M. Christina White facts for kids

M. Christina White is a brilliant chemistry professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studies how to make new molecules more easily. Her work focuses on a special area called organometallic catalysis. This means she finds ways to activate (or "wake up") parts of molecules called carbon-hydrogen bonds. This helps scientists build complex molecules in a simpler way.

Education and Early Career

Learning Chemistry Basics

M. Christina White started her journey in science at Smith College. In 1992, she earned a degree in biochemistry. There, she worked with Professor Stuart Rosenfeld on how molecules fit together, like a lock and key.

After that, she spent a year at Johns Hopkins University. She studied how proteins fold in tiny organisms called thermophilic bacteria. These bacteria love very hot places!

Earning a PhD

In 1998, she received her PhD in organic chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. Her research involved creating new versions of vitamin D₃. This work was important for understanding how these molecules affect our bodies.

Professor White's Career Path

Starting Research at Harvard

In 1999, Dr. White joined Eric Jacobsen's lab at Harvard University. She was a postdoctoral fellow, which means she was doing advanced research after her PhD. During this time, she created a new system. It could perform a reaction called epoxidations using hydrogen peroxide. This was a big step forward in chemistry.

Moving to Illinois

In 2002, she became a faculty member in the chemistry department at Harvard University. Then, in 2005, she moved to Illinois. Today, she is a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She continues her important research on activating C-H bonds. One of her notable students is Abigail Doyle, who is now a professor at Princeton University.

Amazing Discoveries in Chemistry

Making Molecules Easier to Build

Professor White and her team work on finding new ways to change C-H bonds in molecules. This helps chemists build complex molecules more easily. Imagine trying to build a complicated LEGO model. Her work is like inventing new, super-efficient tools to snap the pieces together.

The White Catalyst

She has created special tools called catalysts. These are like chemical helpers that speed up reactions without being used up themselves. Two of her most famous catalysts are:

• A palladium/sulfoxide catalyst, known as the White Catalyst.
• An iron catalyst, called the White-Chen catalyst.

Both of these catalysts are so useful that other scientists can buy them to use in their own labs!

New Ways to Change Molecules

Recently, her team has been designing reactions to change C-H bonds in specific places on molecules. They are also finding new uses for her catalysts. For example, the White catalyst can help with a reaction called the Diels-Alder reaction. Her iron catalyst can help with a reaction called C-H amination. These discoveries help scientists create new medicines and materials.

Awards and Special Recognition

Professor White has received many awards for her groundbreaking work in chemistry. Some of these include:

• Alumni Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (2017)
• Mukaiyama Award (2016)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2014)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow (2012)
• Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2009)
• AstraZeneca Excellence in Chemistry Award (2008)
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award (2008)
• Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals New Investigator Award (2008)
• Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry (2008)
• Eli Lilly Grantee Award (2007)
• Beckman Fellow (2006-2007)
• NSF CAREER Award (2006-2010)

These awards show how much her work is valued by the scientific community.

See also

In Spanish: M. Christina White para niños