Chemistry

Biographical

I was born in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, in the southwestern part of the Federal Republic of Germany on July 18, 1948, as the elder son of Karl and Frieda Michel. My ancestors lived in that area for generations, mainly as farmers. There the inherited land is equally divided among sisters and brothers, and not enough land…

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Speed read

The undisputed master of chemistry is Nature, and the variety of substances it routinely creates has long been a source of inspiration and perspiration for chemists. Investigating and recreating the natural substances essential for life is a painstaking process; their size and complexity makes anything other than the simplest compounds almost impossible to reproduce under…

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The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007   In the catalysts of cars poisonous carbon monoxide reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide before the exhaust is emitted. This reaction takes place on a surface of platinum, for instance. Ertl has shown that the reaction is considerably more complicated than could be expected and in this…

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In this compilation of short, educational videos called Chemistry matters, 16 Nobel Prize laureates discuss new frontiers in their field and explore what life as a chemist entails. They also describe the beauty inherent in chemistry and recall the eureka moments when they discovered ‘a little of nature’s logic’. Chemistry matters: Beyond the textbook Learn…

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Award ceremony speech

Presentation Speech by Dr. E.W. Dahlgren, Head Librarian of the National Library, President of , on December 10, 1911 Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen. The Royal Academy of Sciences, at the session on the 7th of November of this year, decided to award the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for 1911 to Madame…

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The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007   More information on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2007 can be found at: ● Oscillatory Kinetics in Heterogeneous Catalysis, R. Imbihl, G. Ertl, Chemical Review 1995(95) 697–733 ● Primary Steps in Catalytic Synthesis of Ammonia, G. Ertl, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A 1(2) 1247–1253 (1983)…

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