Atom für Atom

Using the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope a metal‐free phthalocyanine has been transformed into a silver‐phthalocyanine on a surface. The individual reactions have been performed atom by atom. Each product has been imaged with the scanning tunnelling microscope. Along with the transformation of the molecule, controlled tautomerization and H hopping have been induced by injection of electrons and demonstrate the precision a state‐of‐the‐art scanning tunnelling microscope has reached.     

Steuerliganden für Katalysatoren

Ever since the isolation of the first free N‐heterocyclic carbene more than 20 years ago, this ligand class has become essential in modern chemistry. This development is decisively owed to the stability of the metal‐carbon bond, the smooth fine‐tuning of ligand properties, and the facile synthetic access to such complexes. Acting as steering ligands, they are integral parts of many organometallic compounds that currently push the frontiers of chemistry in many areas, for example the synthesis and application of immobilized, water soluble, or asymmetric systems that act as efficient catalysts in organic transformations. Additionally, metal NHC complexes find promising applications in fields beyond catalysis, such as medicine, optics, and material science.