physical one, and today Robert might be best described as the forerunner of a
new breed, the ‘materials scientist’. The issue of the filament may well have
been settled in favour of tungsten by 1910–11 but many other problems
remained viz, of the formation of the bulbs and the composition of the glasses
involved, of pumps and methods of evacuation or the use of inert gas, the
problems of metal-glass seals, the balance of electrical input and light output,
the engineering of mass production, and on a wider scale the wiring of homes,
the generation and distribution of electrical power (AC or DC?), of meters
and regulators to keep supply constant and (eventually) the safe design of all
the new domestic ‘gadgets’ that would not shock or kill. At the time, all of
this had huge financial potential and that attracted Koppel, particularly in
terms of the patents and licenses involved. Koppel’s ‘capture’ of Le Rossignol
and Mayer—two of Haber’s closest colleagues at Karlsruhe—would certainly
have deepened the pool of experience at the ‘Auer’ but Koppel was after a
‘bigger fish’, and these two may have been just ‘sprats to catch his mackerel’.
The relationship between Haber and Koppel had been growing since 1908
because of Haber’s role as consultant to the ‘Auer’. Almost as soon as Koppel
had secured Robert, he made Haber an offer of a directorship within the
company (September 1909) believing that the presence of Le Rossignol (and
Mayer) in Berlin would have been attractive to him. Koppel’s plan was to
establish a separate foundation for nitrogen research headed by Haber viz, the
Gesellschaft für Verwertung Chemischer Produkte (GVP) (Institute for the
Utilization of Chemical Products) and Koppel offered Haber quite excellent
conditions. He would have his own laboratory, be able to choose his own
chemists, his areas of research and decide which innovations were to be scaled
up to industrial levels. His salary would be 50,000 marks, he was to share in
any profit to the extent of 2.5% and he could retain his position and
remuneration as scientific/technical advisor in electric lighting.
7 Stunningly
attractive as this offer was, Haber was bound by certain contractual
arrangements at Karlsruhe and he was still enamoured by the freedom of
academic life so he declined it, but he realised that Koppel had placed him in
a strong position to renegotiate his earlier contracts with the BASF and the
relatively modest sums he felt they contained. Using Koppel’s offer as a lever,
Haber opened new negotiations with the BASF and in October 1909 presented five essential points that had to be met if he were to remain
‘on-board’
7
;
1. An increase in salary from 6,000 to 20,000 Marks and annual costs of
3,000 Marks.
2. Limitation of the work to the ammonia synthesis exclusively.
196
D. Sheppard
new breed, the ‘materials scientist’. The issue of the filament may well have
been settled in favour of tungsten by 1910–11 but many other problems
remained viz, of the formation of the bulbs and the composition of the glasses
involved, of pumps and methods of evacuation or the use of inert gas, the
problems of metal-glass seals, the balance of electrical input and light output,
the engineering of mass production, and on a wider scale the wiring of homes,
the generation and distribution of electrical power (AC or DC?), of meters
and regulators to keep supply constant and (eventually) the safe design of all
the new domestic ‘gadgets’ that would not shock or kill. At the time, all of
this had huge financial potential and that attracted Koppel, particularly in
terms of the patents and licenses involved. Koppel’s ‘capture’ of Le Rossignol
and Mayer—two of Haber’s closest colleagues at Karlsruhe—would certainly
have deepened the pool of experience at the ‘Auer’ but Koppel was after a
‘bigger fish’, and these two may have been just ‘sprats to catch his mackerel’.
The relationship between Haber and Koppel had been growing since 1908
because of Haber’s role as consultant to the ‘Auer’. Almost as soon as Koppel
had secured Robert, he made Haber an offer of a directorship within the
company (September 1909) believing that the presence of Le Rossignol (and
Mayer) in Berlin would have been attractive to him. Koppel’s plan was to
establish a separate foundation for nitrogen research headed by Haber viz, the
Gesellschaft für Verwertung Chemischer Produkte (GVP) (Institute for the
Utilization of Chemical Products) and Koppel offered Haber quite excellent
conditions. He would have his own laboratory, be able to choose his own
chemists, his areas of research and decide which innovations were to be scaled
up to industrial levels. His salary would be 50,000 marks, he was to share in
any profit to the extent of 2.5% and he could retain his position and
remuneration as scientific/technical advisor in electric lighting.
7 Stunningly
attractive as this offer was, Haber was bound by certain contractual
arrangements at Karlsruhe and he was still enamoured by the freedom of
academic life so he declined it, but he realised that Koppel had placed him in
a strong position to renegotiate his earlier contracts with the BASF and the
relatively modest sums he felt they contained. Using Koppel’s offer as a lever,
Haber opened new negotiations with the BASF and in October 1909 presented five essential points that had to be met if he were to remain
‘on-board’
7
;
1. An increase in salary from 6,000 to 20,000 Marks and annual costs of
3,000 Marks.
2. Limitation of the work to the ammonia synthesis exclusively.
196
D. Sheppard