Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG facts for kids
The Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society is a famous science research center. It is located in Dahlem, a part of Berlin, Germany. Scientists here study many different areas of physics and chemistry.
The institute started in 1911. It was first called the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry. In 1953, it became part of the Max Planck Society. It was then renamed after its first director, Fritz Haber.
Contents
What Scientists Study Here
Scientists at the Fritz Haber Institute explore many exciting topics. They try to understand how chemicals react and move. They also study tiny particles and how light interacts with matter.
Key Research Areas
- Chemical Kinetics: This is about how fast chemical reactions happen.
- Reaction Dynamics: Scientists look at the exact steps of a chemical reaction.
- Colloid Chemistry: This studies mixtures where tiny particles are spread out, like milk or fog.
- Atomic Physics: This focuses on the smallest parts of matter, atoms.
- Spectroscopy: This uses light to learn about materials.
- Surface Chemistry and Physics: This looks at what happens on the very top layer of materials.
- Chemical and Molecular Physics: This combines chemistry and physics to understand molecules.
- Theoretical Chemistry: Scientists use math and computers to predict how chemicals behave.
- Materials Science: This is about creating and understanding new materials.
Important People and Discoveries
Many brilliant scientists have worked at the Fritz Haber Institute. They have made big discoveries that changed our understanding of science.
Nobel Prize Winners
Several scientists linked to the institute have won the Nobel Prize. This is one of the highest awards a scientist can receive.
- Max von Laue (1914) for X-ray diffraction.
- Fritz Haber (1918) for making ammonia from its elements.
- James Franck (1925) for laws governing electron impacts on atoms.
- Otto Hahn (1944) for the discovery of nuclear fission.
- Eugene Wigner (1963) for contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus.
- Ernst Ruska (1986) for his work on the electron microscope.
- Gerhard Ertl (2007) for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces.
Other important members in the institute's past include Herbert Freundlich, Paul Friedlander, Rudolf Ladenburg, Michael Polanyi, Ladislaus Farkas, Hartmut Kallmann, Robert Havemann, Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer, Rudolf Brill, Kurt Moliere, Jochen Block, Heinz Gerischer, Rolf Hosemann, Kurt Überreiter, and Alex Bradshaw.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Instituto Fritz Haber de la Sociedad Max Planck para niños