Otto Hahn

William Ramsay

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Ernest Rutherford 1905

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Otto Hahn und Lise Meitner

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Berliner Physiker u Chemiker 1920

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Dahlem Thielallee Hahn-Meitner-Bau

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Otto Hahn Punta BMK

Otto Hahn (8 March 1879 – 28 July 1968) was a German chemist and pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is renowned for his discovery of nuclear fission in 1938, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944. Hahn's work laid the scientific and technological foundation for the use of nuclear energy, and he is often referred to as the "father of nuclear chemistry."

Early Life and Education

Otto Hahn was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1879. He pursued his higher education at the University of Marburg and the University of Munich, where he studied chemistry. After completing his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1901, Hahn's interest shifted towards radioactivity, a relatively new field at the time, influenced by the discoveries of Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford.

Career and Discoveries

In 1904, Hahn joined the staff of the Chemical Institute at the University of Berlin, where he began his lifelong collaboration with Lise Meitner, a physicist. Together, they discovered several new isotopes and developed a method for separating isotopes. In 1918, Hahn discovered protactinium, a new radioactive element, with Meitner and Otto von Baeyer.

The pinnacle of Hahn's career came in 1938 when he and Fritz Strassmann, with the theoretical interpretation by Lise Meitner and her nephew Otto Robert Frisch, discovered nuclear fission of uranium when it absorbed an extra neutron. This groundbreaking discovery, which showed that the nucleus of an atom could be split into smaller parts, released a significant amount of energy, marking the beginning of the atomic age.

Impact and Legacy

Otto Hahn's discovery of nuclear fission not only had profound implications for the field of chemistry but also for the development of nuclear energy and weapons. His work led directly to the development of atomic bombs during World War II, although Hahn himself was deeply opposed to the use of nuclear fission for military purposes.

After the war, Hahn became an outspoken opponent of nuclear weapons and a proponent of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. He received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to science, including the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944. Hahn's legacy is also marked by his efforts in promoting scientific and cultural exchanges between countries for the advancement of peace and understanding.

Later Years and Death

Otto Hahn continued his research and advocacy for peaceful uses of nuclear energy until his retirement. He died on 28 July 1968 in Göttingen, West Germany, at the age of 89. His contributions to science, particularly in the field of radiochemistry, remain invaluable, and he is remembered as one of the most important scientists of the 20th century.

See Also

• Nuclear physics
• Radioactive decay
• Manhattan Project