Dr. Josep Cornellà selected for Gassman Lectureship
Josep Cornellà from the Max Planck Institute was selected for the Gassman Lectureship at the University of Minnesota, presenting research on sustainable bismuth catalysts.
Dr. Josep Cornellà, head of the Sustainable Catalysis for Organic Synthesis group at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, was chosen to deliver the prestigious Gassman Lecture in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, USA from March 18 - 20. In the seminar, Cornellà presented his research on the potentials of bismuth to replace noble metals in catalysis making reactions more sustainable.
“I am honoured to contribute to a lecture series where so many distinguished colleagues have spoken before me,” says Cornellà. Transitional metal catalysis has become an indispensable tool for the synthesis of a wide range of products ranging from chemicals to natural products and pharmaceuticals. However, the use of expansive noble metals and toxic elements hamper sustainability and efficiency. Cornellà and his group have found a way to counteract these problems by synthesizing a novel bismuth structure that can emulate transition metal behaviour offering more sustainable alternatives. Furthermore, the bismuth structures can be part of new materials and catalysts in the future.
The Gassman Lecture was established in 1994 and is named after the chemist Prof. Paul G. Gassman, who worked at the University of Minnesota and received numerous awards, including becoming part of the National Academy of Sciences in 1989. The Lectureship in his honour brings distinguished organic chemists to the University of Minnesota. To date, more than 30 renowned chemists have been honoured, some of whom have gone on to win the Novel Prize.
