University of Groningen
Carbon-carbon bond formations using organolithium reagents
Heijnen, Dorus
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Publication date: 2018
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Heijnen, D. (2018). Carbon-carbon bond formations using organolithium reagents. University of Groningen.
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Acknowledgements
Of all the people I want to thank, I off course want to start with Ben. Ben : 4 years ago I walked into your office and asked if you maybe had a PhD position in catalysis for me. Less than 24 hours later I got an email saying I could start working in your group the next month. Even though after the Nobel prize I wished I would have worked in motors (for about 2 days, tops), I am really happy I took the opportunity and we got some nice work out in the literature. Your enthusiasm and passion for chemistry, while at the same time remaining down to earth and fair is something I have never seen before. I also want to thank you for letting me go to Prof Organ in Toronto to work on PEPPSI derivatives. There are many more things I am thankful for, but would like to finish by thanking you for the extremely fast corrections of my thesis. While thanking Ben, Tineke (and now also Inge) can never be far behind. Though I almost forgot about you, I hope you know that I too am thankful for all your efforts. From keeping things running, settling disputes, or doing whatever we as lab-people don’t even know about, thank you.
Dear Professor Organ : Thank you for accepting me in your group, for the guidance and all your help/suggestions in my attempts at making a chiral PEPPSI catalyst.
Valentin : The way I saw it, you were the big guy in the catalysis subgroup, and we worked together on several projects. You shared ideas, gave suggestions, and guided our combined work to a finished product (chapter). Especially the start of my PhD would have been very different (less productive) if it wasn’t for you and your guidance. I would also like to thank the other postdocs and PhD students : Martin, Carlos, Massimo, Shermin and Suresh. You all generated a very friendly, helpful and productive subgroup with everlasting ideas and suggestions for more projects and work.
I am convinced that (at least for me), a social workplace is vital to celebrate the good times, and cope with the bad. Therefore the C-Wing has been of great importance to my life in the last 4 years. Starting with the older generation, Jos and Petra: equally crazy, but showing it in such different ways. Jos, thank you for showing me around in the most awesome lab that Nijenborgh 4 has ever had, how to disassemble the Grace, but also how to work with/around difficult people. Petra… you have contributed close to zero in terms of chemistry, yet you too were part of the initial greeting committee that freaked me out so much in my first weeks. Part of me likes to think it helped me grow as a person. Tom, your dry humor and passion for chemistry I can only hope to once possess. Last but not least: Anouk. We spent a considerable amount of time in the lab, on lab trips and group activities. From screaming at your (broken) glassware, to sitting under the table or just being Anouk, you left some big shoes to fill and the group was never quite the same after you left.
Filippo “it looks like spaghetti” Tosi. We published together, hated and loved our research together, shared an office and shared quite some other (lab) struggles. I admire your extremely systematic and structural way of thinking and doing research, and you have done your part of our mutual project in a way that would have taken me ages (if ever). I don’t always share you enthusiasm for food (with accompanying sounds of approval), but at least you didn’t spit out my amazing Lasagnachos. I am grateful that you want to be my paranymph.
Diederik “relax” Roke. I have yet to meet the person who is calmer (or cares less) in any situation than you. Never during the almost 4 years we have worked in the same lab, have I seen you stress
over something. I think I speak for a lot of people around us that we envy this inner calm-ness a bit. I really enjoyed our overlapping sense of humor, and I wonder who is going to take our spot when we no longer join for lunch. The shoes to fill in terms of jokes and comments that we leave are big, I just wonder if the people left behind want them filled. Thank you for joining me on D-Day.
Jana, you could have been the mythical counterpart of Diederik, stressing over every little thing. Though it was always great fun to have a laugh with, I think it also shows how much you care, and want to do things the right way. Always wanting to have things arranged perfectly, organizing things for the group, bringing stuff from Serbia. You are truly a kind and caring person. I have wondered (very briefly) if maybe we were sometimes a bit harsh on you, but it was mostly Diederik anyway. I am sure that with your dedication and brain you will make those switchable peptides or antibodies, and that you really don’t have to stress about your work so much. I hope you and Jeffrey will have a great time together in Groningen. Jeffrey : Thanx a lot G! Glad to hear you are coming back to Groningen, I am sure you will inspire a lot of people, and do great chemistry.
Garcon, ma petite baguette. Of course you keep an emergency baguette in your freezer, that makes total sense. Continuing with the radiolabeling, filling the lab with the sweet smell of aldehydes together and even making some anilines, we could have worked on much more projects if we had the time. I am sure you will manage just fine without me though. Thank you for being part of the lonely lab in building 18, and cheering us up with your smile. Coffee?
Sander, we might have had our differences in the lunchroom, but you are doing a great job in running the C-wing when Ben is not around, thank you. Wiktor, our chemistry did not cross each other’s path much, but your enthusiasm, fairness and kindness are hard to miss. Prof. Minnaard, It was in your group, working on Tbad, when I really started to enjoy doing research, even when sometimes struggling with the chemistry. Thank you for always being such a calm and inspiring person.
The master students that I supervised: Alexander and Milan. Both of you sometimes needed a kick against the behind, but I enjoyed supervising and working with you and your work ended up in my thesis.
Wojtes, I hope that you will not turn into a cigarette yourself one day, though it might just happen. It’s good to see that you are much happier these days, keep up the good spirit! Hennie, the past year, you have shown a different side of you, that is slowly but surely showing resemblance to Anouk. I knew you had it in you! Good luck with your final year. Yuchen, the title of best cook of Chinese food in the institute is quite something already, soon you can add Dr. to this as well. It was always pleasant working next to you. Chi-Chi. Stefano, Que Pizza Que Pasta. I just can’t unsee the ski pants, winter hat and gloves…even with 15 °C outside. I hope I will never forget that you were trying to convince me to ‘ eat on the streets’ in India, because normal restaurants were just trying to rip you off, right before you stomach told you that wasn’t a great idea. Adelio : the adult life has finally gotten a grip on you, yet it’s really nice to see you still like to party every once in a while.
Jose, Jaime and Ruth. It’s something with those Spanish (speaking) postdocs, being the hardest working of them all. Jose, thank you for giving me a reason to make a molecular motor, and good luck with the synthesis of the 3+2=5th generation, you know it has to be done! Ruth, you could have
been part of the awesome catalysis lab in 18, but the C-wing wouldn’t let you go. Good luck with the photochemistry, redox chemistry, and motors. Jaime I hope your chemistry will soon do what you want it to, and with your brain and hard work I’m sure it will. Carla, I’m happy you are back in Groningen, and enjoying it here. Thank you for the help with my cover, my awefull ESpanish, cheering me up and everything else.
Jiawen, Michelle, Fan, Anirban, Marco, Brian, Cosima, Lucas, Franco, Piere, Mikkel, Lerch, Tobias, Mark, Friederike, and whomever I might forget. Thank you all for being part of the social hotpot that we have in the Feringa group, and for making my stay at the RuG so pleasant.
Pieter, Monique and Theodora. Everybody knows that you are of great importance to the group. One day or week without NMR, HPLC, GC, LCMS or exact mass, and chaos would appear. Thank you all for helping us with these vital facilties.
To my non chemistry friends : Johan, bedankt voor alle bbq en kampvuur avonden in je achtertuin, en de avonturen in Zoutkamp, het Dwingelerveld, Schiermonnikoog en de ritjes in de magistrale deuxcentcinque. Je begreep redelijk goed wat me bezighield op het lab, en dus kon ik bij jou soms lekker klagen. Ik vind het heel erg jammer dat je Nederland uit bent, en aan al die dingen toch wel een beetje een einde is gekomen, maar het is mooi om te zien en horen hoe je in Vietnam de boel voor elkaar bokst! Loes, nog nooit in de geschiedenis van de wereld is er iemand geweest met zo’n enorme desinteresse en afkeer van alles dat met wetenschap te maken heeft. Ondanks dat waardeer ik je makkelijke omgang, vrolijkheid, doorzettingsvermogen en yolo instelling, en ben ik heel erg blij met jou als vriend. Dat jij de samenvatting voor niet-chemici begreep was een mooi compliment. Carolien : zelfdoen, pas op is zwaar, niet zo aanstellen, ging toch goed, en ach daar voel je niks van. Allemaal uitspraken die jou maken tot wat je bent, een supersterke vrouw met bijbehorende persoonlijkheid, bedankt voor alle leuke momenten samen. Ik hoop dat we nog een keer met zijn allen op vakantie gaan! Berber : Zonder jou zat ik wellicht nog ongelukkig te zijn in Noorwegen. Het heeft tussen ons niet zo mogen zijn, maar door jou ben ik wel in Groningen opnieuw begonnen, en dat heeft me erg veel geluk gebracht. Koning Bert, ook jij was zeker onderdeel van het belangrijke leven buiten het lab, met vakanties, fietsen of kamperen. Succes in Engeland.
Tot slot wil ik graag mijn ouders, broer (en Marielle) en zus (en Tim) bedanken. Niet voor een paar specifieke dingen, maar voor alles.
Dorus
