“Fritz Haber had one of the great minds in history for chemistry, and he became one of the most famous scientists in the world around 1900 when he figured out how to convert the commonest of chemicals – the nitrogen in air — into an industrial product.”
Fritz Haber was born into a German Jewish family on December 9, 1968. In college, he studied chemistry for one semester in the University of Berlin and later transferred to the University of Heidelberg for another semester. After his first year of college, he completed a year of military service, then after his service, he studied in Charlottenburg Technische Hochschule to finish his college education.
Although Fritz Haber started out as an organic chemist, he eventually changed his focus and began a physical chemist. As he began his practice in physical chemistry, he was working on physical flames and their combustion. Combustion is the process in which an organic compound burns in the presence of oxygen; Haber used this to later combust compounds to create Zyklon B. Later on, he started working on refining oil and transferring it into industrial applications. Haber’s third research theme consisted of the concept of thermodynamic gas reactions. His studies eventually allowed humans to synthesize ammonia gas based nitrogen and hydrogen gas. During World War I, the mass use of tear gas led Haber to develop chlorine gas. He recognized that chlorine gas was much more efficient than tear gas. As a result, Haber was made Germany's chemical warfare service specialist. During WWII, he worked under Hitler and developed a different gas using hydrogen-cyanide to commit mass genocide against innocent Jews and then was exiled due to him being of Jewish origin. Even knowing his chemicals were used to kill innocent Jews he himself was fine with the idea as long as he made his country proud. Fritz Haber is the story is one of a man who loved his country, and served his country with pride, only to be shunned in the end. His story is a tragic one, it is the story of unrequited love.
