https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Leibniz Institute for Catalysis An international research team from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) has developed a novel, environmentally friendly process for producing high-quality amides from the plant substance lignin—important building blocks for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and modern materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chips-pharmaceuticals-lignin-upcycled-amides.html Biochemistry Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:20:04 EST news683817016 Chemical research is often a process of trial and error. Things often don't go as expected in the laboratory: reactions stall or produce too little product. Knowledge of the chemical properties of the substances involved is then no longer sufficient. Instead, chemists would like to look deeper into the reaction, down to the subatomic level. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-chemistry-reveals-electron-behavior.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 30 Jul 2025 10:30:01 EDT news673088069 The original plan of the research groups of Dr. habil. Christian Hering-Junghans and Prof. Torsten Beweries at the Rostock LIKAT was to develop a phosphorus-based ligand. However, the syntheses led to a different substance than expected, namely a triazabutadiene. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-chance-paths-reaction-chemists.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:59:04 EST news650624341 Researchers are still looking for an ideal way to safely and stably store hydrogen, the beacon of hope for the energy transition. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, LIKAT, and the company H2APEX report on how this volatile and combustible gas can be tamed safely and with simple "ingredients." The study is published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-formatebicarbonate-energy-hydrogen-storage.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 29 Aug 2024 09:35:03 EDT news644142901 A catalyst developed at LIKAT in Rostock opens up new avenues in the synthesis of fine chemicals for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and household chemicals, for example. Its effect is based on isolated copper atoms applied to a solid carrier material around which the reaction solution flows. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-chemists-heterogeneous-catalysis-synthesis-complex.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:54:03 EDT news637491241 In most industrial chemical reactions, catalysts combine with the starting materials and accompany them through intermediate stages to the product. In chemistry, this pathway is known as the reaction mechanism, and it is a kind of black box: nobody knows what is happening at the molecular level at first. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-chemical-rope-molecular-mechanism-trial.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:48:04 EDT news633257282 At the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, Dr. Johannes Fessler has developed new methods for the synthesis of drug precursors using catalysts made of iron, manganese and cobalt. Each of these three chemical elements has the potential to replace a number of noble metals that are commonly used in organic chemistry to catalyze fine chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-green-chemistry-principles-iron-catalysis.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 19 Feb 2024 09:53:04 EST news627558781 Researchers hope to produce the raw material methanol at the edge of a field or on the farm using renewable energy. In addition to wind or sun, water and CO2 would be needed to produce the raw materials for the green methanol process: carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), which react catalytically to form methanol. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-green-methanol-circular-economy-catalyst.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:59:55 EST news625939193 Fossil raw materials still dominate the chemical industry. But laboratories around the world are researching ways in which large-scale processes can avoid crude oil, natural gas and coal in the future. So-called platform chemicals are gaining in importance; they are produced entirely from renewable raw materials. But their use in industrial processes requires special catalysts. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-material-amine-chemistry-important-blocks.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:21:03 EDT news616234861 Wouldn't it be an elegant solution to use the substance that is most damaging to the climate and threatens the future as a raw material for economic goods and everyday items? In fact, carbon dioxide (CO2), an unavoidable byproduct of civilization, is already being used in the laboratory to produce lower olefins, alcohols and fuels in combination with hydrogen and other chemical reactants, all of which can be obtained sustainably. For such processes to become industrial practice, they must be able to run under "fluctuating" conditions. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-olefins-carbon-dioxide-hydrogen-green.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:38:03 EDT news614248681