572 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Professor Wilhelm Ostwald. 



and painting. In 1881 he was called 

 to Riga as professor of chemistry in 

 the polytechnic institute. The inspir- 

 ing effect of Ostwald's teaching was 

 shown in the rapid growth of the labo- 

 ratory, the number of students much 

 more than doubling in six years. In 

 1887 Ostwald went to Leipzig as pro- 

 fessor of physical chemistry. The first 

 year was a discouraging one; but Ost- 

 wald's ability was recognized before 

 long. The old laboratory was soon 

 filled to overflowing, and the building 

 of a new laboratory remedied this for 

 a few years only. 



From the first, Ostwald's scientific 

 work has been in the field of what is 

 now called physical chemistry. Feel- 

 ing the need of a systematic presenta- 

 tion of the subject he began in 1884 the 



publication of the first edition of his 

 • Lehrbuch der allgemeinen Chemie.' 

 The modern physical chemistry may be 

 said to date from this time. In 1886, 

 Ostwald decided that a special journal 

 was necessary and in 1887, while still 

 at Riga, he started the Zeitschrift fur 

 physikalische Chemie which is now in 

 its fifty-third volume. 



Ostwald is essentially a leader of 

 men. He has the personal magnetism 

 which attracts and inspires people; he 

 is always a little in advance of the 

 majority, and he has the power of ex- 

 pressing himself in such a way as to 

 interest and convince others. It is to 

 Ostwald that the wonderful develop- 

 ment of physical chemistry in the last 

 twenty years is due. We owe the 

 osmotic theorv of solutions to van't 



