“Organic chemistry is essential”

You grew up in south-west Scotland, home to the poet Robert Burns …
Burns is to the Scots as Goethe is to Germans. His work is iconic but he started from humble beginnings, working as a farmer. He wrote beautifully and intelligently about everyday topics, and this fascinated me even as a schoolboy. At New Year, people all over the world sing one of his bestknown songs, “Auld Lang Syne”. His work transcends cultures and generations, much like organic chemistry.

How did a lover of literature discover chemistry?
I had an excellent chemistry teacher. He belonged to a generation in which becoming a teacher was something very special. He took great pride in teaching and he was not afraid to confront us with complicated topics. Later, at St. Andrews University and also at Cambridge University, I benefited enormously from excellent teachers. These experiences shaped the way in which I teach today. I love the opportunity that comes with my job: getting young people excited about chemistry.

What do you find most appealing about organic chemistry?
I can’t imagine a world without organic chemistry. Without antibiotics? Without cancer drugs? I’d rather not. The development of the contraceptive pill revolutionised women’s rights. It is no exaggeration to say that organic chemistry has played a major role in shaping our society. Every molecule has certain properties, a fingerprint. By combing these building blocks to form new structures, new properties are generated which can be used for specific applications. I am fascinated by this interplay between structure and function.

You once said you don’t go in for quick successes.
Right. Many projects, particularly at the intersection of chemistry, biology and medicine are complex. They require time and commitment.

For which you need a lot of patience …
Yes. For example, I started developing methods to generate synthetic fluorinated sugar molecules in 2010. 14 years later, we have published a really exciting result – a new type of vaccine against meningitis B and C. We see the potential to develop further vaccines from these fluorinated molecules, and these applications all stem from basic research.

You have also developed a strategy for the automated production of fluorinated molecule components.
Fluorinated molecules are crucial in the development of medicines, agrochemicals and smart materials. We have succeeded in generating previously unknown structures with exciting new properties. However, fluorine-containing compounds are often persistent in the environment and cannot easily be degraded. We have developed alternative structures that are not persistent in the environment and we now hope to bring them to market with the help of the Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council.

Is there anything that influenced you especially as a scientist?
During my time as an assistant professor at the ETH Zurich, I had the pleasure of working with the great crystallographer Prof. Jack Dunitz. Jack had an encyclopaedic knowledge of science and my daily interactions with him shaped me. A decade later, I can often recognise those discussions in my own work. Science is cumulative and we cannot shape the future without knowledge of the past. I have a deep appreciation for the history of science and enjoy reading historical chemical literature. Not only is it much more beautifully written than today, but scientists in the past often carried out fantastic experiments without today’s technology.

Do you need to know this history to do research?
You should. Very often, “new” discoveries are not new at all!

What is important to you?
Science has never been more important than it is today, and chemistry has never been so societally relevant. I am very fortunate that organic chemistry is not only my job but also my hobby. My hope for the future is that my children will be as lucky as I have been and that they reach the same level of inner satisfaction in their careers, no matter what they are.

Dr. Christina Hoppenbrock

This article is from the brochure "Twelve months, twelve people", published in February 2025.

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