^{So far, instructors Karin Hassels and Peter Eggert have supervised 43 chemical lab assistants during their training.}

In addition to providing facilities for studies and research, the University of Münster offers apprenticeships and vocational training in 19 different occupations – from gardener to IT systems technician. One example of this vocational training is that for chemical laboratory assistants at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, where the two people responsible for this training are Karin Hassels (since 2009) and Peter Eggert (since 2001). Kathrin Nolte spoke with the two instructors about educational requirements and about the development away from practical working towards a greater demand for specialist knowledge.

^{Pressure vessel (autoclave) for the hydrogenation of fluorinated pyridines. The reactions are carried out at a hydrogen pressure of 50 bar (normal atmospheric pressure is 1 bar).}

Synthetic molecules are essential for many products in our lives: medicines, crop protection agents or special materials such as Teflon. These molecules have several components, which can be combined in a variety of ways, resulting in different properties. Both so-called piperidines and fluorinated groups are particularly important. Piperidines are small, ring-shaped chemical compounds. Since, as a result of their particular properties, fluorine atoms bring about dramatic changes in the properties of certain products –they are often integrated in pharmaceuticals. Hence around twenty percent of all medicines sold worldwide contain fluorine. Up to now, however, combining fluorine atoms and piperidines has always been an extremely laborious process. Now, for the first time, chemists at the University of Münster have developed a new, easy to do synthesis method for producing such fluorine-bearing piperidines. The study – written by Dr. Zackaria Nairoukh, Marco Wollenburg, Dr. Christoph Schlepphorst, Dr. Klaus Bergander and Prof. Frank Glorius – has just been published in the online edition of the Nature Chemistry journal.

^{WWU-Prorektorin Prof. Monika Stoll (l.), NRW-Wissenschaftsministerin Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen und Akademiepräsident Prof. Wolfgang Löwer (r.) gratulierten Dr. Manuel van Gemmeren (2.v.l.) und Dr. Raphael Wittkowski.}

On Tuesday evening (January 15th), the two outstanding junior scientists Manuel van Gemmeren and Raphael Wittkowski from the University of Münster have been welcomed by the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts (AWK NRW) in Düsseldorf as new members of the Junges Kolleg. The physicist Dr. Raphael Wittkowski and the chemist Dr. Manuel van Gemmeren are amongst twelve new members of the NRW-Kolleg that have been chosen from all over the state.
(see German press release here)