On April 6, 1865, Friedrich Engelhorn founded the company “Badische Anilin- & Sodafabrik” in Mannheim, Germany. This Essay, commemorating the 150th anniversary of BASF, introduces several outstanding examples of innovation from the history of BASF and highlights how chemical and technical competencies developed in the past still play an essential role in current projects.

Chemistry is in a period of change, from an era focused on molecules and reactions, to one in which manipulations of systems of molecules and reactions will be essential parts of controlling larger systems. This Essay traces paths from the past to possible futures.

Currently used plastics are mostly produced from petrochemical products, but there is a growing demand for eco-friendly plastics. The use of bio-based plastics, which are produced from renewable resources, and biodegradable plastics, which are degraded in the environment, will lead to a more sustainable society and help us solve global environmental and waste management problems.

Charming fluorine: This Essay examines the recent surge in late-stage fluorination reactions and outlines challenges that need to be overcome to increase the impact of modern fluorination methods on the synthesis of complex organofluorine compounds. It is outlined how an improved understanding of the bonding interactions of fluoride could lead to a new class of mild fluorinating reagents and a range of functional-group-tolerant reactions.

A synergetic interplay: Catalysis is a key research field within BASF. Successful industrial chemistry is always the result of a combination of catalyst and process development. The interplay of catalyst chemistry and reaction engineering is discussed for processes such as the sulfuric acid production, ammonia synthesis, methanol synthesis, fluid catalytic cracking, and direct epoxidation of propylene.

Quality of films: Most performance enhancements of organic–inorganic perovskite photovoltaics have been achieved through improved film quality. In this Minireview, various techniques for the formation of such films and the role of the solvent and precursors in the process are discussed, highlighting the material properties that are essential for high-efficiency solar cell operation.

Dealing with excess: The growing global production of excess elemental sulfur is an environmental concern and calls for novel approaches of utilizing the material as a feedstock for materials and industrial applications. This Minireview gives an overview of recent physical processing methods and synthetic procedures involving the direct use of elemental sulfur.

Artificial photosynthesis is considered as the prime approach for the sustainable generation of energy. Significant progress has been achieved in recent years and this Minireview describes the current status and challenges in water splitting and electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Developments in the catalytic conversion of H₂ to complex products are outlined to present its role in the achievement of green chemistry.

Beyond hydroformylation: Ruthenium-catalyzed reductive couplings of paraformaldehyde with dienes, alkynes, and allenes provide access to products of hydrohydroxymethylation that cannot be formed selectively under the conditions of hydroformylation. In certain cases, the regioselectivity of the CC coupling can be inverted by using nickel catalysts.

Chemistry, pure and applied, is a science and an industry. By its power over the expressions of matter, it also displays the creativity of art. The field of chemistry is the universe of all possible entities and transformations of molecular matter, of which those actually realized in nature represent just one world among all the worlds that await to be created at the hand of the chemist.

Both are required: Chemical model systems and the study of biological receptors are both required to understand molecular recognition processes. The identification and quantification of noncovalent interactions and deciphering the role of water are key elements for structure-based drug design. Several case studies are presented in which weak intermolecular interactions were applied to innovative ligand design and optimization.

From cells to cell factories: Modern biotechnology combines systems metabolic and genetic engineering to enable microbes to produce natural value-added products. The picture illustrates the upgrade of the complex cellular metabolism into an industrial cell factory.

Exploiting hidden talents: The engineering of enzymes to catalyze reactions not known in nature will expand the range of transformations that can be promoted by biocatalysis. This Review presents a common pathway by which new enzyme activities evolve in nature and examples of the use of a similar approach to create enzymes for non-natural reactions (see picture).

Membrane technology offers the best options to “drought proof” mankind on an increasingly thirsty planet by purifying seawater or used water. The driving forces for development of membranes for water production are described in this Review. An update is provided for developments in the various preparation techniques for the range of membrane types.

Wet, wet, wet: Surfaces with super-wettability, including three-dimensional, two-dimensional, and one-dimensional materials surfaces can be prepared. By combining different super-wettability properties, novel functional solid/liquid interfacial systems can be generated and integrated into devices for tackling many different problems.

Dynamic material systems have been created to replicate the interactivity and adaptive response of hierarchical biological systems. Selected examples of bio-inspired hairlike sensors, shape-changing objects, and interactive microcompartments are reviewed to showcase the increasing level of complexity and the dynamic functionalities that can be achieved by using top-down fabrication technologies and bottom-up assembly approaches.

Mix and MOF: Most metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are ordered and generally composed of only a few of repeating building unit. This Review is describes how the use of various different components in the MOF backbone and within the pores of the MOF can produce heterogeneity without losing the order (crystallinity) of the MOF structure.

Below lithium: Concerns over the future cost and sustainability of resources of lithium has led to a global trend to develop low-cost sodium-ion batteries. Central to this has been the fast-developing field of non-aqueous batteries that could employ a plethora of materials for the positive and negative electrodes, and electrolytes. Apart from sustainability, they offer structural and electrochemical benefits compared to their Li analogues.

Transforming chemistry: New technologies and machines have found use as methods for changing the way we work, addressing the resource-based issues encountered in research laboratories by enabling chemists to adopt a more holistic systems approach in their work. This Review focuses on the concepts, procedures, and methods that have far-reaching implications in the chemistry world.

Filling the gaps: The understanding of heterogeneous catalysis is built on a standard model of interface catalysis that was developed from surface physics and theory. This model has significant gaps with regards to transferring knowledge yielded to high-performance catalysts, and approaches to fill these gaps are proposed in this Review.