Department of Chemistry, UIUC

A Tradition in Inorganic Chemistry

A long-standing commitment to inorganic chemical research and teaching is a hallmark of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This commitment has resulted in a tradition of excellence in inorganic chemistry and a well deserved reputation as one of the premier institutions for the practice of inorganic chemical research.

The University of Illinois offers a graduate program in inorganic chemistry unsurpassed in terms of quality and breadth, covering all areas of modern inorganic chemistry from classical coordination chemistry, organometallic chemistry, kinetics/mechanism, and inorganic spectroscopy to the frontiers of materials chemistry, solid state chemistry, catalysis, bioinorganic chemistry, sonochemistry, and advanced physical characterization, such as scanning tunneling electron microscopy. A perusal of the inorganic faculty research provides a summary of the graduate program in inorganic chemistry at Illinois. We also hope to convey our excitement about the program at Illinois and its continued leadership of the field. You will find us a diverse, vital, and interactive set of research scientists, with considerable experience in mentoring PhD. Candidates. We feel that the strength of inorganic research at Illinois is unmatched anywhere in the U.S.

The Link from the Past to the Future

The University of Illinois has a distinguished history of research in inorganic chemistry. Early in the 20th century, when inorganic chemistry had been studied very little, research in the chemistry of the rare earths was actively pursued under the direction of Professor C. W. Balke, who was a member of the faculty from 1906 to 1916. In 1912, he was joined by Professor B. S. Hopkins, who continued the work with the collaboration of Professors H. C. Kremers, L. F. Yntema and L. L. Quill and their students. Professor Hopkins studied the rare earths until his retirement in 1941, after which it was carried on for some years by Professor T. Moeller. With the arrival of Drs. L. F. Audrieth and J. C. Bailar, Jr., in 1928, research in inorganic chemistry took a new turn. Audrieth's interests lay in the chemistry of nitrogen, and later of phosphorus; among his achievements was the discovery of the first artificial food sweetener in 1932. Bailar's studies of the stereochemistry of the metal ammines and related complexes led to the renaissance of coordination chemistry in the United States. They and Moeller attracted an increasing number of students, so that the inorganic graduate group at Illinois grew to be the largest in the country.

In the middle fifties, the faculty in inorganic chemistry was augmented by the addition of Professors T. L. Brown, T. S. Piper and R. S. Drago. These scientists further diversified the research at Illinois into organometallic acid-base theory, catalysis, and new aspects of coordination chemistry. The sixties and seventies saw expansion into the areas of cluster chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, plus a resurgence of activity in coordination chemistry and main group chemistry with the additions of Professors John Shapley, Ken Suslick, and Tom Rauchfuss to the faculty. In the eighties, further growth in materials, solid state, bioinorganic and organometallic chemistry occurred upon the arrivals of Professors Walter Klemperer, Greg Girolami, Pat Shapley, and Andy Gewirth. In the nineties, Professors Yi Lu and Ralph Nuzzo joined the faculty bringing a new level of sophistication to our bio-inorganic and materials research. Roman Boulatov arrived in 2005 and is leading a new program focused on "molecular machines".

With our expansion into the sixty three million-dollar Chemical and Life Sciences in 1997, inorganic chemistry at Illinois is set for even greater achievements in the 21st century!