Abstract

According to IUPAC, a "mechano-chemical reaction" is a "chemical reaction that is induced by the direct absorption of mechanical energy".¹ We made use of such activation mode in both organic synthesis and catalysis.² Ball mills play a central role in such processes. Selected recent examples from our group will be presented here.³ 

References

1. IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"), Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 1997 and cited in PAC 2004, 76, 889.
2. James, S. L.; Collier, P.; Parkin, I.; Hyett, G.; Braga, D.; Maini, L.; Jones, B.; Friščić, T.; Bolm, C.; Krebs, A.: Mack, J.; Waddell, D. C.; Shearouse, W. C.; Orpen, G.; Adams, C.; Steed, J. W.; Harris, K. D. M. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012, 41, 413.
3. (a) Hu, C.; van Bonn, P.; Demco, D. E.; Bolm, C.; Pich, A. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202305783. (b) Krake, E.; Backer, L.; Andres, B.; Baumann, W.; Handler, N.; Buschmann, H.; Holzgrabe, U.; Bolm, C.; Beweries, T. ACS Cent. Sci. 2023, 9, 1150. (c) Passia, M.; Amer, M. M.; Demaerel, J.; Bolm, C. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2023, 11, 6838. (d) Puccetti, F.; Rinesch, T.; Suljić, S.; Rahimi, K.; Herrmann, A.; Bolm, C. Chem 2023, 9, 1318. (e) d'Anciães Almeida Silva, I.; Bartalucci, E.; Bolm, C.; Wiegand, T. Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, e202304092. (f) Pan, S.; Mulks, F.; Wu, P.; Rissanen, K.; Bolm, C. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202316702. (g) Amer, M.; Backer, L.; Buschmann, H.; Handler, N.; Scherf-Clavel, O.; Holzgrabe, U.; Bolm, C. Anal. Chem. 2024, 96, 13166. (h) Quaranta, C.; d'Anciães Almeida Silva, I.; Moos, S.; Bartalucci, E.; Hendrickx, L.; Fahl, B M. D.; Pasqualin, I, C.; Puccetti, F.; Zobel, M.; Bolm, C.; Wiegand, T. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e200410801. (i) Pan, S.; Wu, P. Bampi, S.; Ward, J. S.; Rissanen, K.; Bolm, C. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202413181. (j) Wu, P.; Ling, L.; Hu. Y.; Pan, S.; Bolm, C. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2024, 12, 15875. (k) Pan, S.; Wu, P.; Bampi, S.; Ward, J. S.; Rissanen, K.; Bolm, C. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202413181. (l) Holzgrabe, U.; Buschmann, H.; Handler, N.; Amer, M. M.; Hommelsheim, R.; Beweries, T.; Bolm, C. Chimia 2025, 79, 614. (m) Jansen, T.; Thomas, L. C.; Bolm, C. ChemSusChem 2026, 19, e202502452. (n) De Vos, D.; Pfennig, V. S.; Goddé, A.; Vroemans, R.; Krückel, T.; Marcinkowska, N.; Bartalucci, E.; Wiegand, T.; Bolm, C.; Maes, B. U. W. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2026, e202519827. (o) Li, W.; Herzog, L.; Hu, Y.; von Köller, H. F.; Werz, D. B.; Bolm, C. Org. Lett. 2026, 28, 9053. (p) Paffen, A.; Quaranta, C.; Gavhane, K.; Mori, H. V.; Patureau, F. W.; Bolm, C. ChemSusChem 2026, 19, e70801. (q) Wery, G.; Gieling, J.; El Kaderi, Z.; Hendrickx, L.; Wiegand, T.; Bolm, C.; Leyssens, T.; Baier, D. M. Green Chem. 2026, 28, 9880. (r) Jansen, T.; Schmitz, D. J.; Obradović, J.; Bolm, C. Green Chem. 2026, 28, 8875. (s) Hanek, L. M.; Bolm, C. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2026, 29, e202501222. (t) Hu, Y.; Wu, P.; Sahu, C. C.; Rissanen, K.; Bolm, C. Adv. Synth. Cat. 2026, 368, e700355.

Biography

Carsten Bolm was born in Braunschweig (Germany) in 1960. He studied chemistry at TU Braunschweig (Germany) and the University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA). In 1987 he obtained his doctoral degree with Professor Reetz in Marburg (Germany). After postdoctoral training with Professor Sharpless at MIT, Cambridge (USA), Carsten Bolm worked in Basel (Switzerland) with Professor Giese to obtain his habilitation. In 1993 he became Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Marburg (Germany), and since 1996 he has a chair of Organic Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University (Germany). In 2012 Carsten Bolm became an adjunct professor at WIT (Wuhan Institute of Technology), China, and in 2014 he was awarded a Distinguished Professorship RWTH Aachen University. Since 2016 he is Honorary Professor at Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China. Carsten Bolm is Board Member of several journals, and between 2008 to 2021 he served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Organic Chemistry. His publication list has about 650 entries, and in 2014, 2015, and 2016 he was selected "Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher".