Frederick George Donnan and the Relationship between Electrolytic Dissociation and Light Absorption

Although Frederick George Donnan (Fig. 1) grew up in Northern Ireland, actually he was born in Columbo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), on September 5, 1870 (1). He lost the sight of his left eye at the age of nine but did not allow this accident to handicap him. As a schoolboy, his main interest was in mathematics and physical science. He attended the Belfast Royal Academy from 1880 to 1889; and although he received instruction in physics and chemistry, this was confined to theory, because the Academy lacked laboratories. However, Donnan managed to get some practical training by attending evening courses elsewhere.