Overview

Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald (September 2, 1853 - April 4, 1932) was a Baltic German chemist. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his work on catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities. Wilhelm Ostwald is usually credited with inventing the Ostwald process (patent 1902), used in the manufacture of nitric acid. This breakthrough led to more economical and larger-scale production of fertilizers and explosives, of which Germany was to find itself in desperate need during World War I.

References

• Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald - wikipedia