Our goal is to significantly contribute to the field of heterocyclic chemistry. Pursued projects raise interesting and fundamental questions chemically. The proposed synthetic strategies will be of broad utility for property generation and design, and will meet stringent criteria of economy of steps. By developing robust and streamlined synthetic schemes we plan to enter an arena of exciting search for functions by designing, synthesizing, and testing e.g. organo- and metal catalysts, molecular devices and materials, molecular electronics components, and bioactive compounds.

Research interests

• synthetic methodology
• organocatalysis
• heterocyclic chemistry
• transition - metal catalysis
• N-heterocyclic carbenes aromatic chemistry
• cycloisomerizations
• click processes
• molecular electronics
• molecular machines
• total synthesis of bioactive compounds

Read cover story: Adriaenssens et al. Chem. Eur. J. 2009 (15), 1072

We have developed a three-step synthesis of helquats, a novel class of small helical dications representing a missing structural link between helicenes and viologens. Bridging these areas, until now separate, is anticipated to open up unknown scientific territories. The parent helquat is a water-soluble, blue fluorophore and can be prepared by a unique metal-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloisomerization in water under aerobic conditions.