Helma Wennemers

Helma Wennemers studied chemistry at the Goethe University Frankfurt, completing her diploma thesis with Gerhard Quinkert [de] in 1993.

She earned her PhD at Columbia University, New York in 1996, under the supervision of W. Clark Still, with a thesis "Encoded combinatorial chemistry: a tool for the study of selective intermolecular interactions."

Wennemers led the development of tripeptides containing H-Pro-Pro-Xaa type sequences (Pro: proline, Xaa: any amine) as organocatalysts for C–C bond formations based on an enamine mechanism.

[1] High reactivity, stereo- and chemoselectivity for aldol[2] or conjugate addition reactions[3][4] can be achieved by varying the absolute configuration of the single amino acids as well as the functional group of the Xaa residue.

[14] Wennemers also explored conjugates of oligoprolines and π-conjugated systems that form hierarchical self-assemblies with diverse morphologies (e.g. nanofibers, nanorods, nanosheets).