Max Planck Institute for Chemistry


The Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is a non-university research institute under the auspices of the Max Planck Society in Mainz, Germany. It was created as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in 1911 in Berlin.
In 2016 research at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz aims at an integral understanding of chemical processes in the Earth system, particularly in the atmosphere and biosphere. Investigations address a wide range of interactions between air, water, soil, life and climate in the course of Earth history up to today's human-driven epoch, the Anthropocene. The institute consists of five scientific departments and additional research groups. The departments are independently led by their directors.

Research

The institute consists of five scientific departments and additional research groups.
  • Atmospheric Chemistry Department: The Atmospheric Chemistry Department which is led by Prof. Dr. Jos Lelieveld focuses on the study of ozone and other atmospheric photo-oxidants, their chemical reactions and global cycles. The researchers use kinetic and photochemical laboratory investigations, in situ and remote sensing measurements. The Atmospheric Chemistry department also develops numerical models to describe meteorological and chemical processes in the atmosphere, to simulate the complex atmospheric interactions and to test the theory through measurement campaigns. Research groups:
  • *Reactive Processes
  • *Optical Spectroscopy
  • *Radical Measurements
  • *Organic Reactive Species
  • *Numerical modeling
  • Biogeochemistry Department: The Department Biogeochemistry of Prof. Dr. Meinrat O. Andreae concentrates on the exchange and interactions of trace gases and aerosols between biosphere and atmosphere with a special focus on Amazon region. They use laboratory investigations, field measurements and numerical models to study this processes. Research topics are: exchange of chemically and climatically important trace gases between the soil/vegetation system and the atmosphere, formation of aerosol particles and their effects on climate, impact of vegetation fires on ecology and atmospheric pollution, and the changing global cycles of trace elements.
  • Department of Climate Geochemistry: Prof. Dr. Gerald H. Haug and his team explore the climate -ocean-atmosphere system on annual up to geological timescales. Of particular interest is the Cenozoic. They investigate the changes in internal feedback processes, e.g. interactions between ocean and atmosphere, oceanic heat transport or its nutrient status. Moreover, the scientists study the biogeochemical processes in the polar oceans and their role in regulating atmospheric concentration between ice ages and warmer periods. Therefore, they examine geological archives such as sediments from the open ocean and speleothems. The department operates the Research sail yacht S/Y Eugen Seibold. Research groups:
  • *Isotope Biogeochemistry
  • *Paleoclimate Research
  • *Organic Isotope Geochemistry
  • *Geosientific databases
  • *Micropaleontology
  • *Inorganic Gas Isotope Geochemistry
  • Multiphase Chemistry Department: The department of Prof. Dr. Ulrich Pöschl deals with multiphase processes at the molecular level and its impact on the macroscopic and global scale. Concerning the Earth System and climate research, they focus on biological and organic aerosols, aerosol-cloud interactions and atmospheric surface exchange processes whereas in the field of life and health sciences, the researchers study the change of protein macromolecules air pollution and how this affects allergic reactions and diseases. Research groups:
  • *Biomolecular Analyses & Interactions
  • *Organic Pollutants & Exposure
  • *Inflammatory Processes
  • *Aerosol analysis & Microscopy
  • *Multiscale Interactions & Integration
  • *Aerosol, Cloud & Surface Interactions
  • *Microbial Communities & Processes
  • *Multiphase Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Mechanisms
  • Particle Chemistry Department: The department is led by Prof. Dr. Stephan Borrmann. Here they study the physical properties and chemical composition of atmospheric aerosol and cloud particles using laboratory experiments, measurements on ground and hill stations and on mobile measurement facilities. Furthermore, extraterrestrial particles are being analyzed using isotopic measurements, such as presolar grains from meteorites and comets. Research groups:
  • *Instrumental Aerosol Analytics
  • *NAMIP - Nano- and Microparticle Research
  • *Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry
  • *Atmospheric Hydrometeors
  • *Aerosol and Cloud Physics
  • *AEROTROP
  • Further research groups: In December 2016 there were four additional research groups at the institute: The Minerva group led by Dr. Yafang Cheng. They deal with the interaction of aerosols and regional air quality. Dr. Mikhail Eremets studies mater at high pressures. Prof. Dr. Thomas Wagner and his Satellite Research Group of analyzes satellite data in order to draw conclusions about tropospheric and stratospheric trace gases. The group "Terrestrial Paleoclimates" which is led by Dr. Kathryn Fitzsimmons, uses loess in Eurasia as climate archives for information of past climates.
  • In 2010 the Geochemistry department was closed and the scientific working groups were integrated into the Biogeochemistry department. This department conducted research on large-scale geological processes, such as the formation of continental and oceanic crusts, the chemical differentiation of the Earth's mantle and the circulation of present-day and former oceans. The scientists used mass spectrometric measurements of isotopic abundances to determine the absolute age of rocks. They also used isotopic abundances and trace element contents to determine the origin of volcanic lava from the Earth's mantle or crust and studies the long-term processes used by the Earth's mantle to recycle old crust.

    History

The institute was founded as Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin Dahlem in 1911. The founding director was Ernst Beckmann, who also directed the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry. The Department of Organic Chemistry was led by Richard Willstatter, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1915 for his work on plant pigments. The teamwork of Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Straßmann led to the discovery of nuclear fission in December 1938. Otto Hahn was director of the institute from 1928 to 1946. He received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944.
During the war, in 1944, the Institute building was severely damaged as a result of air raids, including a raid on 15 February targeted to disrupt work on the German nuclear weapons program. Everything that hadn't been destroyed was then stored in a closed textile factory in Tailfingen, Württemberg, where the institute continued the work it had started in Berlin for a time.
After World War II the institute moved to the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in 1949. In 1948 the Kaiser Wilhelm Society was restructured and renamed becoming the Max Planck Society, the institute was also renamed as the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. In order to adapt to changing scientific requirements, the institute's research activities changed several times over the years. When classic chemistry was practiced in the early years, it later focussed on Radiochemistry, Cosmochemistry, Nuclear Physics, and mass spectrometry. These days the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry focusses on an integral scientific understanding of chemical processes in the Earth System from molecular to global scales.

Nobel laureates of the institute

  • Richard Willstätter, director from 1912 until 1916. In 1915, he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his research into plant dyes, primarily chlorophyll. He discovered, among other things, that the structure of green dye exhibits significant similarity to the structure of the red blood pigment hemoglobin.
  • Otto Hahn, director of the department for radioactive research from 1912 until 1948, from 1928 until 1946 managing director of the institute. The joint research by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Straßmann into transuranic elements led to the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938. In 1945, Otto Hahn received the Nobel Prize for this.
  • Paul J. Crutzen, director of the Atmospheric Chemistry Department from 1980 until 2000, Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1995 for investigations on the formation and destruction of ozone in the atmosphere.

    Staff

The institute employs approximately 350 staff members across five departments: Aerosol Chemistry, Atmospheric Chemistry, Climate Geochemistry, Multiphase Chemistry, and Particle Chemistry.

Max Planck Graduate School (MPGS)

The at MPI for Chemistry offers a PhD program in atmospheric chemistry and physics, environmental physics and geophysics. The program should enable the PhD students to widen their knowledge and skills beyond the research topic of the doctoral project by visiting different lectures, workshops, soft skill courses, an annual PhD Symposium and summer schools. It was established by the Max Planck Society in January 2003. The Graduate School is in close cooperation with the University of Mainz, the University of Heidelberg, University of Frankfurt.

Directors of the institute

Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry

  • 1912 Ernst Beckmann
  • 1912 - 1916 Richard Willstätter
  • 1912 - 1948 Otto Hahn
  • 1916 - 1926 Alfred Stock

    Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

  • 1949 - 1953 Fritz Straßmann
  • 1941 - 1965 Josef Mattauch
  • 1953 - 1958 Friedrich A. Paneth
  • 1959 - 1978 Heinrich Hintenberger
  • 1959 - 1978 Hermann Wäffler
  • 1967 - 1996 Heinrich Wänke
  • 1968 - 1979 Christian Junge
  • 1978 - 1995 Friedrich Begemann
  • 1980 - 2000 Paul J. Crutzen
  • 1980 - 2007 Albrecht W. Hofmann
  • 1987 Meinrat O. Andreae
  • 1996 Günter W. Lugmair
  • 2000 Johannes Lelieveld
  • 2001 Stephan Borrmann
  • 2014 Ulrich Pöschl
  • 2015 Gerald Haug