Yearbook 2016

The development of safer catalytic reactions is an important goal towards a greener chemical industry. Recently, we introduced a new concept in catalysis, shuttle catalysis, which has led to the discovery of a safer hydrocyanation process that does not rely on the use of highly toxic and volatile hydrogen cyanide. This new process facilitates the interconversion of synthetically relevant nitriles and alkenes and should inspire the invention of other transfer reactions that elude the need for hazardous reagents in the laboratory. more

Fluorine can improve the properties of many molecules. But introduction of the fluorine substituent into organic molecules is hard. At the Organic chemistry Department of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung researchers use the ¹⁸F isotope of fluorine to develop better methods to make new molecules for positron-emission-tomography (PET). Medical PET imaging has great potential to aid in the development of diagnosis of various diseases. more

To comply with the requirements of art-historical research, libraries have to adapt their services to the standards of digital publication formats and digital forms of communication. International collaboration is indispensable to meet these demands. The Kunsthistorische Institut in Florenz is prominently involved in a network of art libraries. Dozens of art libraries from 15 countries have managed to establish a virtual bibliographic database. Furthermore, the network tests innovative methods to visualize semantic and quantitative information in catalogue data. more