# Wilhelm Ostwald

_Baltic German chemist (1853–1932)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/wilhelm-ostwald
Last updated: 2026-11-05

> Wilhelm Friedrich Ostwald was a Baltic German chemist and philosopher. Ostwald is credited with being one of the founders of the field of physical chemistry, with Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Walther Nernst and Svante Arrhenius.
He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his scientific contributions to the fields of catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 2 September 1853 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Riga ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P19))
- **Died:** 4 April 1932 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P570))
- **Place of death:** Großbothen ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Germany; Russian Empire ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; Esperantist; inventor; university teacher; Idist; writer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P106))
- **Education:** Imperial University of Dorpat; Riga State Gymnasium No.1 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P69))
- **Spouse:** Flora Helene* Mathilde Ostwald (von Reyher) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P26))
- **Awards:** Order of Saint Stanislaus, 2nd class; Faraday Lectureship Prize; Albert Order; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Wilhelm Exner Medal; honorary doctor of the University of Aberdeen; honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge; honorary doctorate of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; honorary doctor of the University of Halle-Wittenberg; Honorary doctorate from University of Toronto; honorary doctor of the University of Liverpool; honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658#P166))

## Questions

**When was Wilhelm Ostwald born?**  
Wilhelm Ostwald was born on 2 September 1853 in Riga.

**Where did Wilhelm Ostwald study?**  
Wilhelm Ostwald was educated at Imperial University of Dorpat, Riga State Gymnasium No.1.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Wilhelm Ostwald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Ostwald) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q12658](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12658) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Wilhelm Ostwald by Nicola Perscheid.jpg by Nicola Perscheid (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilhelm_Ostwald_by_Nicola_Perscheid.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Wilhelm Ostwald, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Wilhelm Ostwald by Nicola Perscheid.jpg — Nicola Perscheid, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Wilhelm Ostwald". DigiNepal. Last updated 5 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/wilhelm-ostwald. Retrieved 5 November 2026.