William Hyde Wollaston
William Hyde Wollaston | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Wollaston by John Jackson; circa 1820s | |
| Born | 6 August 1766 East Dereham, Norfolk, England |
| Died | 22 December 1828 (aged 62) Chislehurst, Kent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Coining bicarbonate Camera lucida Conservation of energy Cryophorus Cystine Discovery of osmium Discovery of palladium Discovery of rhodium Electrochemistry Wollaston prism Wollaston wire Wollaston landscape lens |
| Awards | Copley Medal (1802) Croonian Medal (1809) Royal Medal (1828) Bakerian Medal (1802, 1805, 1818, 1828) Fellow of the Royal Society (1793) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry Physics |
| 22nd President of the Royal Society | |
| In office 1820–1820 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Banks |
| Succeeded by | Humphry Davy |
William Hyde Wollaston FRS (/ˈwʊləstən/; 6 August 1766 – 22 December 1828) was an English chemist and physicist who is famous for discovering the chemical elements palladium and rhodium. He also developed a way to process platinum ore into malleable ingots, patented the camera lucida, and made contributions in electricity and spectroscopy.