After his habilitation in 1985, he joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA as an associate professor, before becoming a full professor of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry in 1989. Since 1992, he has been a professor at the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at ETH Zurich. He and his research group are above all interested in molecular recognition and supramolecular chemistry, the structure-based design of nonpeptidic enzyme inhibitors as well as advanced materials based on carbon-rich acetylenic molecular architecture.

Acetylene and Cumulene Scaffolding: From Optoelectronic and Chiroptical Molecular Materials to Supramolecular Systems

The click-chemistry-type [2+2] cycloaddition-retroelectrocyclization (CA-RE) cascade between donor-activated alkynes and electron-accepting olefins is a high-yielding, atom-economic, thermodynamically driven transformation, which affords stable non-planar donor-acceptor chromophores with efficient third-order optical nonlinearities, suitable for all-optical processing up to the Terrahertz regime. The CA-RE reaction also works at the central “proacetylenic” C=C bond of [3]cumulenes which provides access to novel tetracenes with a rubrene-like substitution pattern. They act as fluorescent chemosensors for soft metal ions and as singlet exciton fission materials for photovoltaic applications. Optically active acyclic and macrocyclic alleno-acetylenic oligomers feature exceptionally intense Cotton effects in their electronic circular dichroism spectra. Shape-persistent alleno-acetylenic macrocycles self-assemble in solution and in the solid state to form chiral channels. Triple-stranded helicates formed from enantiopure alleno-acetylenes feature an interior cavity for inclusion complexation and enable the chiroptical detection of achiral, nonchromophoric guests.

The Ernst Schering Stiftung supports the Bohlmann Lecture in order to strengthen the international networking of scientists and to make renowned experts visible as role models for young scientists. Moreover, the Lecture makes it possible for a broader public to learn about the latest scientific findings.

The lecture will be followed by the award ceremony of the Schering Prize 2013. The 5,000-euro prize is given for outstanding dissertations in chemistry and is also funded by the Schering Stiftung. This year’s prize winner is Dr. Bartlomiej Krawczyk.