American Chemical Society comment on award of 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2007 —Catherine T. (“Katie”) Hunt, Ph.D., president of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, comments on today’s award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Gerhard Ertl. Surface science, the topic of the prize, was fundamental to Hunt’s initial scientific research.

“Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Gerhard! What a fabulous birthday present for a spectacular scientist. I am delighted that the prize recognizes a field of chemistry that often receives little public attention, and yet has transformed lives in so many ways. Research in surface chemistry already has underpinned innovations ranging from air pollution control technology to modern electronics products. In the future, this research will help us tap new sources of renewable fuels, for instance, and produce smaller, more powerful electronics products. On behalf of the ACS’s 160,000 members I congratulate the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for recognizing surface chemistry and Gerhard Ertl.”

News media may arrange telephone interviews with Hunt and ACS members who work in the field of chemistry recognized with this year’s prize, and other scientists, through Michael Bernstein. The Sept. 23, 2004 issue of ACS’s Journal of Physical Chemistry B, carried articles honoring Gehard Ertl on his retirement. Copies are available upon request.

— Michael Woods