Molecules on surfaces

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2007 to Gerhard Ertl “for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces”.

back

next

Ertl

Photo: Wolfram Däumel, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Gerhard Ertl
Born in 1936 in Bad Cannstadt, Germany. PhD in Physical Chemistry in 1965 from Technische Universität München, Germany. Professor Emeritus, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany.

Ertl has laid the foundation of a scientific discipline through his enormously systematic and thorough studies. He has often returned to the same problem in surface chemistry decade after decade in order to use new experimental methods to obtain answers to questions posed earlier. His ability to describe in detail how an experiment is to be designed and interpreted has helped him to provide the methodological platform for an entirely new area of research.

Chemical reactions on solid surfaces are very important in our everyday lives but difficult to study. Ever since the 1960s Gerhard Ertl has been using advanced vacuum techniques to make systematic studies of surface reactions which have enabled him to demonstrate methods of obtaining reliable results in this important and challenging research field.

Contents:

| The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007 | Nitrogen | Clean exhaust | Electronics | Timeline | Further Reading | Credits |

Nobel Poster from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, web adapted by Nobel Web AB.

To cite this section
MLA style: Molecules on surfaces. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Thu. 28 Mar 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2007/8924-molecules-on-surfaces/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Eleven laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2023, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. Their work and discoveries range from effective mRNA vaccines and attosecond physics to fighting against the oppression of women.

See them all presented here.
Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.