Wilhelm Ostwald

Wilhelm Ostwald (1853-1932), German physical chemist and Nobel laureate, considered one of the founders of modern physical chemistry. He was born in Riga, Latvia, and educated at the University of Dorpat (now Tartu State University). In 1881 he was appointed Professor of the Riga Polytechnic Institute and from 1887 to 1906 served as Professor of Physical Chemistry and director of the chemical laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Ostwald is especially known for his contributions to the field of electrochemistry, including important studies of the electrical conductivity and electrolytic dissociation of organic acids. He invented a viscometer that is still used for measuring the viscosity of solutions. In 1900 he discovered a method of preparing nitric acid by oxidizing ammonia. This method, known as the Ostwald process, was used by Germany during World War I for manufacturing explosives after the Allied blockade had cut off the regular German supply of nitrates, and it is still used. Ostwald received the 1909 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. His works include Natural Philosophy (1902; trans. 1910) and Colour Science (1923; trans. 1931). Also a famous scientist, his son, Wolfgang Ostwald, is generally regarded as the founder of colloid chemistry. See Acids and Bases.