William Dittmar FRS FRSE LLD (1833 – 1892) was a German-born scientist renowned as a chemical analyst. He was based largely in Scotland. He did much analytical work on the findings from the Challenger expedition.
He was the first to confirm the Principle of Constant Proportions, a theory first conjectured in 1865 by Johan Georg Forchhammer regarding the major ions of sea-water: that whilst salinity varied across the oceans, the ratios of ionic abundance remained constant. As a result, this principle is often called "Dittmar's Principle" or "Forchhammer's Principle".
His research also included calculations of the atomic weight of platinum,[1] and the examination of hydrates, carbonates and peroxides of the alkali metals.[2]
- ^ "Salinity sensors". coastalwiki.org.
- ^ Brown 1893.