Hahn, Otto
The German Otto Hahn (1879 - 1968), son to a prosperous glazier, was a chemist.
He was a pioneer in the field of radiochemistry.
He discovered that when a radioactinium emits an alpha particle, it experiences a recoil. This is enough to free it from chemical bonds, it has a positive charge, and can be collected at a negative electrode.
Together with Wilhelm Friedrich Strassmann and Elise Meitner he worked on the actinide elements. They identified the barium as a major end product in the neutron bombardment of uranium.
See also
Last modified:10 January 2026 1.38 p.m.