Editing Fritz Haber (section)

==Early career==
Haber then sought an academic appointment, first working as an independent assistant to [[Ludwig Knorr]] at the [[University of Jena]] between 1892 and 1894.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|32}} During his time in Jena, Haber [[List of converts to Christianity|converted]] from Judaism to Lutheranism, possibly in an attempt to improve his chances of getting a better academic or military position.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|33}} Knorr recommended Haber to [[Karl Engler|Carl Engler]],<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|33}} a chemistry professor at the [[University of Karlsruhe]] who was intensely interested in the chemical technology of dyes and the dye industry, and the study of synthetic materials for textiles.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|38}} Engler referred Haber to a colleague in Karlsruhe, [[:de:Hans Bunte|Hans Bunte]], who made Haber an ''Assistent'' in 1894.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|40}}<ref name=NobelBio>{{cite web|title=Fritz Haber – Biographical|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1918/haber-bio.html|website=Nobelprize.org|publisher=Nobel Media AB 2014|access-date=8 September 2014|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144158/https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1918/haber-bio.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bunte suggested that Haber examine the thermal decomposition of [[hydrocarbon]]s. By making careful quantitative analyses, Haber was able to establish that "the thermal stability of the carbon-carbon bond is greater than that of the carbon-hydrogen bond in aromatic compounds and smaller in aliphatic compounds", a classic result in the study of [[pyrolysis]] of hydrocarbons. This work became Haber's [[habilitation]] thesis.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|40}}

Haber was appointed a [[Privatdozent]] in Bunte's institute, taking on teaching duties related to the area of dye technology, and continuing to work on the combustion of gases. In 1896, the university supported him in travelling to Silesia, Saxony, and Austria to learn about advances in dye technology.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|41}}

In 1897 Haber made a similar trip to learn about developments in [[electrochemistry]].<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|41}} He had been interested in the area for some time, and had worked with another privatdozent, Hans Luggin, who gave theoretical lectures in electrochemistry and physical chemistry. Haber's 1898 book {{Lang|de|Grundriss der technischen Elektrochemie auf theoretischer Grundlage}} (Outline of technical electrochemistry based on theoretical foundations) attracted considerable attention, particularly his work on the reduction of [[nitrobenzene]]. In the book's foreword, Haber expresses his gratitude to Luggin, who died on 5 December 1899.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|42}} Haber collaborated with others in the area as well, including [[Georg Bredig]], a student and later an assistant of [[Wilhelm Ostwald]] in Leipzig.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|43}}

Bunte and Engler supported an application for further authorization of Haber's teaching activities, and on 6 December 1898, Haber was invested with the title of ''Extraordinarius'' and an associate professorship, by order of the [[Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden|Grand Duke Friedrich von Baden]].<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|44}}

Haber worked in a variety of areas while at Karlsruhe, making significant contributions in several areas. In the area of dye and textiles, he and Friedrich Bran were able to explain theoretically steps in textile printing processes developed by Adolf Holz. Discussions with Carl Engler prompted Haber to explain [[autoxidation]] in electrochemical terms, differentiating between dry and wet autoxidation. Haber's examinations of the thermodynamics of the reaction of solids confirmed that [[Faraday's laws of electrolysis|Faraday's laws]] hold for the electrolysis of crystalline salts. This work led to a theoretical basis for the [[glass electrode]] and the measurement of electrolytic potentials. Haber's work on irreversible and reversible forms of [[Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide|electrochemical reduction]] are considered classics in the field of electrochemistry. He also studied the [[Passivation (chemistry)|passivity]] of non-rare metals and the effects of electric current on [[corrosion]] of metals.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|55}} In addition, Haber published his second book, {{Lang|de|Thermodynamik technischer Gasreaktionen: sieben Vorlesungen}} (1905) trans. ''Thermodynamics of technical gas-reactions: seven lectures'' (1908), later regarded as "a model of accuracy and critical insight" in the field of chemical thermodynamics.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|56–58}}

In 1906, Max Le Blanc, chair of the physical chemistry department at Karlsruhe, accepted a position at the University of Leipzig. After receiving recommendations from a search committee, the Ministry of Education in Baden offered the full professorship for physical chemistry at Karlsruhe to Haber, who accepted the offer.<ref name=Stoltzenberg />{{rp|61}}