Organisch-Chemisches Institut at the WWU Münster

Welcome to the Organisch-Chemisches Institut at WWU Münster
© WWU - OC (collage:lt)

Research Groups at the Organisch-Chemisches Institut at WWU Münster — © OCI

Research Groups at the Institute

Currently one junior group leader and eight full professors are heading the research groups at the Organisch-Chemischen Institut. They are supportet by several analytical divisions belonging to the institute. Read more about the research of the individual groups and their contribution to international and interdisciplinary networks.

Münster (upm)

| 25-05-2022

Chemists use light energy to produce small molecular rings

Team led by Frank Glorius finds new synthesis route for producing sensitive molecules under mild reaction conditions.

The team’s work has been published in the journal “Nature Catalysis”.

Neugebauer OC

| 06-04-2022

Peyerimhoff Prize for Theoretical Chemistry Münster

The Sigrid Peyerimhoff Doctoral Award of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Theoretische Chemie (AGTC) goes this year to a scientist from Münster. Dr. Johannes Tölle from the group of Prof. Johannes Neugebauer received this prize for his dissertation entitled "Subsystem-Based Modeling of Photo-Induced Processes".

X-RAY OC

| 28-03-2022

News from the OC: X-ray structure analysis department!

The Organic Chemistry Institute of WWU Münster is represented twice in the top 30 CSD authors (out of more than 450,000 unique author names) by the staff of the X-ray Structural Analysis Department.
According to CSD Author Statistics published in January 2022, Dr. Roland Fröhlich (former head of the X-Ray Department) and Dr. Constantin G. Daniliuc (head of the X-Ray Department) are ranked 19th and 28th worldwide.

Münster (upm)

| 21-03-2022

Chemists discover new reactivity of strained molecules

Light energy enables the reaction of double bonds with strained single bonds to produce three-dimensional molecules

[...] A team led by Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius from the University of Münster has now succeeded in performing an unconventional cycloaddition in which a carbon-carbon double bond reacts with a carbon-carbon single bond.

18. März 2022 | Münster (upm)

| 18-03-2022 | Chemist receives award for outstanding achievements in the field of organic synthesis

Janssen Prize for Frank Glorius

Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Münster, will receive the Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis. The award, endowed with 20,000 euros, recognises internationally outstanding achievements in the research field of organic synthesis, which are of particular importance for the development of new drugs. Frank Glorius is an internationally leading and particularly innovative scientist in the field of organic synthesis and catalysis, according to the jury's statement.

Fachbereich Chemie und Pharmazie

| 31-01-2022

Evonik Preis 2022

Timo Stünkel and Constantin Stuckhardt received this year's Evonik Award for outstanding achievements during their theses. Timo Stünkel was able to convince with his contribution to the iodine-catalyzed synthesis of trifluorinated tetralins (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ange.202102222) as part of his master's thesis. Constantin Stuckhardt received the prize for the publication on photoclick reactions of acylsilanes with indoles (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ange.202101689), which he completed during his doctoral thesis.

Münster (upm)

| 12-01-2022

Web-4987alpr-webl — © AG Glorius - WWU Münster

"Hand in hand in hand": three catalysts solve chemical problem

Research team develops new strategy to create molecular compounds without multi-step syntheses

The new method for arylation of unactivated alkenes is based on a ternary nickel(Ni)-hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) photodox (PC) synergy system (schematically shown in the middle). Left side: structural formula of an aryl group (top) and an unactivated alkene, right side: arylated alkene after synthesis.

Münster (upm)

| 22-11-2021

Studer Glorius — © Armido Studer / Peter Dziemba

Three scientists from the University of Münster are "highly cited"

"Clarivate Analytics" publishes ranking 2021

The chemists Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius and Prof. Dr. Armido Studer of the Organisch-Chemisches Institut and the biologist Prof. Dr. Jörg Kudla from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster are represented in the current citation ranking of the US company "Clarivate Analytics" and are thus among the most cited researchers worldwide. (Linked press release only in German.)

Münster (upm)

| 21-06-2021

© Dr. Hazem Aldahhak und Dr. Martin Franz

New method for molecular functionalization of surfaces

Stable and ordered single molecule layers on silicon through self-assembly / Publication in "Nature Chemistry"

^{Vergleich der theoretisch berechneten Struktur (DFT, rechts) der geordneten NHC-Einzellage mit dem experimentellen Rastertunnelmikroskopie-Bild (STM, links). N: Stickstoff-, C: Kohlenstoff-, Si: Silizium-, B: Bor-Atom}

One vision that is currently driving material scientists is to combine organic molecules (and their diverse functionalities) with the technological possibilities offered by extremely sophisticated semiconductor electronics. Thanks to modern methods of micro- and nanotechnology, the latter designs ever more efficient electronic components for a wide variety of applications. However, it is also increasingly reaching its physical limits: Ever smaller structures for functionalizing semiconductor materials such as silicon cannot be produced using the approaches of classical technology. Scientists have now presented a new approach in the journal Nature Chemistry: They show that stable and yet very well-ordered molecular single layers can be produced on silicon surfaces - by self-assembly. To do this, they use N-heterocyclic carbenes. These are small reactive organic ring molecules whose structure and properties vary in many ways and can be tailored by different "functional" groups. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Mario Dähne (TU Berlin), Prof. Dr. Norbert Esser (TU Berlin and Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences), Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius (University of Münster), Dr. Conor Hogan (Institute of Structure of Matter, National Research Council of Italy, Rome) and Prof. Dr. Wolf Gero Schmidt (University of Paderborn) were involved in the study.

Münster (upm/kk)

| 10-05-2021

Many researchers from Münster and Nagoya will supervise the future Research Training Group. — © WWU - AK Studer

German Research Foundation approves new Research Training Group

Five million euros for chemistry doctoral program at the Universities of Münster and Nagoya (Japan)

The University of Münster is establishing a new Research Training Group funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The bilateral doctoral program "Functional pi-Systems: Activation, Interaction and Application" will start in May and will receive funding of around five million euros for four and a half years.

Münster (upm)

| 30-03-2021

Chemist Dr. Henning Klaasen, physicist Lacheng Liu and chemist Melanie C. Witteler (from left) were instrumental in the study. — © WWU - privat

Researchers first to link silicon atoms on surfaces

Interdisciplinary team develops highly efficient surface reactions / Results published in “Nature Chemistry”

^{Chemist Dr. Henning Klaasen, physicist Lacheng Liu and chemist Melanie C. Witteler (from left) were instrumental in the study.}

Materials such as gallium arsenide are extremely important for the production of electronic devices. As supplies of it are limited, or they can present health and environmental hazards, specialists are looking for alternative materials. So-called conjugated polymers are candidates. These organic macromolecules have semi-conductor properties, i.e. they can conduct electricity under certain conditions. One possible way of producing them in the desired two-dimensional – i.e. extremely flat – form is presented by surface chemistry, a field of research established in 2007.

Münster (upm/jah)

| 30-03-2021

Ryan Gilmour elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Chemist becomes Fellow of Scotland's National Academy of Science and Letters

Prof. Dr. Ryan Gilmour from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at Münster University has been elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland´s national academy of science and letters. As one of seven personalities elected as corresponding fellows, the chemist joins the ranks of distinguished Fellows resident abroad. “This is the greatest honour of my professional career to date and I look forward to strengthening the bonds between the two countries that I call home”, says Ryan Gilmour.

Münster (upm/kk)

| 29-03-2021

Münster University receives two new research associations

German Research Foundation funds priority programmes in biology and chemistry

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved two new Priority Programmes (SPP) coordinated by the University of Münster: Bioinformatician Prof Erich Bornberg-Bauer from the Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity is leading the project "Genomic Basis of Evolutionary Innovations (GEvol)", and Chemist Prof Frank Glorius from the Institute of Organic Chemistry is coordinating the project "Use and Development of Machine Learning for Molecular Applications - Molecular Machine Learning". Both programmes focus on informatics technologies in the natural sciences.
Cf. NEWS - Highlights on the Glorius webpage