THE biggest award in science and $1.5 million ain鈥檛 bad gifts for a 71st birthday, as German scientist Gerhard Ertl will testify. He has scooped the 2007 Nobel prize in chemistry. 鈥淚t is the culmination of the life of a scientist,鈥� Ertl says. 鈥淚t is a dream鈥� I still have to really convince myself that it鈥檚 true.鈥�
Ertl used photoelectron microscopy to study chemical reactions on catalytic surfaces. His work on the formation of ammonia on iron has proven crucial to the manufacture of chemical fertilisers, while his research into the oxidation of carbon monoxide on palladium has led to catalysts that clean up vehicle emissions.
鈥淗is insights have provided the scientific basis of modern surface chemistry,鈥� says Gunnar 脰quist, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy.
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