More about Ritter's research from Brittannica: A pharmacist in Liegnitz, Silesia, from 1791 to 1795, Ritter studied medicine at the University of Jena, where he taught until he gained the patronage of the duke of Saxe–Gotha. In 1800, only months after the English chemist William Nicholson succeeded in decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis, Ritter duplicated the experiment but arranged the electrodes so that he could collect the two gases separately. Soon thereafter he discovered the process of electroplating.
In 1801 Ritter made the startling discovery that silver chloride, which decomposes in the presence of light, is more rapidly decomposed when exposed to the invisible, theretofore unknown radiation beyond the violet end of the spectrum. Ritter devoted most of his efforts to the study of electricity and electrochemistry. In 1801 he observed thermoelectric currents and anticipated the discovery of thermoelectricity by Thomas Johann Seebeck. Ritter invented the dry voltaic cell in 1802 and an electrical storage battery the following year. Harry On Tue, Oct 11, 2022 at 10:52 AM H LV <[email protected]> wrote: > > I am going to the library today to get this book through an interlibrary > loan. (At over $200 it is too pricey to buy): > > _Key Texts of Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776-1810) on the Science and Art of > Nature_ > > It is a translation of J. W. Ritter's work. I just learned about Ritter > last month while reading about Goethe. He died poor and young at 33. Ritter > is credited with the discovery of ultraviolet radiation about a year after > Herschel discovered infrared radiation. (Goethe suggested to Ritter that he > look for something beyond the violet.) > > I am looking forward to reading Ritter's essay: Physics as Art. > > Like many scientists (i.e. natural philosophers ) of his time he was > interested in electricity, galvanism and batteries. Apparently he performed > electrical tests on himself to learn about the electrical nature of the > nervous system. Some speculate the self-experimentation may have > contributed to his early death. > > Jocelyn Holland (who translated Ritter's work from german to english) says > of him: > Ritter writes that only through the presence of the observer can painting > become a complete embodiment of the artistic act. The observed act of > artistic creation in the medium of painting “summons” the observer to > “complete [the embodiment]” and “proclaims to him the beginning of a new > individual activity.” > > Wikipedia page on Ritter: > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wilhelm_Ritter > > Harry >
