Ertl wins Nobel Chemistry prize
Associated Press:
Gerhard Ertl of Germany won the 2007 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for studies of chemical reactions on solid surfaces, which are key to understanding questions like why the ozone layer is thinning.
Gerhard Ertl of Germany won the 2007 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for studies of chemical reactions on solid surfaces, which are key to understanding questions like why the ozone layer is thinning.
Ertl's research laid the foundation of modern surface chemistry, which has helped explain how fuel cells work, how catalytic converters clean up car exhaust and even why even why iron rusts, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
Ertl, who won the prize on his 71st birthday, told reporters that it ''is the best birthday present that you can give to somebody.''
''I am speechless,'' Ertl told The Associated Press from his office in Berlin. ''I was not counting on this.''
Related Web sites
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007
German Wins Nobel Chemistry Prize, Associated Press
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Won by Gerhard Ertl, NPR
Telephone interview with Gerhard, Nobel Foundation.
Gerhard Ertl's web site
