World of Scientific Discovery on William Hyde Wollaston
Wollaston was born in Norfolk, England, and was one of seventeen children in an academically prominent family. His great grandfather, for whom he was named, authored Religion of Nature Delineated, a widely read volume on natural religion. His father, Francis Wollaston, a vicar and member of the British Royal Society, compiled a catalog of stars which was published in 1880.
Wollaston entered Cambridge to pursue the study of languages, but he was drawn by his interest in the sciences to study medicine. In his pursuit of a medical degree, which he earned in 1792, he studied botany and developed an interest in chemistry. This interest was furthered by the opportunity to perform experiments in his brother's laboratory (the elder Wollaston held a lectureship in chemistry). He began his medical practice in 1792 and became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1793. In 1800, citing his deteriorating eyesight, he left his practice to devote his time to scientific research. Perhaps a greater contributing factor in this decision was the denial of an appointment to St. George's Hospital.
Wollaston formed a partnership with Smithson Tennant; together they explored methods of rendering platinum--valuable to chemists for its corrosion-resistant properties--into a workable, malleable form. Wollaston accomplished this goal by dissolving platinum ore in a solution of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. He then decomposed the resultant platinum sponge with intense heat and fused the remaining platinum grains into a cake using water pressure and heat. Once dried, the cake was forged into the desired shape. This method represents the basis for the science of powder metallurgy and constitutes the standard used for compacting powdered metal today.
Through his work with crude platinum ore he discovered two new elements-- rhodium and palladium. He published news of palladium, the first of these discoveries anonymously, prompting many to think it was a fraud and merely an alloy of known metals. Additionally, his anonymous publication angered many fellow scientists who preferred openness and communication among their colleagues. It was not until after Wollaston had discovered rhodium a year later that he revealed his identity.
The sale of workable platinum brought Wallaston a considerable profit, as it was in high demand and he was its exclusive distributor. Observers were not admitted into his lab, and his methods were not published until just prior to his death. He was somewhat of a philanthropist and donated much of the money he earned selling platinum to various scientific societies in order to help fund their research. This financial security gave Wollaston the freedom to pursue research in other fields, such as geology and spectroscopy. He invented the goniometer, a device used to measure the angles of crystal in minerals. The Geological Society still issues an annual award known as the Wollaston Medal in his honor.
He was also one of the first researchers to discern ultraviolet radiation, but much of the credit in this field goes to German physicist Johann Ritter. Wallaston was also the first to spot dark absorption lines in the spectrum, but dismissed them as natural boundaries between the colors. The research he dismissed was pursued by a fellow scientist, Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787-1826), who explained the true nature of absorption lines in 1814.
Wollaston, continuing his work with the Royal Society and as a member of a Royal Commission, issued a strongly disapproving report on the adoption of a metric system of weights and measures. As a result of his criticism, the British retained their standard system and have only recently switched to the metric system. Wollaston died of a brain tumor on December 22, 1828.
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