Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Sweden: German scientist grabs crown for Nobel chemistry prize (8:30 p.m.)
STOCKHOLM-- 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 such questions as why the ozone layer is thinning.
Ertl's research laid the foundation of modern surface chemistry, which has helped explain how fuel cells produce energy without pollution, how catalytic converters clean up car exhaust and even why even why iron rusts, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
Ertl has also studied the oxidation for carbon monoxide on platinum, a reaction that helps clean exhaust emissions in the catalytic converters of cars. Automakers worldwide have in recent years been trying to produce cars that are more fuel-efficient and less harmful to the environment.
Ertl, who turned 71 on Wednesday, said that winning the Nobel was "the best birthday present that one could imagine." (AP) |
