| Gerhard Ertl | |
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| Born | 10
October 1936 Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Residence | Germany |
| Nationality | Germany |
| Fields | Surface chemistry |
| Institutions | Technical
University of Hannover Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich Technical University of Munich Free University of Berlin Technical University of Berlin Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG Humboldt University of Berlin |
| Alma mater | University of Stuttgart Technical University of Munich |
| Doctoral advisor | Heinz Gerischer |
| Known for | Surface chemistry |
| Notable awards | Wolf Prize in Chemistry
(1998) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2007) |
Gerhard Ertl (born 10 October 1936) is a German physicist and a Professor emeritus at the Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft in Berlin, Germany. He won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
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Ertl was born in Stuttgart, Germany where he would later study physics from 1955 to 1957 at the Technical University of Stuttgart and then at the University of Paris (1957–1958) and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich (1958–1959). He completed his Diplom in Physics at the Technical University of Stuttgart in 1961, followed his thesis advisor Heinz Gerischer from the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart to Munich and received his Ph.D. degree from the Technical University of Munich in 1965.
After completing his PhD, he became an assistant and lecturer at Technical University of Munich (1965–1968). From 1968 to 1973, he was Professor and Director at Technical University of Hannover. Then, he became a Professor at Institute for Physical Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (1973–1986). During the 1970s and 80s, he was also a Visiting Professor at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1986 he became professor at the Free University of Berlin and at the Technical University of Berlin. He was director at the Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG from 1986 till his retirement in 2004. He became professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin in 1996.[1]
Gerhard Ertl is known for determining the detailed molecular mechanisms of the catalytic synthesis of ammonia over iron (Haber Bosch process) and the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over platinum (catalytic converter). During his research he discovered the important phenomenon of oscillatory reactions on platinum surfaces and, using photoelectron microscopy, was able to image for the first time, the oscillating changes in surface structure and coverage that occur during reaction.
He always used new observation techniques like low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) at the beginning of his career, later ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) yielding ground breaking results. He won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1998 along with Gabor A. Somorjai of the University of California, Berkeley for "their outstanding contributions to the field of the surface science in general and for their elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic reactions at single crystal surface in particular."[2]
Gerhard Ertl was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The award, worth SEK 10 million (US$1.7 million, GB£1.15 million),was announced on Ertl's 71st birthday.[3][4] "I am speechless," Ertl told The Associated Press from his office in Berlin. "I was not counting on this."[5]
Ertl and his wife Barbara have two children and several grandchildren. His hobbies include playing the piano and also playing with his cats. He is a Christian.[6]
Ertl is one of the editors of the Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis.
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Professor Gerhard Ertl is a German physicist in the Department of Physical Chemistry of the Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG . He was born on October 10th 1936 in Stuttgart, Germany. Professor Ertl won the Nobel prize for Chemistry in 2007.
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Ertl and his wife Barbara have two children and several grandchildren. His hobbies include playing the piano and also playing with his cats.
Professor Ertl is an editor of the Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis
Professor Ertl studied physics at the Technical University of Stuttgart from 1955 to 1957. He studied at the University of Paris from 1957 to 1958 and then at Ludwig Maximillians University in Munich from 1958 to 1959. He returned to the Technical University of Stuttgart where he got a diplom of physics in 1961. Then he studied at the Technical University of Munich and got a PhD in 1965.
After getting his PhD, he stayed in Munich as an assistant and a lecturer between 1965 and 1968. Then, he moved to the Technical University of Hannover where he worked as Professor and Director from 1968 to 1973. In 1973, Professor Ertl returned to the Ludwig Maiximillians University of Munich to work as a professor at the Institute of Physical Chemistry. He worked there until 1986 and during this time was a regular visitor to the California Institute of Technology, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of California, in Berkeley where he worked as a visiting professor. In 1986, he became professor at the Free University of Berlin and the Technical University of Berlin. He was director at the Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG from 1986 and was also a professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin from 1996. Professor Ertl retired in 2004.
Professor Ertl studied the molecules of ammonia, iron, carbon monoxide and palladium to help make modern catalytic converters. He studied platinum to learn about its atoms.
Professor Ertl helped to develop new ways of using microscopes. One was called low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) used at the beginning of his career and later he worked on ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM).
Professor Ertl and Gabor A. Somorjai won the Wolf Prize for Chemistry in 1998 for outstanding results in surface science and for discovering how crystals react to experiments.
Professor Ertl was awarded the Nobel prize for chemistry in 2007 for more studies of surface science.
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   | The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007 - The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007 - Press Release |
| | Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis - Wiley::Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis, 8 Volumes, 2nd Edition |
| | Profile: Nobel prize the perfect birthday present for Ertl - Profile: Nobel prize the perfect birthday present for Ertl - Monsters and Critics |
| | Glauben Sie an Gott? - Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur |
| | Ertl Nobel Prize lecture - Gerhard Ertl - Nobel Lecture |
| | Foreword for the Gerhard Ertl Festschrift - ACS Publications - Cookie absent |
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