Izaak Maurits (Piet) Kolthoff (February 11, 1894 – March 4, 1993) was an
analytical chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
and
chemistry educator. He is widely considered the father of analytical chemistry for his large volume of published research in diverse fields of analysis, his work to modernize and promote the field, and for advising a large number of students who went on to influential careers of their own.
Kolthoff's best-known research contribution was the development of the "cold process" for producing
synthetic rubber
A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubbe ...
, which he undertook under the U.S. synthetic rubber program during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He was also active in social causes, including promoting world peace and opposing nuclear weapons testing.
Kolthoff received a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
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** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
in
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
from the
University of Utrecht in his native
Netherlands
)
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, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
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, established_title = Before independence
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. In 1927, he immigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, joining the faculty at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
, where he worked for more than 60 years.
Early life and education
Kolthoff was born in
Almelo, Netherlands
Almelo () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie, and Bornerbroek.
Almelo has about 72,000 inhabitants in the middle of the rolling countryside of Twente, ...
, on February 11, 1894, the son of Moses and Rosetta (Wysenbeek) Kolthoff. He was the youngest of three children. At an early age, Kolthoff received the nickname "Piet" for unknown reasons; he continued to be called by this nickname throughout his life.
Kolthoff's introduction to
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
in high school inspired a keen interest in the subject. He graduated from high school in 1911 and enrolled at the
University of Utrecht in
Utrecht, Netherlands
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...
. Kolthoff wanted to study chemistry, but at that time students in the physical sciences were required to have studied either
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
or
Greek languages; Kolthoff, who was already fluent in
Dutch,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, choose to study
pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
in order to avoid this requirement.
The pharmacy program at Utrecht provided a strong foundation in analytical chemistry. There Kolthoff met
Nicholas Schoorl, a professor of pharmacy who became his academic adviser. Schoorl's instruction in analytical chemistry provided an emphasis on fundamental chemical principles, which was unusual at the time.
He introduced Kolthoff to research in the areas of
electro-analytical chemistry and
co-precipitation
In chemistry, coprecipitation (CPT) or co-precipitation is the carrying down by a precipitate of substances normally soluble under the conditions employed. Analogously, in medicine, coprecipitation is specifically the precipitation of an unbound " ...
. He also advised Kolthoff to approach analytical chemistry from a scientific perspective as opposed to an empirical one.
Kolthoff would adopt and later promote Schoorl's adage towards research, "Theory guides, experiment decides."
Kolthoff published his first paper in 1915 on
pH, a concept that had been introduced by
S. P. L. Sørensen
Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen (9 January 1868 – 12 February 1939) was a Denmark, Danish chemist, famous for the introduction of the concept of pH, a scale for measuring acidity and Base (chemistry), alkalinity.
Personal life
Sørensen w ...
in 1909. Also in 1915, Kolthoff obtained an "''apotheker''" degree in pharmacy. He continued his education at Utrecht with advanced courses in
physical
Physical may refer to:
*Physical examination
In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...
and
colloid
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others extend ...
chemistry. When the classical language requirement for physical sciences was lifted in 1918, Kolthoff received a PhD in chemistry from the University of Utrecht. By the time he received his doctoral degree, Kolthoff had already published 32 papers in several fields.
Career
Kolthoff remained at the University of Utrecht as a lecturer in
electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between electrical potential difference, as a measurable and quantitative phenomenon, and identifiable chemical change, with the potential difference as an outco ...
and a researcher until 1927. During this time he authored or coauthored 270 papers and three books and promoted the concept of pH, which was not well understood at the time. He also conducted a lecture tour of the United States and Canada in 1924. These activities earned him an international reputation.
In 1927 he was offered a one-year appointment at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
.
He accepted the position and continued his research and writing, producing English translations and expansions of much of his previous work.
The position became permanent, and soon he became professor and chief of the analytical division of the University's school of chemistry.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Kolthoff worked on a
U.S. government-backed research program to develop a synthetic method for producing rubber,
and he served as chairman of the Committee on Analytical Research Methods and supervisor of three research projects related to the project. His research in emulsion polymerization and development of a low-temperature "cold process" for producing synthetic rubber were among his most well-known research contributions.
Kolthoff retired in 1962, at which time he had authored 809 research papers. After his retirement, he continued working and published an additional 136 papers, bringing his career total to 945.
Research
Kolthoff worked in several diverse areas of chemistry. They included
acid-base titrimetry, electrometric analysis and
conductometry
Conductometry is a measurement of conductivity (electrolytic), electrolytic conductivity to monitor a progress of chemical reaction. Conductometry has notable application in analytical chemistry, where conductometric titration is a standard tec ...
,
potentiometry
A potentiometer is an instrument for measuring voltage or 'potential difference' by comparison of an unknown voltage with a known reference voltage. If a sensitive indicating instrument is used, very little current is drawn from the source of the ...
,
electron transfer,
gravimetric analysis and
precipitation reactions, polarographic analysis (
voltammetry),
amperometric titration
Amperometric titration refers to a class of titrations in which the equivalence point is determined through measurement of the electric current produced by the titration reaction. It is a form of quantitative analysis.
Background
A solution cont ...
s, and
emulsion polymerization, among others. His reputation for combining fundamental theory and practical application in his work were characteristic throughout his career.
Kolthoff's scientific approach to analysis is widely accepted today, but was rare in the early 1900s when his career began.
Teaching
Kolthoff advised 51 doctoral students in chemistry at the University of Minnesota, including
Johannes F. Coetzee,
Herbert A. Laitinen,
James J. Lingane and
Ernest B. Sandell, and several other masters and bachelors students.
In 1993 it was estimated that more than 1,500 PhD chemists, including
Allen J. Bard
Allen Joseph Bard (born December 18, 1933) is an American chemist. He is the Hackerman-Welch Regents Chair Professor and director of the Center for Electrochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. Bard is considered a "father of modern ele ...
, could trace their academic lineage to Kolthoff.
Professional contributions
Kolthoff was a proponent for establishing analytical chemistry as a modern scientific discipline and elevating its reputation among chemists generally. Kolthoff was involved in the founding 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 d ...
(ACS) Division of Analytical Chemistry in 1938 and the establishment of the Analytical Chemistry Division of the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...
(IUPAC) in 1951.
Kolthoff served on the editorial board of the ACS journal
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Analytical Edition from 1935 until 1942 and ACS's
Analytical Chemistry when it was introduced in 1948.
Selected list of publications
Kolthoff authored nearly 1,000 scientific papers, nine books, and several other publications over the course of his career.
* ''Der Gebrauch von Farbenindikatoren'' (1922): Kolthoff's first published monograph. This book went through several German editions and was translated into English in 1926. It was later titled "Acid-Base Indicators" after being expanded in 1937 with C. Rosenblum as coauthor.
* ''Konduktometrische Titrationen'' (1924) and Potentiometric Titrations (1926):Kolthoff began to use conductometry and poteniometry in 1918 and 1920, respectively, which led to these two monograms. Potentiometric Titrations was especially influential, not only in analytical chemistry, but in other fields as well.
* ''Massanalyse'' (two volumes in 1927 and 1928): A continuation of his fundamental studies of classical methods, it was translated and coauthored by N. H. Furman in 1928 under the title "Volumetric Analysis." It also appeared much later (1942–1958) in an expanded three-volume edition coauthored by V.A. Stenger, G. Matsuyama, and R. Belcher.
* ''The Colorimetric and Potentiometric Determination of pH'' (1931): This was Kolthoff's first book that was meant to be used as text for instruction.
It was expanded with H. A. Laitinen in 1941 and released under the title "pH and Electrotitrations."
* ''Textbook of Quantitative Inorganic Analysis'' (1936): Co-authored by E. B. Sandell, this book presented fundamentals and experimental features of analysis, and was among Kolthoff's most influential textbooks. In 1969 it appeared under the new title "Quantitative Chemical Analysis," with contributions from Sandell, E. J. Meehan, and S. Bruckenstein as coauthors.
* ''Polarography'' (1941): Co-authored with James J. Lingane, this introduction to voltammetry was expanded in 1952 into two volumes.
* ''Emulsion Polymerization'' (1955): This book related to Kolthoff's work in synthetic rubber and his development of
cold rubber
Cold rubber, or cold polymerized rubber, is synthetic rubber (especially, SBR and NBR) emulsion polymerized at a relatively low temperature.
The polymerizing temperature is approximately 5°C in the case of SBR and 5~10°C in the case of NBR. ...
. It was coauthored with F.A. Bovey, A.I. Medalia, and E.J. Meehan.
* ''Treatise on Analytical Chemistry'' (first edition 1959): Co-published with Philip J. Elving, this is Kolthoff's largest and most notable work. The volume is in three parts: "Theory and Practice" (11 volumes, published between 1959 and 1976), "Analytical Chemistry of Inorganic and Organic Compounds" (16 volumes, published between 1961 and 1980), and "Analytical Chemistry in Industry" (four volumes, completed in 1977)
Personal life and activism
During World War II, Kolthoff worked with the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...
to relocate European scientists who were persecuted by Nazis to universities in the U.S. Following World War II, he traveled to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
to build cooperation with scientists there.
Kolthoff corresponded with science and political leaders including
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
,
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
,
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling (; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific top ...
and
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...
on issues of global importance that included promoting peace and opposing nuclear weapons testing.
His correspondence with
Frédéric Joliot-Curie
Jean Frédéric Joliot-Curie (; ; 19 March 1900 – 14 August 1958) was a French physicist and husband of Irène Joliot-Curie, with whom he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for their discovery of Induced radioactivity. T ...
about a communist-dominated nuclear weapons conference and his opposition to Senator
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...
's anti-communist activities caught the attention of the
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...
. He was accused of belonging to several subversive organizations, but no actions were taken against him.
Kolthoff never married and lived most of his life a short distance from the chemistry building. After retiring, he continued working with his lab assistant Miron Chantooni. Kolthoff died of kidney failure on 4 March 1993 at
Bethesda Lutheran Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in St. Paul.
Awards and honors
Kolthoff was the recipient of many awards, honorary degrees, and other honors throughout his career, some of which are listed below.
Awards and medals
* William H. Nichols Medal, New York Section, American Chemical Society, 1949
* Fisher Award (now called the ACS Award in Analytical Chemistry), American Chemical Society, 1950
*
Willard Gibbs Medal Award, Chicago Section, American Chemical Society, 1964
* Charles Medal,
Charles University
)
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, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
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, students = 51,438
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, 1964
* Kolthoff Gold Medal, Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the American Pharmaceutical Association (now the
American Pharmacists Association), 1967
* Award for Excellence in Education (now called the J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education), American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry, 1983
*
Robert Boyle Prize for Analytical Science,
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...
, 1984
Honorary degrees
*
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, 1955
*
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...
, 1964
*
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
, 1974
*
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1975
Other honors
Kolthoff was named a Commander in the
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
, a civil and military honor provided by the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
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, capital = ...
, in 1947.
In 1958, Kolthoff was elected a member of the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
.
He was also a fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
, an honorary member of the
American Pharmaceutical Association
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA, previously known as the American Pharmaceutical Association), founded in 1852, is the first-established professional society of pharmacists in the United States. The association consists of more t ...
, and an honorary member of eight foreign chemical societies.
The Regents of the University of Minnesota named the university's 1972 chemistry building Kolthoff Hall in his honor. The university's Department of Chemistry began the annual Kolthoff Lectureship in 1979.
On his eightieth birthday, the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society sponsored the I.M. Kolthoff 80th Anniversary Symposium.
The Division offers the I. M. Kolthoff Enrichment Awards for Undergraduate Students.
Kolthoff was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Minnesota Science and Technology Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2014, the American Chemical Society named Kolthoff's contributions to modern analytical chemistry a
National Historic Chemical Landmark
The National Historic Chemical Landmarks program was launched by the American Chemical Society in 1992 to recognize significant achievements in the history of chemistry and related professions. The program celebrates the The central science, cent ...
.
References
External links
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolthoff, Izaak
1894 births
1993 deaths
People from Almelo
People from Saint Paul, Minnesota
20th-century American chemists
Dutch emigrants to the United States
University of Minnesota faculty