Ostwald, Friedrich Wilhelm

Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald, born in Riga, Latvia, Russia, almost single-handedly established physical chemistry as an acknowledged academic dis- 

Throughout his career as a chemist Ostwald followed the general approach of applying physical measurements and mathematical reasoning to chemical issues. One of his major research topics was the chemical affinities of acids and bases. To that end, he studied the points of equifibria in reaction systems where two acids in an aqueous solution compete with each other for a reaction with one base and vice versa. Because chemical analysis would have changed the equifibria, he skillfully adapted the measurement of physical properties, such as volume, refractive index, and electrical conductivity, to that problem. From his extensive data he derived for each acid and base a characteristic affinity coefficient independent of the particular acid-base reactions. 

German chemist Friedrich Ostwaid, recipient of the 1909 Nobel Prize in chemistry, in recognition of his work on catalysis and for his investigations into the fundamental principles governing chemical equilibria and rates of reaction.  

Hiebert, Erwin N., and Korber, Hans-Gunther (1978). Ostwald, Friedrich Wilhelm. In Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Vol. XV, Supplement I, ed. Charles C. GiUispie. New York Scribners. 

Ostwald, Wilhelm (1926-1927). Lebenslinien eine SelbsMographie. 3 vols. Berlin Klas-ing. 

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Haber demonstrated that the production of ammonia from the elements was feasible in the laboratory, but it was up to Carl Bosch, a chemist and engineer at BASF, to transform the process into large-scale production. The industrial converter that Bosch and his coworkers created was completely revised, including a cheaper and more effective catalyst based on extensive studies in high-pressure catalytic reactions. This approach led to Bosch receiving the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1931, and the production of multimillion tons of fertilizer per year worldwide, see also Agricultural Chemistry Catalysis and Catalysts Equilibrium Le Chatelier, Henri Nernst, Walther Hermann Ostwald, Friedrich Wilhelm. 

Nernst made numerous other important contributions to physical chemistry. For example, his distribution law described the concentration distribution of a solute in two immiscible liquids and allowed the calculation of extraction processes. He also formulated several significant theories, such as those on the electrostriction of ions, the diffusion layer at electrodes, and the solubility product. In addition, he established new methods to measure dielectric constants and to synthesize ammonia, on which the German chemist Fritz Haber later successfully followed up. see also Electrochemistry Haber, Fritz Ostwald, Friedrich Wilhelm Physical Chemistry. 

Ostwald, Friedrich Wilhelm (1853-1932) German chemist who was the pioneer of modem physical chemistry and who showed how catalysts work. He was awarded the 1909 Nobel Prize in chemistry. 

Oppermann Heindrich (1934-), Ger.phys., thermochemical data, solid-state reactions Ostwald Friedrich Wilhelm (1853-1932) Ger. chem., founder of modern physical chemistry, research in equilibrium and... 

Deltete, 2008a[ R. J. Deltete. Ostwald. Friedrich Wilhelm, in New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Noretta Koertge, Ed. in Chief (New York Charles Scribner s, 2008), vol. 5, pp. 358-359, 2008. 

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