Prof. Oliver Trapp awarded Horst-Pracejus Prize of the GDCh

Horst Prasejus Award winner Professor Oliver Trapp with Professor Bernd Plietker of the Technical University of Dresden (left) and the President of the German Chemical Society, Dr. Karsten Danielmeier (right). | © GDCh / Juergen Loesel

 

Trapp received the prize for his fundamental contributions to self-amplification in asymmetric catalysis, to enantioselective autocatalysis and to the determination of the absolute configuration by direct methods. With his developments of the first self-amplifying asymmetric reactions and elucidation of the mechanism of asymmetric autocatalysis, Trapp showed for the first time that such chemical processes are a general phenomenon and can even be rationally designed. He identified the generic principles of autocatalysis and made the enormous potential accessible both conceptually and experimentally.

"I am very pleased to receive this great award from the Horst Pracejus Prize for our pioneering work in chiral self-amplification, asymmetric autocatalysis, and direct imaging of chiral molecules. It is a tremendous motivation to continue research in this field and to apply new findings in highly efficient syntheses of chiral compounds," says Professor Oliver Trapp.

Since 1997, the GDCh has awarded the Horst Prasejus Prize, worth 7,500 euros, to scientists for outstanding work in the field of enantioselectivity or chirality. The award's namesake, Professor Horst Pracejus, was known for his research in the field of chiral catalysis and was head of the Catalysis Research Institute in Rostock. The prize is awarded every two years to a scientist who has made outstanding research achievements in the field of enantioselectivity or chirality.