New publication

Quentin and Robert’s mini-review of our lab’s recent work showing that essential coenzymes (ADP, NADH, PLP) exhibit nonenzymatic reactivity in the presence of metal ions is published in Science Advances. Collectively, the work gives insight into the role coenzymes might have played in a pre-enzymatic metabolism. Congrats to all!

New publication

The latest from our collaboration with the Ebbesen group on Vibrational Strong Coupling is published in Angewandte Chemie. We disclose an optical cavity that can fit in a standard NMR tube, allowing to directly observe the effects of VSC by NMR. The technique is showcased by using Schreiner’s molecular balance for London dispersion forces to probe how those forces change under VSC. Congrats to Bianca, Maciej and all the other authors!

Robert leaves for TU Munich

Congratulations and farewell to DFG postdoctoral fellow Dr. Robert Mayer, who departs us to become an independent junior group leader at TU Munich. Robert published eight papers in the group, with two still under review. He recently received a Liebig fellowship from the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI). See photo below of our lab members sporting Mayer Lab T-shirts. Best of luck with the launch of the Mayer Lab and come visit often!

New publication

Joris and Robert’s paper on the mechanism of the nonenzymatic phosphorylation of pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate is published in Chemical Science. The results suggest that a single phosphorylation mechanism could have been sufficient to initiate a self-organized metabolic network. Congrats to all!

New publication

Emilie and Silvana’s paper on Fe(III)/ADP-promoted phosphate transfer from acetyl phosphate to nucleotide diphosphates to give nucleotide triphosphate in water is accepted in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Thanks to Robert for jumping in with DFT calculations during revisions. Congrats to all!

Robert wins best talk award at the REGIO Symposium

Congrats to Robert Mayer for winning the prize for best oral presentation at the REGIO Symposium in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany. The REGIO Symposium is an annual tri-national conference on organic chemistry held jointly between the universities in the lower Rhine region (Freiburg, Basel, Strasbourg and Mulhouse). Roberts’ talk was on how metals influence the reactivity of coenzymes in the absence of enzymes. Well done!