One hundred years at the intersection of chemistry and physics

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This volume commemorates the centenary of the Fritz Haber Institute, tracing its scientific and institutional history from its founding to the present. Established by the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the institute's inauguration marked a significant step in developing Berlin-Dahlem as a research hub. Leopold Koppel's endowment, contingent on Fritz Haber becoming its director, facilitated its creation. The institute's history reflects that of 20th-century Germany, engaging in controversial weapons research during World War I and experiencing a "Golden Era" in the 1920s despite financial struggles. Under the National Socialists, it faced staff purges and a shift in research focus to serve the regime, leading to a breakdown in international relations. Following World War II, it suffered severe material losses but gradually recovered in the post-war period. In 1953, it adopted the name of its founding director and joined the Max Planck Society. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the institute contributed to diverse research in matter structure and electron microscopy in politically precarious West Berlin. As both Berlin and the Max Planck Society evolved, the institute reorganized around coequal scientific directors and refocused on studying elementary processes on surfaces and interfaces, central to Fritz Haber's legacy and the institute's earlier successes.