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Organic Chemistry / Natural Product Synthesis
Prof Dr. Siegfried Blechert emeritus
Our group is working on the discovery of catalysts for the formation of
CC- and CN-bonds. We develop methods based on sequential catalyses,
cascade reactions and other synthetic methods. These methods are being
designed and applied to the synthesis of natural products and biologically
relevant compounds.
Biocatalysis
Prof. Dr. Nediljko Budisa
The group works on ‘Protein Engineering’ based on the in vivo incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins. Our work includes organic synthesis of amino acids, studies on model peptides as well as the expression of target proteins in different host organisms. Our objective is to manipulate the protein translation machinery and, thus, the genetic code. This results in new possibilities to engineer and control cellular processes in a chemical way. Our long-term goal is the generation of synthetic cellular systems.
Organic Chemistry / Synthesis and Catalysis
Prof. Dr. Martin Oestreich
Our laboratory is engaged in fundamental aspects of synthetic main group
chemistry for (asymmetric) catalysis: Catalytic (cooperative) activation of
interelement linkages for selective carbon-element bond formation as well as
development of unusually strong Lewis acids for catalysis. Further focuses are
palladium(0)- and oxidative palladium(II)-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond-forming
reactions (Mizoroki-Heck reactions and C-H bond activations).
Organic Chemistry
Prof. Dr. Karola Rück-Braun
The group works on and organometallic chemistry. The research interests range from the synthesis of heterocycles and photoswitches to the development of metal-mediated reactions and reaction cascades for the preparation of functionalised heterocycles. Research topics are the development of photoswitches for biological applications and the design and synthesis of photoswitch-linker-conjugates for nanostructured surfaces.
Physical Organic Chemistry
Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz
The group works on physical organic chemistry, elucidation of reaction mechanisms, investigation of the gas-phase chemistry of organic ions and transition metal complexes through a combination of new experimental and theoretical methods, fundamental steps of catalytic processes, the generation of unusual molecules of interstellar importance.
Biological Chemistry
Prof. Dr. Roderich Süssmuth
The group works on the fields of: The investigation of the vancomycin biosynthesis and the combinatorial biosynthetic generation of novel glycopeptide antibiotics, the isolation of natural products produced by Actinomycetes (e.g. antibiotics), structure elucidation of natural products by ESI-MS, ESI-FTICR-MS, NMR and X-Ray analysis, investigation of biosyntheses and mode of actions of various antibiotics (e.g. abyssomicin C) and siderophores, the chemical synthesis of non-proteinogenic amino acids, enzyme substrates and enzyme inhibitors.