embrass the challenges of the future, he told them: "Change is happening, what we need are change-drivers".

First CREATE in Green Chemistry Summer School

��SM�� — Sun, 29 May 2016 03:53:37 +0000

Held May 9-11, our first summer school for trainees was a resounding success. Co-sponsored by CREATE in Green Chemistry and TISED, Dr. Bhavik Bakshi (Ohio State University) presented a full-day workshop on life cycle analysis (LCA). Then Drs Adelina Voutchkova and Jakub Kostal (Georges Washington University) followed with a full-day toxicology workshop and Dr. Chris Wanderwal (Univerity of California, Irvine) presented on his research.

Congratulations to Tomislav Friščić on his tenure and appointment as associate professor

��SM�� — Thu, 26 May 2016 15:45:06 +0000

Prof. Tomislav Friščić secured his tenure and is promoted to the rank of associate professor, effective June 1 2016. Congratulations! Read more about him and the other assistant professors who were also promoted to associate at ��SM�� in 2016 in the ��SM�� Reporter.

Congratulations to Karine Auclair and Gonzalo Cosa on their appointment as full professors

��SM�� — Tue, 03 May 2016 18:09:40 +0000

On May 2 Prof. Karine Auclair and Gonzalo Cosa were promoted to the rank of full professors. Congratulations to both of them. This piece of news was covered by the ��SM�� Reporter.

Aurélie Lacroix winner of the French 3MT competition; Alain Li finalist

��SM�� — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:50:37 +0000

Alain Li and Aurélie Lacroix, PhD students in Chemistry, were selected from a strong pool of applicants as finalists in ��SM��’s French 3MT competition. The competition took place on Wednesday, March 16, in the Thomson House Ballroom. Aurélie Lacroix won one of the 3 prizes with her presentation "Ciblage thérapeutique avec des cages d'ADN". Aurélie will defend ��SM��'s colors at the upcoming Quebec wide competition. Congratulations Aurélie!

The Otto Maass building starred in a TV documentary

��SM�� — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 16:07:46 +0000

The style of architecture found on the ��SM�� campus is fascinating, to the point where it was recently featured in the documentary series "Archi Branche" aired on the Canal Savoir channel (available only in French). Among other the architecture of various buildings on campus, the latest renovations in Otto Maass are discussed in the context of the special needs associated with laboratory work.

What's it like getting a chemistry PhD?

��SM�� — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 17:49:30 +0000

In a recent article in the ��SM�� Tribune, PhD candidates from the Mittermaier and Cosa groups share their thoughts on study, research life and more. Read the article

Memorial Tribute – Denis F.R. Gilson (1934–2016)

��SM�� — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 17:49:02 +0000

It is with great sadness that we announce the untimely passing of Emeritus Professor Denis F.R. Gilson, following a relatively short period of hospitalization. He was a close colleague of many of us in the Department of Chemistry at ��SM�� and throughout the university. Prof. Gilson was educated initially in the U.K. at University College London, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry in 1957. He then moved to Canada to embark upon his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry at the University of British Columbia (1957–62). He completed his Ph.D.

Beautiful images of erbium hydroxide microflowers, Er2CO3(OH)2

��SM�� — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 14:51:21 +0000

As part of a collaboration between the Butler group in Department of Chemistry and the Kozinskli group in the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering at ��SM��, Dr. Hassane Assaaoudi has investigated the effects of temperature, pressure, pH, residence time and reactant concentrations, as well as the presence or absence of CO2, on the size and morphology of erbium hydroxide particles synthesized in a hydrothermal batch reactor and a diamond-anvil cell reactor.

PhD student Yasser Gidi wins the 2016 NSERC Gilles Brassard Prize

��SM�� — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 03:50:23 +0000

Yasser Gidi from the Cosa group received in February 16th the NSERC Gilles Brassard Doctoral Prize for Interdisciplinary Research. He has developed a novel single-molecule platform that makes it possible to observe and study proteins that allow life-threatening viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV to reproduce, often mutating into forms that are resistant to known drug therapies. Gidi is effectively creating "movies" of individual biological machines in action, with the goal of understanding how the viruses reproduce and how they respond to drugs.

Punny Valentine’s Day Cards

��SM�� — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 18:54:07 +0000

Need a card to go with that perfect gift for that special someone this Valentine’s Day? Do they love chemistry related puns? Then ��SM�� Chemistry Department recent graduate Nick Uhlig has you covered. The Li lab alum has recently made available several charming Valentine’s Day cards through the online marketplace Redbubble. “I wanted to do it for a long time and kept saving up the ideas, but really only got to it after graduating.” says Uhlig, who now works as a medicinal chemist at Gilead Sciences’ in Edmonton, Alberta.

Prof. Audrey Moores receives a 2016 CNC-IUPAC travel award

��SM�� — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 20:24:04 +0000

The CNC-IUPAC award is given every year to 4 young chemists in Canada to attend an IUPAC conference. Audrey Moores will be attended the 6th International IUPAC Conference on Green Chemistry taking place in Venice, Italy, in September 2016. This conference is unique in that, in addition to its research focus, society stakeholders, entrepreneurs and educational bodies actively participate in the event and contribute.

2016 CNC-IUPAC travel awardees

Even if the snow's not yellow you might not want to eat it

��SM�� — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 20:41:33 +0000

Yevgen Nazarenko (photo), Uday Kurien, Oleg Nepotchatykh and Rodrigo Rangel-Alvarado, with Prof Ariya have published a paper that demonstrates a substantial influence of snow on car exhaust pollution. In particular, the results showed that snow acts as a sink for toxic organic pollutants and nanosized particles from car exhausts. The article is published in Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts and has attracted much attention, now classified "hot" on the Journal website.

Virtual protein engineering towards improved biocatalysts

��SM�� — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 03:51:50 +0000

As part of a new venture in the Moitessier research group, recent Ph.D graduate, Josh Pottel, has delved into developing software to guide protein engineering. Computers can be used to simulate the shape and function of a protein or enzyme, but need the correct tools to be able to create accurate models. An initial platform for generating and applying new side-chain (rotamer) libraries has shown promise as the foundation for a biocatalysis prediction software.

2015 ��SM�� Chemistry Holiday Party

��SM�� — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 01:25:28 +0000

On December 11, students, post-doc and professors enjoyed a well deserved end-of-term party and celebrated the holiday season with a nice meal and music. On behalf of the all department: Happy holiday season!

��SM�� green chemistry students publish the inaugural issue of their own journal

��SM�� — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 17:03:59 +0000

During the fall 2015 semester, students enrolled in the Green Chemistry course (CHEM 462) were involved in a unique initiative. They entirely created their very own journal composed of reports and critiques inspired by the 12 principles of green chemistry. An editorial board composed of students in the course was cast and defined teh scope for this new publication. Students each wrote an article, submitted it to the editors, peer evaluted each other's work and finally presented their final work.

Memorial Tribute – Robert Marchessault (1928-2015)

��SM�� — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 14:39:31 +0000

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Robert ('Bob') Marchessault, who died peacefully last month on September 16th, 2015, the day of his 87th birthday.

Two ��SM�� green professors among the five most cited Canadian chemists

��SM�� — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 19:22:11 +0000

Two ��SM�� Green Chemists Professors Robin Rogers and C-J Li have again earned the 2015 Thompson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers recognition by being among the top 1% most cited for their subject fields. This award represents some of the world’s most influential scientific minds. Only 5 chemists in Canada are recognized. Both Prof. Rogers and Prof. Li were also recognized in 2014.

The challenges of green chemistry... en français

��SM�� — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 03:56:53 +0000

Associate professor Audrey Moores was recently featured in the french radio programme "Les Années Lumière" hosted by Yanick Villedieu. In a mini series of 3 chronicles « La règle de 3 », broadcasted on ICI-Radio Canada on Sep.

2015 CSACS Meeting: A great success!

��SM�� — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 19:33:58 +0000

The CSACS Student Symposium took place on September 18th 2015, at ��SM��’s New Residence Hall. This event is an occasion for students to share their work with the local self-assembly community. Prof. Gilles Bourret (Salzburg University), a former CSACS member himself, gave the keynote lecture. Bourret discussed the use of electrochemical approaches to prepare plasmonic nanostructures with a high level of control, including coaxial lithography (COAL), a method he helped develop as a postdoctoral fellow in Chad Mirkin’s group (Northwestern University).

Shaking Off The Rust

��SM�� — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 14:06:01 +0000

The heavier a car is, the more fuel it consumes, so finding ways to reduce vehicle weight is a key goal in the auto industry.

Mechanisms of mechanochemistry in video

��SM�� — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 17:14:54 +0000

The solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis of a metal-organic framework, ZIF-8, was followed in real-time by in situ X-ray diffraction monitoring‎. The movie can be seen here.

Light can do more

��SM�� — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 19:03:40 +0000

Researchers at ��SM�� have discovered a clean photo-driven pathway for the efficient synthesis of aryl iodides under extremely mild conditions. The finding, published June 18 in J. Am. Chem. Soc., provides a more straightforward and greener option for preparing versatile iodide reagents, and avoids the problem of metal residue in synthetic chemistry.

Reinventing chemistry via green chemistry

��SM�� — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 01:46:19 +0000

The ��SM�� News Magazine recently highlighted the development of green chemistry in our department, featuring Tomislav Friščić, C.J. Li, Robin Rogers and Audrey Moores. Read more on the magazine website.

Turning a ��SM�� invention into a cheap and revolutionary water purification platform

��SM�� — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 01:33:51 +0000

Dr. Theresa Dankovich has gone a long way since earning a PhD at ��SM�� from the group of Derek Gray. While at ��SM�� she invented a method to synthetize silver nanoparticle within blotting paper, which could be directly used as powerful antibacterial filters. Now she is developping this idea to create books to help bring safe water around the world. Each page is printed with food grade ink to teach populations about safer water management practices. But the same pages can be detached and directly used as filters.

Prof. Moitessier helps teen scientists make a breakthrough in Ebola research

��SM�� — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:44:35 +0000

Congratulations to Prof. Moitessier, whose generous volunteer assistance with a local High School student led to the discovery of a molecule with potential to inhibit the spread of the deadly Ebola disease, and earned 1st place National Science Fair Honours, an interview on CBC daybreak, and a story on national CBC.

Appointment of R. Bruce Lennox as Dean of the Faculty of Science

��SM�� — Fri, 22 May 2015 17:18:01 +0000

��SM��’s Board of Governors accepted the recommendation of Principal Suzanne Fortier to appoint Prof. R. Bruce Lennox as Dean of the Faculty of Science at its meeting on 21 May 2015. Prof. Lennox will take office on 1 July 2015 for a five-year term.

��SM�� Chemistry team second prize at the 2015 Dobson Cup

��SM�� — Sat, 16 May 2015 02:10:42 +0000

On May 14th 2015, E-Innovation, a team all composed of ��SM�� Chemistry staff and students, was awarded the second place of the 2015 ��SM�� Dobson Cup Start-UP Competition for entrepreneurs in the Innovation Driven Track. The co-founders of E-Innovation are Prof. Janine Mauzeroll, Laurence Danis, Dr. Tomer Noyhouzer, Dr. Michael E. Snowden and Dr. Ushula M. Tefashe. The team would like to thank once again their mentors Marc St-Arnaud, Gregory Kalinin and Pr.

��SM�� Chemistry professors lead or participate in 8 newly awarded FRQNT grants

��SM�� — Wed, 06 May 2015 03:17:00 +0000

The faculty members of the department of chemistry successfully secured funding in this year round of FRQNT equipes. Congratulations to Chris Barrett, Jim Gleason, Audrey Moores, Brad Siwick for leading winning applications and Tomislav Friscic, Chris Barrett, Nic Moitessier, Masad Dahma, CJ Li, and Brad Siwick for participating in new initiatives. Thomas Preston also received a Nouveau Chercheur grant. Well done.

Green Chemistry Trivia Night

��SM�� — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 14:39:08 +0000

The ��SM�� Green Chemistry Student Association hosted a Green Chemistry Trivia Night on Mar 20 2015 at Thompson House. The association was formed by CREATE trainees following a CREATE seminar on How to Start Your Own Student-Led Green Chemistry Initiative by Laura Reyes (U. of T.) last August. The Trivia Night was a resounding success, with over 60 participants attending. The Faculty/Staff team included CREATE members CJ Li, Tomislav Friscic, and Audrey Moores, CREATE coordinator Jacky Farrell, and CREATE outreach member Alex Wabha.

Prof. Tomislav Friscic is ��SM��’s newest William Dawson Scholar

��SM�� — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 02:24:47 +0000

The William Dawson Scholar award recognizes a scholar developing into an outstanding and original researcher of world-class caliber who is poised to become a leader in his or her field, similar to that of a CRC Tier 2. The Department of Chemistry is proud to host the 2015 Scholar. Congratulations Tomislav Friscic.

Come join us at Pacifichem 2015

��SM�� — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 14:56:02 +0000

Some of our faculty members are involved in the organizing of Pacifichem 2015 symposia in Honolulu on Dec 15-20. Submit an abstract before April 15 (extended deadline) or register (early bird rate) before October 15 and join us there!

CERC in Green Chemistry Robin Rogers talks about Green Chemistry and his move to ��SM��

��SM�� — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 14:13:13 +0000

Robin Rogers was interviewed by C&E News and talks about his inspiration, green chemistry, innovation and ��SM��.

http://cen.acs.org/content/cen/articles/93/i7/CEN-Talks-Green-Chemistry-...

Oxidizing alcohol without TEMPO

��SM�� — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 03:29:12 +0000

The Arndtsen and Lumb research groups jointly report a copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols without the use of traditional N-oxide co-oxidants. The tyrosinase inspired Cu-diamine complex efficiently mediates the oxidation of both activated and un-activated alcohols at ambient pressure and temperature.

A Simple Solution for the Synthesis of Lignans

��SM�� — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 14:28:52 +0000

Graduate student Anna Albertson and Assistant Professor Jean-Philip Lumb report a novel, bio-inspired approach to lignan natural products, which solves a longstanding challenge of mimicking their biosynthesis in the lab. The method provides an exceptionally efficient route to the furanolignans tanegool and pinoresinol. The work was recently published in Angewandte Chemie.

Prof. Gonzalo Cosa Keith Laidler Award winner

��SM�� — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:35:57 +0000

Congratulations to Gonzalo Cosa, who is this year’s Keith Laidler Award winner. The award will be presented to him by the Canadian Society for Chemistry, in Ottawa, June 13-17, 2015. Sponsored by the CIC Physical, Theoretical and Computation Chemistry Division, the Keith Laidler Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of physical chemistry while working in Canada, recognizing early achievement in his/her independent research career.

Prof. Dmytro Perepichka, winner of the 2015 Award for Research Excellence in Materials Chemistry

��SM�� — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 14:37:35 +0000

Sponsored by the Materials Chemistry Division, the Award for Research Excellence in Materials Chemistry is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who has made an outstanding contribution to materials chemistry while working in Canada.

The award will be presented to him during the 98th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, which is taking place in Ottawa, June 13-17, 2015.

Prof. CJ Li 2015 R.U. Lemieux Award Winner

��SM�� — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 14:25:27 +0000

Sponsored by Gilead Alberta ULC the R.U. Lemieux Award is presented to an organic chemist who has made a distinguished contribution to any area of organic chemistry and who is currently working in Canada. CJ Li will be awarded and will present a lecture at the98th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, Ottawa, June 13-17, 2015.

Prof. Hanadi Sleiman 2016 Izatt-Christensen Award Recipient

��SM�� — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:51:07 +0000

Hanadi Sleiman is the 2016 winner of the annual Izatt-Christensen Award for Macrocyclic Chemistry, sponsored by IBC Advanced Technologies. Hanadi will be presented during the 2016 International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry, to be held in Seoul, Korea, July 10-14, 2016. Hanadi joins the ‘club’ of some very prominent leading scientists in the field of macrocyclic/supramolecular chemistry (previous winners include JF Stoddart, D. Leigh, A. Hamilton, L. Fabbrizzi, O.

Prof. Janine Mauzeroll 2015 Fred Beamish Award Recipient

��SM�� — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:45:23 +0000

Congratulations to Janine Mauzeroll for winning the 2015 Fred Beamish Award.

Sponsored by the CSC Analytical Chemistry Division, the Fred Beamish Award is presented to an individual who demonstrates innovation in research in the field of analytical chemistry, where the research is anticipated to have significant potential for practical applications.

The award will be presented to Janine during the 98th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, which is taking place in Ottawa, Ont. from June 13-17, 2015.

Tomislav Friscic wins the 2014-2015 Tomlinson Science Award

��SM�� — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 21:36:31 +0000

Prof. Tomislav Friscic was awarded this year’s Tomlinson Science Award (Assistant Professor Category). These awards have been established in honor of the interdisciplinary collaborators Rutherford and Soddy, through the generous endowment of a visionary philanthropist, Dr. Richard Tomlinson. In the next three years, he will be working with his team on a project dealing with “Molecular materials for conversion of light and heat into mechanical work”. Congratulations, Tomislav!

Jeff Quesnel, 2014 Udho Parsini Diwan Prize awardee, talks about his latest article

��SM�� — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 21:26:41 +0000

Jeffrey Quesnel is a senior graduate student in the group of Bruce Arndtsen. He won the 2014 Udho Parsini Diwan Prize, an award given to the graduate student authoring the most exciting research article in the past year in the Department. Jeff summarizes below the importance of his article, "A Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylation Approach to Acid Chloride Synthesis", published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (J. Am. Chem.

Paper from Sleiman group selected for a “Spotlight” by JACS.

��SM�� — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:12:10 +0000

The article entitled "Precision Polymers and 3D DNA Nanostructures: Emergent
Assemblies from New Parameter Space” has been chosen by the editors of JACS as a Spotlight entitled:

"COMPLEX FUNCTIONALITY FROM DNA BOXES AND POLYMER SNAKES"

��SM�� Chemistry PhD graduate secures a Green Chemistry Research Grant

��SM�� — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 01:05:19 +0000

Reuben Hudson (bottom right on the photo) is currnetly a post doctoral fellow at Colby University in Maine, in the group of Jeffrey Katz, where he studies the synthesis of polymers. He secured this summer a large research grant on Green Chemistry with reknown green chemists Sankaran Thayumanavan from UMass-Amherst, Eric Beckman from University of Pittsburgh, and John Warner of the Warner-Babcock Institute, from the Science, Education, and Engineering for Sustainability (SEES) program of the National Science Foundation.

Periodic Table Birthday Cupcakes

��SM�� — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 00:44:51 +0000

On Oct 9, the Ariya group made a nice surprise to their supervisor. The entire lab baked, decorated, transported and setup over 100 cupcakes to create a periodic table. The colours of the icing were characteristic of whether the element was part of the s block, d block, p blocks or f blocks and the non-metals were also frosted and of the five flavours of cupcakes: butter pecan, double fudge chocolate, red velvet, carrot cake and vanilla were characteristic of the various blocks of the periodic table. Due to lack of time, a few elements were missing, but who wants inert cupcakes anyways!

World-renowned green chemist joining ��SM��

��SM�� — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 00:29:31 +0000

Canada Excellence Research Chair appointment builds on ��SM��’s strength in green chemistry

The new Chair was announced at ��SM�� today by Senator Larry Smith, on behalf of the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology).

This is ��SM��’s second CERC. The first, Dr. Luda Diatchenko, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Personalized Pain Medicine, was announced in September 2013. With this announcement, there are now 21 chairs in place at 15 universities across the country.