born Dec. 9, 1868, Breslau, Silesia, Prussia
died Jan. 29, 1934, Basel, Switz.
German physical chemist.
After early research in electrochemistry and thermodynamics, he developed, with his brother-in-law Carl Bosch (1874–1940), the Haber-Bosch process for making ammonia. Intensely patriotic, he directed Germany's World War I chemical-warfare efforts, under which poison gas was introduced. His versatility and his wide-ranging and important work brought him fame and honour, and he was awarded a 1918 Nobel Prize. In 1933 the Nazi Party's anti-Semitic policies led him to resign as head (since 1911) of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute.