The Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory at UC Davis provides knowledge and equipment to determine thermochemical properties of inorganic substances. Traditionally, the emphasis has been on high-temperature chemistry of primarily refractory materials and materials of geological interest. Projects have included work on spinels, oxide superconductors, or rock-forming minerals. Material properties that can be investigated in our laboratory include heat effects associated with chemical reactions, particularly formation reactions, phase transitions, order-disorder processes and mixing processes in the solid or liquid state. Heat capacities can be determined from liquid nitrogen temperature up to about 1000 °C. Over the years, the laboratory has contributed to a sound experimental basis for thermochemical properties of materials for use by the thermochemical community. 

In more recent years, the research interests were extended to explore materials that have less well-defined structures, stability fields and thus bulk thermochemical properties. The goal is to provide a solid basis from a thermodynamic point of view for small-particle-size, high-surface-area, metastable, or environmentally relevant materials that so far only could be treated empirically. 

Headed by Dr. Alexandra Navrotsky, the research group averages between twenty and thirty people at any given time. Strong emphasis is placed on international collaboration - at any given time, about five mostly international postdoctorates and an equal number of graduate students are working on a variety of projects. Graduate and undergraduate courses are provided in collaboration with the university. Projects for graduate and undergraduate students are frequently offered and open for inquiry.

To contact the Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory, send e-mail (preferred) to Professor Navrotsky's Executive Assistant, or directly to Dr. Navrotsky. We can be reached by Fax at (530) 752-9307 or by phone at (530) 752-9289.

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