Emil Abel was born in Vienna into a middle-class Jewish family. His interest in sciences led to his study of chemistry at the prestigious Technische Hochschule in Vienna. Following graduation, he joined the faculty. Abel was appointed its first professor in physical chemistry in 1908. During his tenure he wrote brilliant papers on homogeneous catalysts and the reactions that occur during the process of making sulphuric acid.
With the occupation of Austria by the Nazis he was dismissed from the university, under the Nuremberg Laws, in 1938. Abel moved England where he found a position in the research laboratory of the Ever Ready Co. He rose to become head of the research laboratory, and among his many projects, he worked on the mechanism of the dry battery cell. Abel remained with in his position until his retirement.