Ertl, Gerhard, << EHR tuhl, GEHR hart >> (1936-…), a German chemist, won the 2007 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his studies of chemical reactions that occur on the surfaces of solids. Such reactions form the basis of many important industrial processes. Specifically, Ertl studied reactions between gases and the surfaces of metal catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that enables a chemical reaction without being chemically changed by that reaction. Ertl’s research advanced the study of the chemical properties of surfaces, a major branch of chemistry known as surface chemistry.
Much of Ertl’s research focused on the Haber process, a chemical reaction that uses an iron-based catalyst to convert nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas into ammonia. Chemical manufacturers use the Haber process in the production of artificial fertilizer, but for many decades scientists did not understand how the process worked at the level of atoms and molecules. See Haber process .
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Ertl thoroughly investigated the Haber process using a variety of new techniques. In particular, Ertl used complex vacuum techniques originally developed to prevent contamination in the production of microchips. These techniques enabled him to precisely control conditions on the surface of the catalyst. By analyzing the Haber process under various controlled conditions, Ertl was able to describe the behavior of gas atoms on the surface of the catalyst. In doing so, Ertl established methods that could be used to investigate other questions in surface chemistry.
Ertl later made similar studies of the chemical reaction in which a platinum catalyst converts poisonous carbon monoxide into less harmful carbon dioxide. Devices called catalytic converters use this reaction to reduce the pollution in motor vehicle exhaust. See Catalytic converter .
Ertl was born on Oct. 10, 1936, in Stuttgart, Germany. He earned a Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from the Technical University of Munich in 1965 and lectured there until 1968. From 1968 to 1973, he was a professor at Technical University in Hanover. From 1973 to 1986, he was a professor at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. From 1986 to 2004, Ertl directed the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin. In 2004, Ertl was appointed emeritus professor at the institute.
