Reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry

In the 2025/26 school year, the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences is once again opening its digital lecture hall to upper secondary school students. In a series of online lectures, central and curriculum-relevant topics of chemistry will be addressed - vividly conveyed by experienced teachers and supplemented with current references to research. This provides a lively insight into exciting questions and methods of modern chemistry. School teachers are also cordially invited!

This time:
For a better understanding of organic chemistry, the focus is on the detailed process of chemical transformations - the so-called reaction mechanisms. They explain why certain substances react with each other in a characteristic way and which products are formed in the process. This knowledge makes it possible to control the process and achieve the desired results through the targeted selection of conditions such as temperature, solvent or catalyst. In this course, the most important mechanisms and types of organic reactions are presented and the basic principles are illustrated using concise examples.