Johann Wilhelm Ritter

Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776–1810) was a natural scientist who discovered ultraviolet radiation and worked in the field of electrochemistry.

In Jena he belonged to the circle around Schelling and the Romantics. At the time, his experiments were regarded as confirmation of the philosophy of nature: electricity, magnetism, and chemistry were thought to be manifestations of a single force. Hegel took up this view in his philosophy of nature — it is one of the points where later research has overtaken him.