Welcome to the Eckhardt Lab!

Our research focuses on the preparation, characterization and reactivity of small reactive intermediates and molecules related to interstellar media and prebiotic chemistry. For the preparation and spectroscopic characterization of these molecules we employ (in)organic synthesis, photolysis or high-vacuum flash pyrolysis in combination with cryogenic matrix isolation spectroscopy (IR, UV/Vis and EPR). All prepared molecular structures are validated by comparison of experimental and quantum chemical calculated properties.

Für alle RUB-Studenten:
Wir suchen motivierte und ehrgeizige Studenten, die Spaß an der Synthese haben und darüber hinaus Interesse mitbringen neue Techniken, wie die Matrixisolationsspektroskopie oder quantenmechanische Berechnungen für den Laboralltag zu erlernen. Wer als Vertiefungspraktikant, Bachelor-, oder Masterstudent frühzeitig die Arbeitsgruppe mitformen und mitgestalten möchte, ist herzlich eingeladen, Kontakt aufzunehmen (einfach vorbeikommen oder E-Mail schicken), um weitere Details zu besprechen.

For all non-RUB members:
You are a postdoctoral researcher and interested in joining the group? We are happy to support you in your grant application at funding agencies such as Alexander von Humboldt Foundation or the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program.

News

December 2025 André attended the 9th Annual Workshop of the German Astrobiological Society, where he received the Best Presentation Award. We welcomed Jonas Haiduk to the group for an in-depth practical. Sharanki und Nathalie finished their Bachelor's Thesis. Congratulations!
November 2025 After more than three years of development, our work on EPR spectroscopy in para-H2 was published in Angewandte! Kristin was selected to present her Master’s thesis at the Master's thesis prize symposium of the GDCh Division of Photochemistry. More group updates: Nathalie and Sharanki started their BSc theses, Theodor started an in-depth practical, Julian began his PhD studies, and Anita joined as a postdoc – good luck!
October 2025 Our work on alanine imine was published in JACS in collaboration with the Crespo-Otero group! Anoop started an in-depth practical, and Kristin began her PhD studies in a joint project with the Szych group in Münster – good luck!
September 2025 Julian and Kristin finished their Master's Thesis. Congratulations! Mika and Viktor attended the 20th European Symposium on Organic Reactivity (ESOR2025).
August 2025 Adrián attended the 37th International Symposium on Free Radicals and presented his work about EPR spectroscopy in para-H2. Most Group members attended the Dream Reactions Symposium 2025 in Münster. Kristin presented her research on a poster.
July 2025 The semester is over and we enjoyed an unforgettable kayak trip with our neighbor's from the Schulz lab, rounded off with a relaxed BBQ by the Ruhr river.
June 2025 We contributed to the JOC Special Issue: Physical Organic Chemistry: Never Out of Style. Our study about the P-Centered Dibenzophospholyl Radical: A Matrix Isolation IR, UV/Vis and ESR Spectroscopic Study is now accepted! Julian and André attendend the Physical Organic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference.
May 2025 The Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung supports our research with an Exploration Grant. Thank you very much! Our study about N-methyleneformamide got accepted in Chem. Sci.! André gave a talk at the 75. Steinheimer Gespräche.
April 2025 Anna and Vladislava joined our group for an in-depth practical. Welcome to our group! The new semester started and André teaches Organic Chemistry I this term.
March 2025 Ben Vöth and Margarita Shishkova joined the group for an indepth-practical. Welcome to our group! Check out our new preprint about the Generation and UV-Photolysis of N-methyleneformamide! Viktor, Anahita, Adrian and André participated at the RESOLV Klausurtagung. André attended the Chemiedozententagung in Braunschweig. Dilara finished her Bachelor's Thesis. Congratulations!
February 2025 Dominik Schreiner joined the group for an in-depth practical and Moulay Driss Mellaoui for a research stay as part of the Resolv Student Challenge. Welcome to our group! Our new paper is online: H-Tunneling Rotamerization in Glycine Imine. Check it out!
January 2025 Dilara Korkut joined the group for her BSc thesis. Good luck, Dilara!
November 2024 André visited the neighbor university in Essen for a seminar talk.
October 2024 Philip Mund and Martyna Rybka joined the group for an in-depth practical. André visited ELTE - Eötvös University in Hungary.
September 2024 Ivan Shchus and Olga Vorobyova won a research stay in our group in the Resolv Student Challenge "Your Step into Solvation Science". They will stay with us for the next three months and investigate cryosolvation effects.
August 2024 Adrián Portela González joined the group as a second postdoc. He will mainly work on our matrix isolation EPR experimental setup. André attended the BioOrganik24 symposium in Dortmund.
June and July 2024 André attended the 26. Steinheimer Gespräche and was invited to presented the group's research at the CPLT2024 in Niseko (Japan). CPLT2026 will take place in Bochum and be co-organized by us and the Merten Lab. Hasan Gören joined the group for three months as an Erasmus fellow.
May 2024 Shahid Iqbal, Daniel Kühn, and Media Mohamad started an in-depth practical in our group. Mika Maehara joined the group as a first postdoc.
April 2024 Anahita Safiyan won a DAAD scholarship and joined the group as a third PhD student. André presented the group's research at the Clausius Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry in Bonn.
March 2024 André presented the group's results at the Chemiedozententagung 2024 in Aachen. Viktor, Vladimir and André attended the RESOLV Klausurtagung 2024. Finally, our new IR spectrometer arrived!
February 2024 André visited the Kaiser group in Honolulu and presented the group's results at the Third Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop in Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii.
December 2023 We got accepted in the Emmy Noether programme of the DFG. In the next six years we will explore more reactive intermediates in interstellar ice analogs. Further information is available here.
November 2023 Kristin Wulff joined the group for an in-depth practical. She will learn more about organic synthesis and matrix isolation spectroscopy.
October 2023 Anahita Safiyan joined the group under RESOLV's program for Iranian researchers. She will learn more about solvation effects in organic synthesis.
October 2023 Julian Eßer joined the group for an in-depth practical. He will learn more about organic synthesis, computational chemistry and matrix isolation spectroscopy.
September 2023 Next step in the preparation and spectroscopic characterization of interstellar relevant imines. Vladimir and Viktor successfully generated and isolated iminoacetaldehyde in solid argon. Congratulations! Our results are published in Chem. Commun. as invited communication and part of the 2023 Emerging Investigators collection.
August 2023 Viktor Paczelt successfully completed his Master studies and submitted his Master thesis. He will continue with his PhD studies at RUB in our group.
June 2023 Dónal O'Donnell joined the group as an undergraduate researcher for an international internship. He will study solvation science questions in the next three months with us. The program is funded by RESOLV.
June 2023 Alexander Swienty joined the group for for an external master thesis and will work with us in the synthesis lab for the next six months.
May 2023 Aya S. A. Alhaddad joined the group for for an in-depth practical. She will work in the synthesis lab and learn quantum chemical calculations.
April 2023 Shubham Sawle joined the group for an international internship funded by RESOLV. He will learn more about solvation science in the next six months.
April 2023 Adam Hasso joined the group for an in-depth practical. He will synthesize a new precursor for our imine chemistry.
March 2023 Luciana Herbeck joined the group for an in-depth practical. She will learn more about organic synthesis and computational chemistry.
March 2023 In a collaborative project with the Kaiser and Mebel groups we found first evidence for the existence of oxirene! Our findings are now published in Science Advances!
February 2023 Thank you Angewandte for publishing André's introducing author profile! Learn more about André here!
January 2023 Our paper about glycine imine is now published in Angewandte! Check out our work about glycine imine as the reactive intermediate in amino acid synthesis here! More about other imino acids is coming soon.
September 2022 Our proposal for a PhD position got funded by RESOLV! We will investigate solvation effects in the future.
September 2022 Vladimir D. Drabkin joined the group for his PhD studies. He will investigate the cryosolvation of interstellar relevant molecules using matrix isolation spectroscopy and computational chemistry!
August 2022 Viktor Paczelt joined the group for an in-depth practical. He will have fun in the lab doing organic synthesis, matrix isolation spectroscopy and computational chemistry!
July 2022 First paper of the group published in Chem. Commun.! Check out our work about the explosive decomposition of 1,2-diazidoethane, spectroscopic identification of 1,2-diiminoethane and imidazole synthesis here!
July 2022 Official start of the group. We gratefully acknowledge the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie for funding.

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