Fritz Haber Biography
Fritz Haber (1868-1934)
Born in December 9, 1868 on Bresalu, Poland in a Jewish family, Fritz Haber obtained his Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Berlin in 1891. From his early childhood, he was very fond of literature and that inspired him to compose verses. He joined the Federal Institute of Technology situated in Zurich for pursuing more knowledge on chemical engineering and made himself master of the contemporary modern chemical technologies.
He innovated a new method to combine two elements nitrogen and hydrogen in order to create ammonia. Haber was awarded with various prizes for his invention of new method of producing ammonia and finally he was nominated for Nobel Prize in 1918. A significant proportion of scientists differed against granting him the Nobel Prize and they alleged him as a war criminal of WW1 because of his invention of the chemical weapon from nitrate, a flammable substance used to make explosives. Nevertheless, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1919. His invention of chemical weapon, chlorine gas, helped Germany to kill around 15,000 in the battle of Ypres in 1915. In addition, he was also well recognized for making gas mask for German soldiers for defending themselves against gas attacks form allied forces.
Before his innovation, ammonia was used to be a very expensive and hard to find substance, but with his formulation the price of ammonia became cheaper than ever. As a result, the vital ingredients for mass production of nitrogen fertilizer became available. Nitrogen is one of the major nutrients that is required by the plants at large quantities for their growth. His innovation brought a revolution in agriculture production. Since 1900 to 2000 the world population has increased by 5 billion and rose to 7 billion. Food production for this additional amount of people was possible to a large extent due to the use of artificial ammonium fertilizer. Aside from fertilizers, ammonia is also needed in petroleum, food, beverage,
Born in December 9, 1868 on Bresalu, Poland in a Jewish family, Fritz Haber obtained his Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Berlin in 1891. From his early childhood, he was very fond of literature and that inspired him to compose verses. He joined the Federal Institute of Technology situated in Zurich for pursuing more knowledge on chemical engineering and made himself master of the contemporary modern chemical technologies.
He innovated a new method to combine two elements nitrogen and hydrogen in order to create ammonia. Haber was awarded with various prizes for his invention of new method of producing ammonia and finally he was nominated for Nobel Prize in 1918. A significant proportion of scientists differed against granting him the Nobel Prize and they alleged him as a war criminal of WW1 because of his invention of the chemical weapon from nitrate, a flammable substance used to make explosives. Nevertheless, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1919. His invention of chemical weapon, chlorine gas, helped Germany to kill around 15,000 in the battle of Ypres in 1915. In addition, he was also well recognized for making gas mask for German soldiers for defending themselves against gas attacks form allied forces.
Before his innovation, ammonia was used to be a very expensive and hard to find substance, but with his formulation the price of ammonia became cheaper than ever. As a result, the vital ingredients for mass production of nitrogen fertilizer became available. Nitrogen is one of the major nutrients that is required by the plants at large quantities for their growth. His innovation brought a revolution in agriculture production. Since 1900 to 2000 the world population has increased by 5 billion and rose to 7 billion. Food production for this additional amount of people was possible to a large extent due to the use of artificial ammonium fertilizer. Aside from fertilizers, ammonia is also needed in petroleum, food, beverage,
Cited: “Fritz Haber - Biography". Nobelprize.org. 10 Feb 2012 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1918/haber-bio.html Fritz Haber." Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present. Ed. Brigham Narins. Detroit: Gale Group, 2008. Gale Science In Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. "Fritz Haber 's Place in History. How Fertilizers Changed the World." Zimbio.com. 25 Jan. 2009. Web. 8 Feb. 2012. <http://www.zimbio.com/member/atgvg/articles/4484318/Fritz+Haber+Place+History+How+Fertilizers>. “MASTER MIND: The Rise And Fall Of Fritz Haber, The Nobel Laureate Who Launched The Age Of Chemical Warfare." Science News 168.6 (2005): 95. Science Reference Center. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. "Uses of Ammonia." RM Technologies Home Page. RM Technologies, 2003. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. <http://www.rmtech.net/uses_of_ammonia.htm>.