Carl Bosch

Facts

Carl Bosch

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Carl Bosch
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1931

Born: 27 August 1874, Cologne, Germany

Died: 26 April 1940, Heidelberg, Germany

Affiliation at the time of the award: University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; I.G. Farbenindustrie A.G., Heidelberg, Germany

Prize motivation: “in recognition of their contributions to the invention and development of chemical high pressure methods”

Prize share: 1/2

Work

After Fritz Haber developed a method for producing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen, which could then be used to manufacture artificial fertilizer, what remained was to develop it into an industrial process. Nitrogen and hydrogen gases require high pressure to react. Around 1913 Carl Bosch developed an apparatus that employed different types of steel with varying resistances to pressure and heat to create an efficient process. The result was also used in other chemical industry processes.

To cite this section
MLA style: Carl Bosch – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Tue. 22 Oct 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1931/bosch/facts/>

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

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

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.