A solid phase as “protecting group” in peptide synthesis—this was the original idea of Bruce Merrifield, who received the 1984 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. In his lecture, he describes the development of the Merrifield synthesis. In principle, all difunctional educts that may be selectively protected at one end and activated at the other can undergo reactions on solid supports.

The basic concepts of immunology and their development as part of biology during the last 100 years is the starting point of Niels K. Jerne's lecture, which he presented on the occasion of accepting the 1984 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine. Each half of an antibody molecule consists of a light polypeptide chain containing about 214 amino acid residues and a heavy polypeptide chain containing a little more than 400 amino acid residues.

The unimaginable variety of antibody structures is evidenced by the fact that an animal produces specific antibodies against bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances, even against substances with which it has had no prior contact. How is this possible? In his lecture, on the occasion of accepting the 1984 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, Cesar Milstein describes work directed toward answering this question. These investigations have led to, among other things, the development of the hybridoma technique in collaboration with G. Köhler.

The trick to preparing monoclonal antibodies on a large scale consists in fusing mouse myeloma (tumor) cells with mouse spleen cells that have previously been exposed to an antigen. The hybridoma cells having the desired characteristics are immortal and secrete antibodies with a single specificity. Georges Köhler, who received the 1984 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, developed this hybridoma technique together with C. Milstein. The number of applications is legion.

The modification of the magnetic properties of a complexed transition-metalion upon formation of binuclear complexes and the magnetic behavior of binuclear complexes containing two different metals is a fascinating area of investigation. The type and strength of the interaction between the metal centers can be influenced by the choice of metal and ligand. In this way, the directed synthesis of a purely, ferromagnetic Cu²⁺−VO²⁺ complex was achieved.

Two classes of paramagnetic manganese complexes can be differentiated by ESR spectroscopy: radical complexes 1, in which radical-anion ligands L^⊙⊖ are stabilized by Cp(CO)₂Mn¹ fragments, and low-spin Mn¹¹ compounds 2, with strongly nucleophilic ligands L.

The solvent used for crystallization determines which of the two structural isomers of [Pt₃(μ-PPh₂)₃Ph(PPh₃)₂] 1 is formed. The isomer 1a is obtained in crystalline form from toulene/pentane, the isomer 1b · 2CH₂Cl₂ from CH₂Cl₂/pentane. The two isomers differ in their PtPt distances and PtPPh₂Pt angles.

The transition-metal-substituted diphosphenes 2 (M = Fe, Ru) were obtained from the disilylphosphido complexes 1 and a dichlorophosphane. Complexes with MPP structural moieties were previously unknown.

The binding of metal ions can be hindered by the intraannular 4-methoxyphenylazo substituent in dibenzo[18]crown-6 analogues in which a CH₂OCH₂ group is replaced by a (substituted) m-phenylene ring. When the substituent is photochemically flipped out of the cavity, metal ions may be complexed in the manner characteristic of crown ethers.

The long-sought radical cation of carbon tetrachloride has been generated by decarbonylation of Cl₃CCOCl^⊙⊕ in the gas phase and characterized as the stable isomer Cl₂CClCl^⊙⊕. The theoretically predicted properties were experimentally confirmed. The dication CCl is known.

The synthesis of aryl- and alkyl per(chloro, fluoro) ethyl ethers 2 is achieved by reaction of nucleophiles ROK with the substrates 1 (X, YCl, F). This is the first confirmed example for the attack of oxygen nucleophiles on the CCl bond. The ethers 2 are only obtainable with difficulty by others routes.

A new concept for the production of antibodies consists in preparing a conjugate from the “lipid membrane anchor” N-palmitoyl-S[2,3-bis(palmitoyl-oxy) propyl]cysteiny1 serine and the antigen—for example, a tetradecapeptide. These conjugates are potent immunogens, which, within a few days, induce the production of high titers of antigen-specific antibodies (IgG and IgM), both in vivo and in vitro, with only one application and without either carrier proteins or Freund's adjuvant. It has already been possible to produce monoclonal antibodies with these new low-molecular-weight, chemically defined conjugates, which are obtainable via Merrifield synthesis.

The 1H-azepine derivative 1 rather than the cyclohexadienylidenamide 3 was the species obtained by Adams and Brower in 1956, as now revealed by an X-ray analysis. Assignment of the structure on the basis of spectroscopic data was—and still is—not possible in this case. This finding opens up a simple route for the synthesis of other 2-cyano-1H-azepines.

The coordination polymer 1 with a three-dimensional network of Co atoms is formed as shown below. Distorted octahedral Co(CN)₆ structural units are present in 1, which are linked through SnMe₃ bridges such that the partial structures …CoCN → SnMe₃ ← NCCo… are formed. The Sn atoms are coordinated trigonal-bipyramidally. Since, surprisingly, two-thirds of the chains are nonlinear, no super Prussian blue analogue can form; such an analogue should contain cubic Co₈ cages.