For the fourth time, the annual meeting of senior experts in chemistry took place from 9 to 11 May 2012 under the motto "The Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region as a centre of strength and innovation". This year, the seniors met at the Mercure Hotel in Bad Dürkheim. The local organisation was in the hands of Hermann Pütter, Ulrich Schirmer and Peter Thieme.

With well over 300 participants, the meeting was the most well-attended to date. The quality of the conference was also in the top league. The invited speakers offered presentations of the highest quality: from the problems of feeding the world's population in the future to the treatment of brain tumours with ion beams. The discussion with young chemists was mainly based on their posters. Young and old also had ample opportunity to discuss new research or scientific findings on old problems. An excursion to BASF in Ludwigshafen and a joint dinner at the Feierabendhaus - or alternatively a guided tour of Speyer - rounded off the scientific programme of the conference.

A detailed report on the conference is available for download as a PDF file. The slides of the presentations and the posters can be downloaded as PDF files below (list of presentations) - of course only if the authors have given their explicit permission. Photos of the conference can also be viewed (photo gallery); all photos: © 2012 Wolfgang Gerhartz.

The fourth annual meeting of senior experts in chemistry was supported by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.