Martin Hill Ittner (May 2, 1870, Berlin Heights, Ohio - April 22, 1945, Jersey City, New Jersey) was a chemist working for Colgate, now known as

Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health ca ...

. He is best known for his contributions to applied chemistry, including the development of toothpaste and detergent.

Academic qualifications

* Bachelor of Phil. from

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is ...

, 1892 * Bachelor of Science from Washington University, 1894 * Masters (1895( and

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

(1896) from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

* Honorary

from Colgate University, 1930 * Honorary L.L.D. from Washington University, 1938

Major contributions

Ittner joined the Colgate Company in 1896 as its chief chemist. He remained with the company after it became Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company in 1928. He was one of the first U.S. chemists to develop methods for the

hydrogenation Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate org ...

of fatty oils. Among his achievements where the development of a washing soap made from petroleum hydrocarbons, and new processes to make soap and glycerol. Ittner developed the first applied chemistry research team at Colgate. He developed this research lab throughout his whole working life. Work in the Colgate research lab fostered many developments in detergents with many of the patents being held in Martin Hill Ittner's name. Ittner served as chairman of the New York section of the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

in 1922, and as chairman of the American Chemical Society's Committee on Industrial Alcohol. He successfully recommended that

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

legitimize the manufacture and use of alcohol for the chemical industry during Prohibition in the United States. He also served as president and as treasurer of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and as president of

The Chemists' Club The Chemists' Club is a private club in New York whose membership is open to research and industrial chemists from all areas. The Chemists' Club filed for incorporation on December 9, 1898. The Club's goal was "to promote the interests of chemi ...

in New York.

Awards

Ittner received an honorary doctorate of science from Colgate University in 1930. On June 7, 1938, Ittner gave a commencement speech on ''The Function of Technology in Modern Society'' at Washington University, where he was awarded an honorary degree. In 1942 Ittner was awarded the

Perkin Medal The Perkin Medal is an award given annually by the Society of Chemical Industry (American Section) to a scientist residing in America for an "innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development." It is considered the ...

for applied chemistry in recognition of his contributions.

Patents

A listing of his patents includes:
US2164276

US2501467

US2357829

US2403925

US2139589

US1509431

US2474740

US2435745

US2130353

US2319405

US1367973

US1271576

USRE22006

Publications

References