Peak Performance, or why you see so many Mountains...

You may ask, why a scientist does include so many pictures of mountains (all from the Alps) on a scientific website. Well, there are several answers. The simplest is, I adore Mountaineering in all its facettes and I do see quite some analogy between serious Mountaineering and good Science:

  • To climb a serious peak, you have to be in shape, know what you are doing, get up early, are not allowed to be anxious and you need endurance and perseverance.
  • All of these are perfect ingredients to perform well in the Sciences...

In addition, my personal perception of 'Gas Phase Conditions' resembles closely the situation in the high alpine glacier region: Its cold, only little air and some of the exotic cations might feel well there...

Peak Performance - Science

A personal selection of 'best' publications from our group. Naturally very subjective...

“Pushing the redox potentials of deelectronators to highly positive values using solvent effects and weakly coordinating anions.” C. Armbruster, M. Sellin, M. Seiler, T. Würz, F. Oesten, M. Schmucker, T. Sterbak, J. Fischer, V. Radtke, J. Hunger*, I. Krossing*, Nature Commun. 2024, 15, 6721. 

 

"In situ formation of reactive (di)gallenes for bond activation." P. Dabringhaus, H. Scherer, I. Krossing*, Nature Synth. 2024, 3, 732–743. 

 

"Low-valent MxAl3 cluster salts with tetrahedral [SiAl3]+ and trigonal-bipyramidal [M2Al3]2+ cores (M = Si/Ge)." P. Dabringhaus, S. F. Zedlitz, L. Giarrana, D. Scheschkewitz, I. Krossing* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2023, e202215170.

 

"On a high-capacity aluminium battery with a two-electron phenothiazine redox polymer as positive electrode." G. Studer, A. Schmidt, J. Büttner, A. Fischer, I. Krossing*, B. Esser*, Energy Environ. Sci. 2023, 16, 3760–3769.

 

 

“Synthesis of a low-valent Al4+ cluster cation salt." P. Dabringhaus, J. Willrett, I. Krossing*, Nature Chem. 2022, 14, 1151–1157.

 

"Investigations Towards a Non-Aqueous Hybrid Redox Flow Battery with a Manganese Based Anolyte and Catholyte." M. Schmucker, T. A. Gully, A. Schmidt, B. Schmidt, K. Bromberger, J. Disch, B. Butschke, B. Burgenmeister, K. Sonnenberg, S. Riedel, I. Krossing*, Adv. Energy Materials 2021, 11, 2101261.

 

“Synthesis and characterization of crystalline niobium and tantalum heptacarbonyl cations.” W. Unkrig, M. Schmitt, D. Kratzert, D. Himmel and I. Krossing*, Nature Chem. 2020, 12, 647–653.

 

“Oxidative Fluorination of Cu/ZnO Methanol Catalysts.” V. Dybbert, F. Klein, A. Schaadt, A. Hoffmann, E. Frei, E. Erdem, T. Ludwig, H. Hillebrecht, I. Krossing*, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 12935-12939.

 

“Basic Remarks on Acidity.” V. Radtke, D. Himmel, B. Butschke, I. Krossing*, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 4386-4411.

 

“Inhibiting Polysulfide Shuttle in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries through Low-Ion-Pairing Salts and a Triflamide Solvent.” A. Shyamsunder, W. Beichel, P. Klose, Q. Pang, H. Scherer, A. Hoffmann, G. K. Murphy, I. Krossing*, L. F. Nazar*, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 6192-6197.

 

„Cationic cluster formation versus disproportionation of low-valent indium and gallium complexes of 2,2’-bipyridine“ M. R. Lichtenthaler, F. Stahl, D. Kratzert, L. Heidinger, E. Schleicher, J. Hamann, D. Himmel, S. Weber, I. Krossing*, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 2015 6:8288.

 

“Crystal Structure Determination of the Nonclassical 2-Norbornyl Cation.” F. Scholz, D. Himmel, F. W. Heinemann, P. v. R. Schleyer, K. Meyer*, I. Krossing*, Science 2013, 341, 62-64.

 

“[P9]+[Al(ORF)4]–, the Salt of a Homopolyatomic Phosphorus Cation.” T. Köchner, T. A. Engesser, H. Scherer, D. A. Plattner, A. Steffani, I. Krossing*; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 6529–6531.

 

“Why are Ionic Liquids liquid? A simple explanation based on lattice and solvation energies.” J. Slattery, C. Daguenet, P. Dyson, I. Krossing*, H. Weingärtner, A. Oleinikova, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 13427-13434.

 

“The facile preparation of weakly coordinating anions: structure and characterisation of silver polyfluoroalkoxyaluminates Ag[Al(ORF)4], calculation of the alkoxide ion affinity.“ I. Krossing, Chem. Eur. J. 2001, 7, 490-502.

 

 

Peak Performance - Mountains

Personally selected list of favorite peaks climbed over the last 30 years...

Chimborazo, 6310 m, Ecuador

Cotopaxi, 5896 m, Ecuador

Misti, 5820 m, Peru

Pisco, 5750 m, Peru

Rucu Pichincha, 4766 m, Ecuador

Pico Espejo, 4765 m, Venezuela (no cable car)

Monte Rosa, Punta Margerita, 4554 m, Switzerland

Finsteraarhorn, 4274 m, Switzerland

Castor, 4223 m, Switzerland

Tajumulco, 4220 m, Guatemala

Rimpfischorn, 4199 m, Switzerland

Strahlhorn, 4190 m, Switzerland

Djebel Toubkal, 4165 m, Marocco

Breithorn, 4164 m, Switzerland

Bishorn, 4153 m, Switzerland

Gran Paradiso, 4061 m, Italy

Piz Bernina, 4049 m, Switzerland

Alallinhorn, 4027 m (Hohlaubgrat), Switzerland

Hinter Fiescherhorn, 4025 m, Switzerland

Acatenango, 3976 m, Guatemala

Äbeni Flue, 3961 m, Switzerland

Piz Palü, 3908 m, Switzerland

Königsspitze, 3860 m, Italy

Grünegghorn, 3860 m, Switzerland

Chirripo, 3819 m, Costa Rica

Großglockner, 3798 m, Austria

Pigne de Arolla, 3791 m, Switzerland

Wildspitze, 3770 m, Austria

Zufallspitzen, 3757 m, Italy

Weißkugel, 3741 m, Austria

Combin de Corbassière, 3716 m, Switzerland

Arbenhorn / Mont Durand, 3712 m, Switzerland

Tournelon Blanc, 3707 m, Switzerland

Tete Blanche, 3706, Switzerland

Palon de la Mare, 3703 m, Italy

Balmhorn, 3697 m, Switzerland

Punta San Matteo, 3678 m, Italy

Petit Combin, 3663 m, Switzerland

Blümlisalphorn, 3661 m, Switzerland

Großvenediger, 3657 m, Austria

Hinter Brochkogel, 3623 m, Austria

Üssers Barrhorn, 3610 m, Switzerland

Galenstock, 3586 m, Switzerland

Dome de Chasseforets, 3586 m, France

Adamello, 3539 m, Italy

Watzespitze, 3532 m, Austria

Pointe de Oren, 3523 m, Switzerland

Zuckerhütl, 3507 m, Austria

Schrankogel, 3497 m, Austria

Fluchtkogel, 3494 m, Austria

Care Alto, 3465 m, Italy

Piz Corvatsch, 3451 m, Switzerland (no cable car)

Piz d'Err, 3378 m, Switzerland

Pico Veleta, 3367 m, Spain

Piz Buin, 3312 m, Switzerland

Piz Basodino, 3272 m, Switzerland

Clariden, 3267 m, Switzerland

Dents de Midi, Haute Cime, 3258 m, Switzerland

Signalhorn, 3207 m, Switzerland

Dreiländerspitze, 3197 m, Austria

Kirchalphorn, 3039 m, Switzerland

Parseierspitze, 3036 m, Austria

Zugspitze, 2963 m, Germany

Brunnistock, 2952 m, Switzerland

Hochkönig, 2941 m, Austria

Birkkarspitze, 2749 m, Austria

Kaltwasserkarspitze, 2733 m, Austria

Watzmann, 2713 m, Germany

Profitis Ilias, 2404 m, Greece

Daltinden, 1533 m, Norway

Tafeltinden, 1395 m, Norway

...