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Science of Chemistry

Chemistry is the physical science that investigates the composition, structure, properties, and transformations of substances and elementary forms of matter, primarily at the molecular level. CHE supports research on the synthesis of new organic and inorganic molecules; the structure and reactivity of molecules in solids, liquids, and gases, and on surfaces; preparation and characterization of supra-molecular nano-structures; new measurement concepts and instruments for molecular characterization; and theoretical and experimental understanding of chemical structure and reactivity at the quantum level. Chemistry can now achieve molecular-level understanding of complex systems, such as those presented by natural and manufacturing environments and use this understanding to, for example, design new more effective drugs. It can define environmentally benign synthetic processes and contribute to the development of new energy sources and efficient uses of old ones. Chemistry relies increasingly on mathematics, informatics, and instrumentation for development of computational methods, real-time control of experiments, and display and analysis of complex data. Undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, together with essential instrumentation, are supported to pursue this research through awards to individual investigators, groups of investigators, and centers.

The Division of Chemistry supports research and the development of research infrastructure in the principal subdisciplines of chemistry. The field of chemistry is very diverse, and NSF support for chemistry research goes beyond the Division of Chemistry. Other NSF divisions supporting chemistry research include Astronomical Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Chemical and Transport Systems, Earth Sciences, Advanced Computational Research, Physics, and Materials Research. Similarly, support for the development of infrastructure in chemistry also is provided by appropriate divisions in the Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Biosciences (BIO) through the Division of Biological Infrastructure.


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