Ertl, Gerhard (1936– )

German chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2007 for his contributions to the understanding of surface chemistry.

Ertl studied how chemical reactions occurred on the surface of catalytic compounds using photoelectron microscopy. His discovery of the mechanism for the formation of ammonia on iron led the way to the development of modern fertilizers, and his study on how carbon monoxide oxidized on palladium allowed the development of car exhaust catalytic converters. Over 80% of pharmaceuticals and chemicals are produced using catalysts. Ertl's contributions to the understanding of how catalysis works, has advanced the development of new industrial processes and established surface chemistry as a field of research in its own right.

Ertl was born on 10 October 1936 in the Bad Cannstadt district of Stuttgart, Germany. He was awarded his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Technische Universität, Munich, Germany, in 1965. Ertl was Professor and Director of the Technical University of Hannover, Germany, 1968–73, before accepting the position of Professor at the Institute for Physical Chemistry at Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, a post he held until 1986. Ertl then held the positions of Professor at the Technical University of Berlin and the Free University of Berlin and was also the Director at the Fritz-Haber Institute der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin, until retiring in 2004. He currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus at the Fritz-Haber Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.