Wilhelm Ostwald
Wilhelm Ostwald | |
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Willis Rodney Whitney |
Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald (German pronunciation:
Following his 1906 retirement from academic life, Ostwald became much involved in philosophy, art, and politics. He made significant contributions to each of these fields.[3] He has been described as a polymath.[4]
Early life and education
Ostwald was born ethnically
Ostwald entered the
Academic career
Ostwald began his career as an independent unpaid investigator at the University of Dorpat in 1875. He worked in the laboratory of
Around 1877, still continuing his work as an unpaid investigator in the Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Dorpat, Ostwald became a paid assistant in the Physics Institute, after Oettingen's assistant moved to Riga.[3][6] He also supported himself for a time by teaching mathematics and science at a Dorpat high school.[7]
Ostwald was deeply interested in questions of
Ostwald completed his Magisterial degree at the University of Dorpat in 1877, enabling him to give lectures and charge for teaching.[8] Ostwald published his
In 1881, Ostwald became a
During Ostwald's academic career, he had many research students who became accomplished scientists in their own right. These included future
. Other students includedIn 1901, Albert Einstein applied for a research position in Ostwald's laboratory. This was four years before Einstein's publication on special relativity. Ostwald rejected Einstein's application, although later the two developed strong mutual respect.[12] Subsequently, Ostwald nominated Einstein for the Nobel Prize in 1910 and again in 1913.[13]
Following his 1906 retirement, Ostwald became active in philosophy, politics, and other humanities.[2]
During the course of his academic career, Ostwald published more than 500 original research papers for the scientific literature and approximately 45 books.[9]
Scientific contributions
Nitric acid process
Ostwald invented a process for the inexpensive manufacture of
Ostwald's dilution law
Ostwald also conducted significant research on dilution theory leading to his conceptualization of the
Catalysis
Through his research on chemical reaction rates and velocities and his studies of acids and bases, Ostwald found that the concentration of acid or the concentration of base in a solution of certain chemical reactants can have a strong influence of the rate of chemical processes. He realized that this is manifestation of the concept of chemical catalysis first articulated by
Crystallization
Ostwald studied the
Ostwald realized that solid or liquid solutions can continue to evolve over time. While the a non-thermodynamically preferred polymorph may crystallize first, more thermodynamically stable forms can continue to develop as the solution ages. Often this results in large crystals forming, since they are more thermodynamically stable than are large numbers of small crystals. This phenomenon came to be known as Ostwald Ripening and is observed in many situations. An everyday example is the gritty texture that ice cream develops as it ages. On a
Related to solubility and crystallization was Ostwald's finding that dissolution of a solid depends on the size of the crystal. When the crystals are small, typically less than a
Collaborating with German chemist
Atomic theory
Ostwald introduced the word
In 1906 Ostwald was elected a member of the International Committee on Atomic Weights. As a consequence of World War I, this membership ended in 1917 and was not resumed after the war. The 1917 Annual Report of the committee ended with the unusual note: "Because of the European war the Committee has had much difficulty in the way of correspondence. The German member, Professor Ostwald, has not been heard from in connection with this report. Possibly the censorship of letters, either in Germany or en route, has led to a miscarriage".[26]
Scientific measurements
As part of Ostwald's investigations in to
Ostwald designed a pipette that could be used to transfer and measure liquids, especially serous fluids. This design was later improved by Otto Folin. This type of pipette has a bulb at the lower end as a particular design feature. It became known as the Ostwald-Folin pipette and is widely used in contemporary times.[28]
Color science
Following his 1906 retirement from academia, Ostwald became interested in the systematization of colors, which could be useful both scientifically and in the arts. He published The Color Primer and also The Color Atlas during the period of 1916–8. These publications established relationships between the various visual colors.[4]
-
The Color Primer,
page 33 -
The Color Primer,
page 44 -
The Color Primer,
page 50 -
The Color Primer,
page 56
Ostwald represented these as a three dimensional representation of color space that is a topological solid consisting of two cones. One apex of the cone is pure white while the other is pure black. The eight primary colors are represented along the circumference or curved surfaces of the two cones. In this representation, each color is a mixture of white, black, and the eight primary colors. In this way, there are three degrees of freedom that represent each color.[29]
This representation of colors was an important early step toward their systematization, replacing color perception by the human eye with an objective system. Over time, Ostwald's advances in color science became part of the HSL and HSV color system.[29] Much of Ostwald's work on systematization of color was done in collaboration with Deutscher Werkbund, which was an association of painters and architects.[3]
Scholarly journals and societies
In 1887, Ostwald founded the
As part of his interest in philosophy, in 1902 Ostwald started the journal Annalen der Naturphilosophie (Annales of Natural Philosophy). In 1927, he initiated the journal Die Farbe (Colour).[4]
Ostwald was one of the directors of the
Scholarly contributions to humanities and politics
In addition to his research in chemistry, Wilhelm Ostwald was productive in a broad range of fields. His published work, which includes numerous philosophical writings, contains about forty thousand pages. Ostwald was also engaged in the
Among his other interests, Ostwald was a passionate amateur painter who made his own pigments.[34] He left more than 1,000 paintings along with 3,000 pastels and color studies.[35] For Ostwald, science and the arts were mutually supportive areas of engagement.[35]
"Poetry, music and painting have given me refreshment and new courage, when exhausted by scientific work I have been obliged to lay my tools aside."–Ostwald[35]
Ostwald regarded science and the arts as having a common aim, that of "coping with the infinite diversity of appearances through the formation of appropriate concepts"[35]... Towards this aim, science builds "intellectual ideas; art constructs visual ones."[35]
Ostwald developed a strong interest in
He was also interested in the
One of Ostwald's continuing interests was unification through systematization. In particular, Ostwald perceived that energy efficiency was a unifying theme in all facets of society and culture. In political matters, Ostwald's interest in energy efficiency extended to such political matters as the need for organization of labor.[3]
Ostwald's interest in unification through systematization led to his adaptation of the philosophy of Monism.[42] Initially, Monism was liberal, pacifist, and international, seeking in science a basis of values to support social and political reforms. Ostwald himself developed a system of ethics based on science, around the core idea that one should "not waste energy, but convert it into its most useful form."[43][44]
in 1911, Ostwald became President of the Deutscher Monistenbund (Monist Association), founded by
Honours and awards
Ostwald was elected an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1905 and an International Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1906.[47][48] He received the 1909 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his contributions to understanding catalysis and for his investigations of the fundamental principles underlying chemical equilibria and reaction rates. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize 20 times beginning in 1904, and he submitted nine nominations of other scientists for the Nobel Prize following his own award. This included two nominations of Albert Einstein.[13] Ostwald donated more than US$40,000 of his Nobel Prize award money to advance the cause of the Ido language.[49] He was elected an International Member of the American Philosophical Society in 1912.[50]
In 1923, Ostwald was awarded the
In 1904 he was elected a foreign member of the
There is a Wilhelm Ostwald Park and Museum in Grimma, Germany, at the site of Ostwald's vacation home. This institution also houses many of Ostwald's scholarly works.[4][53]
Ostwald crater, which is on the far side of the Earth's moon, was named in honor of Wilhelm Ostwald.[54]
Personal life
On 24 April 1880 Ostwald married Helene von Reyher (1854–1946), with whom he had five children. These were: Grete, (1882–1960) born in Riga and died in Großbothen; Wolfgang (1883–1943) born 1883 in Riga and died in Dresden; Elisabeth (1884– 1968) born in Riga and died in Großbothen; Walter (1886–1958) born in Riga and died in Freiburg im Breisgau; and Carl Otto (1890–1958) born in Leipzig and died in Leipzig. Wolfgang Ostwald became a notable scientist in the area of colloid chemistry.[55][56][57]
Ostwald was initiated to the
In 1887, he moved to Leipzig where he worked for the rest of his life. At the time of his retirement, he moved to a country estate near Groβbothen, Saxony, which he named "Landhaus Energie". He lived at the country estate for most of the remainder of his life.[8]
On his religious views, Ostwald was an atheist.[60] Ostwald died in a hospital in Leipzig on 4 April 1932,[2] and was buried at his country estate in Großbothen, near Leipzig,[61] and then re-interred in the Great Cemetery of Riga.[62]
In fiction
Ostwald appears as a character in Joseph Skibell's 2010 novel, A Curable Romantic.[63]
He is also mentioned in Italo Svevo's 1923 novel, La coscienza di Zeno, translated as Zeno's Conscience.[64]
Representative publications
- Grundriss der allgemeinen Chemie (in German). Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann. 1899.
- Ostwald, W. (1906). Process of manufacturing nitric acid. Patent.
- Ostwald, W. (1909). Energetische Grundlagen der Kulturwissenschaft (1st ed.). Leipzig: Leipzig, W. Klinkhardt.
- Couturat, L.; Jespersen O.; Lorenz R.; Ostwald W.; Pfaundler L. (1910). International language and science: Considerations on the introduction of an international language into science. London: Constable and Company Limited.
- Entwicklung der Elektrochemie (in French). Paris: Alcan. 1912.
- Ostwald, W. (1917). Grundriss der allgemeinen Chemie (5th ed.). Dresden: Steinkopff.
Books
- Lehrbuch der allgemeinen Chemie. Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 1896–1903. (2 vols.)[7]
- Leitlinien der Chemie: 7 gemeinverständliche Vorträge aus der Geschichte der Chemie. Leipzig : Akad. Verl.-Ges., 1906. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
- The Scientific foundations of analytical chemistry London: Macmillan, 1908. OCLC 35430378
- Colour science, London: Winsor & Newton, 1933. OCLC 499690961
- The color primer: A basic treatise on the color system of Wilhelm Ostwald, New York, N.Y.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1969. OCLC 760593331
- Electrochemistry: History and theory : Elektrochemie: Ihre Geschichte und Lehre. New Delhi: Amerind Publishing Co. 1980. OCLC 702695546
- Lebenslinien. Eine Selbstbiographie von Wilhelm Ostwald. Zweiter Teil, Leipzig 1887–1905 (3 vols). (Klasing & Co., g.m.b.H., Berlin 1927.)[30] Translated as Wilhelm Ostwald: The Autobiography by Robert Jack. Springer, 2017.[65]
See also
- Colligative properties
- Electrode potential
- Energeticism
- List of Baltic German scientists
- Timeline of hydrogen technologies
- Wilhelm Ostwald Institute
References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Wilhelm Ostwald Biographical". nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kim, Mi Gyung (2006). "Wilhelm Ostwald (1853–1932)". International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry. 12 (1): 141. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Physical Chemist, Nobel Laureate, and Polymath". wilhelm-ostwald-park.de. Gerda and Klaus Tschira Foundation. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78539-859-9.
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- ^ a b Stewart, Doug. "Wilhelm Ostwald". famousscientists.org. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Wilhelm Ostwald Facts". softschools.com. Soft Schools. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
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- Time Magazine. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Wilhelm Ostwald – Nominations". nobelprize.org. The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ W. Ostwald, "Process for Manufacturing Nitric Acid, US858904, 2 July 1907.
- ^ Note:
- Frédéric Kuhlmann, "Pour la fabrication de l'acide nitrique et des nitrates," French patent no. 11,331 (filed: October 1838; issued: 22 December 1838). Supplemental patent issued: 7 June 1839. See: Description des machines et procédés consignés dans les brevets d'invention, ... [Description of machines and methods recorded in the patents of invention, ... ] (Paris, France: Madame Veuve Bouchard-Huzard, 1854), 82 : 160.
- Fréd. Kuhlmann (1838) "Note sur plusieurs réactions nouvelles déterminées par l'éponge de platine, et considérations sur les services que cette substance est appelée à rendre à la science" (Note on several new reactions caused by platinum sponge, and reflections on the services that this substance is called to render to science), Comptes rendus, 7 : 1107–1110. From page 1109: "1°. L'ammoniaque mêlée d'air en passant à une température de 300° environ sur de l'éponge de platine, est décomposée, et l'azote qu'il renferme est complétement transformé en acide nitrique, aux dépens de l'oxigène de l'air." (1. Ammonia mixed with air, upon passing at a temperature of about 300° over platinum sponge, is decomposed and the nitrogen that it contains is completely transformed into nitric acid, at the expense of the oxygen of the air.)
- John Graham Smith (1988) "Frédéric Kuhlmann: Pioneer of platinum as an industrial catalyst," Platinum Metals Review, 32 (2) : 84–90.
- ^ Louchheim, Justin (19 November 2014). "Fertilizer History: The Haber-Bosch Process". tfi.org. The Fertilizer Institute. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ a b Sutton, Mike. "Chemists at War". chemistryworld.org. Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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- ^ "Ostwald's Dilution Law". sciencehq.com. Rod Pierce DipCE BEng. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ Wang, Tingting (2013). Breakdown of the Ostwald step rule – The precipitation of calcite and dolomite from seawater at 25 and 40 °C (Thesis).
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- ^ "A Short History of "Liesegang Rings"". insilico.hu. In Silico, Ltd. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ Nye, M., 1972, Molecular Reality: A Perspective on the Scientific Work of Jean Perrin, London: MacDonald.
- .
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- ^ Sella, Andrea. "Classic Kit: Ostwald's viscometer". chemistryworld.com. Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Serological pipets" (PDF). eppendorf.com. Eppendorf AG. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
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- ^ John Gage, Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction, Boston, Little, Brown and Co., 1993; pp. 247– 8, 257– 60.
- ^ Nye, Mary Jo (2016). "Speaking in Tongues: Science's centuries-long hunt for a common language". Distillations. 2 (1): 40–43. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
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- ^ Anton, Günter (June 2003). "L'agado di profesoro Wilhelm Ostwald por la LINGUO INTERNACIONA IDO" (in Ido). Retrieved 12 February 2012.
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- ^ Andreas W. Daum, Wissenschaftspopularisierung im 19. Jahrhundert: Bürgerliche Kultur, naturwissenschaftliche Bildung und die deutsche Öffentlichkeit, 1848–1914. Munich: Oldenbourg, 1998, pp. 218, 505.
- ^ Noll, Richard, The Jung Cult. Princeton University Press, 1994, p. 50
- ^ "Wilhelm Ostwald". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Wilhelm Ostwald". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
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- ^ "Wilhelm Ostwald". wilhelmexner.org. Österreichischer Gewerbeverein. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
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- ^ "Wilhelm Ostwald Museum in Grossbothen". Leipzig Region. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
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- ^ "Ostwald Wilhelm, in the "Masonic Encyclopedia"". freimaurer-wiki.de (in German). Archived from the original on 6 April 2014.
- ^ "Celebrating more than 100 years of the Freemasonry: famous Freemasons in the history". Mathawan Lodge No 192 F.A. & A.M., New Jersey. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008.
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Even Wilhelm Ostwald, who was the most radical atheist among these scholars, uses the instrument of the 'Monistic Sunday Sermons' to spread his ideas on rationality.
- ^ "Wilhelm Ostwald Physical chemist, Nobel laureate and polymath". Wilhelm Ostwald Park. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ Rozenberga, Māra (6 May 2016). "Graves of Latvia's greats see moss and decay at Great Cemetery". eng.lsm.lv. Public broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
....the last resting place of Wilhelm Ostwald, who received a Nobel Prize in chemistry – he's the only Nobel laureate in the cemetery....
- ISBN 9781616201210.
- ISBN 9780375727764.
- ^ Ostwald, Wilhelm (2017). Wilhelm Ostwald: The Autobiography. Translated by Jack, Robert. Springer.
External links
- Works by Wilhelm Ostwald at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Wilhelm Ostwald at Internet Archive
- Works by Wilhelm Ostwald at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Newspaper clippings about Wilhelm Ostwald in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
- Wilhelm Ostwald Park and Museum
- Wilhelm Ostwald on Nobelprize.org including the Nobel Lecture*, 12 December 1909 On Catalysis