Environmental Chemistry

Environmental chemistry at UC Davis examines the behavior of chemicals in the geosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, which usually means aqueous reactions or reactions that involve atmospheric dusts. At the fundamental level, we strive to understand the interaction of water with small oxide particles and in the thermodynamic properties of minerals and solids. Some chemists also work to develop realistic models for the properties of atmospheric particles and their influence on human health. Within the UCD Chemistry Department, environmental chemists work closely with the inorganic chemists, with the computational chemists and with the medical scientists to prepare useful materials and to understand their dispersal and fates.