William Hyde Wollaston, b. Aug. 6, 1766, d. Dec. 22, 1828, was an English chemist and physicist who discovered the elements palladium and rhodium and first reported the dark lines in the spectrum of the Sun. His consideration of geometrical arrangements of atoms led him into crystallography and the invention of the reflecting goniometer to measure angles of crystal faces. He also proved the elementary nature of niobium and titanium, developed a method of making platinum malleable, proved the identity of voltaic and frictional electricity, and invented the camera lucida to aid microscopists. The mineral wollastonite was named in his honor.
Last modified on: Saturday, October 18, 1997.