Otto Hahn
Early Life and Education
Otto Hahn was born on 8 March 1879 in Frankfurt am Main, the son of Heinrich Hahn, a prosperous glazier and entrepreneur, and Charlotte Giese. He was the youngest of five children, yet only he and his brother Karl survived infancy. Hahn's interest in natural sciences surfaced early, and he often spent hours in the nearby forest, collecting insects and plants.
In 1897, Hahn entered the University of Marburg, where he studied chemistry and mineralogy. His interest in radioactivity was sparked by a lecture given by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the discoverer of X-rays. Hahn completed his doctoral degree in 1901 under the supervision of Theodor Zincke, a well-known chemist.
Career and Research
After completing his doctorate, Hahn moved to London in 1904 to work with Sir William Ramsay at University College London. Ramsay was a pioneer in the field of noble gases and had recently discovered radon. Hahn's work with Ramsay led to the discovery of a new radioactive substance, which he named "radiothorium".
In 1906, Hahn returned to Germany to join the University of Berlin as an assistant to Emil Fischer, a leading figure in the field of organic chemistry. Here, Hahn met Lise Meitner, a physicist with whom he would collaborate for the next 30 years. Together, they discovered a new element, which they named "protactinium".
During World War I, Hahn served in the German army, working on methods for detecting poisonous gases. After the war, he returned to his research and in 1918, he was appointed director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin.
In the 1930s, Hahn and his team, including Fritz Strassmann, began experiments with uranium. These experiments led to the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938, a breakthrough that would ultimately lead to the development of nuclear power and the atomic bomb.
Recognition and Legacy
Hahn's discovery of nuclear fission earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944. Despite the controversial nature of his work, Hahn is considered a pioneer in the field of nuclear chemistry.
After World War II, Hahn became a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons. He served as the president of the Max Planck Society from 1946 until his retirement in 1960. Hahn died in 1968, but his legacy continues to influence the field of nuclear chemistry.