The 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

 
The 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Gerhard Ertl "for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces." The prize is really for working out the mechanisms of catalysis on metal surfaces [Press Release].

Gerhard Ertl has founded an experimental school of thought by showing how reliable results can be attained in this difficult area of research. His insights have provided the scientific basis of modern surface chemistry: his method-ology is used in both academic research and the indust-rial development of chemical processes. The approach developed by Ertl is based not least on his studies of the Haber-Bosch process, in which nitrogen is extracted from the air for inclusion in artificial fertilizers. This reaction, which functions using an iron surface as its catalyst, has enormous economic significance because the availability of nitrogen for growing plants is often restricted. Ertl has also studied the oxidation of carbon monoxide on platinum, a reaction that takes place in the catalyst of cars to clean exhaust emissions.

It's interesting that this award comes almost 100 years after Wilhelm Oswald got the Prize for his work on catalysis in solution. See yesterday's Nobel Laureate [Nobel Laureate: Wilhelm Ostwald].

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