Researchers have found a way to convert single bonds between carbon and hydrogen atoms in a chemical molecule into carbon-carbon bonds. This so-called C-H activation is considered a promising strategy for producing complex molecules from simple starting materials in just a few steps. The main problem so far had been the specific conversion of individual bonds. The researchers have now succeeded in this. By choosing a suitable solvent, they ensured a high yield of the desired product. The team of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum around Prof Dr. Lukas Gooßen and Stefania Trita describe the process together with a colleague of the University of Kaiserslautern in the journal Angewandte Chemie.