David Rittenberg (November 11, 1906 – January 24, 1970) was an American
biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
who pioneered the
isotopic ''tagging'' of
molecule
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...
s. He was born and died in New York, and spent almost the whole of his life there. He obtained his B.S. in 1929 from the City College of New York, and his Ph.D. in 1935 at Columbia University under the supervision of Harold Urey.
Research on isotopes as tracers
Rittenberg's doctoral work concerned thermodynamic properties of molecules containing
2H (deuterium), and he built his career principally on work with isotopes.
His introduction of the use of
2H as a tracer to follow the fate of various different compounds in human metabolism changed the prevailing scientific theory, from a static, "wear and tear" view of metabolic processes, to a dynamic theory in which there is constant and rapid buildup and degradation of body constituents.
In their Biographical Memoir
[ David Shemin and Ronald Bentley described the approach in these terms:
From 1935 onwards Schoenheimer and Rittenberg published a long series of papers in the ''Journal of Biological Chemistry'' on the general topic of 2H as an indicator in the study of intermediary metabolism, starting with a general introduction to the topic, and continuing to 1938 with a study of hydrogen in amino acids.
From 1939 onwards Schoenheimer and Rittenberg continued on the same road with a further long series of papers in the ''Journal of Biological Chemistry'' on protein metabolism, starting by describing some general considerations.]
Weizmann Institute
Although Rittenberg remained throughout his career at Columbia University, he also participated in the early years of the Weizmann Institute
The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli univ ...
in Rehovot
Rehovot ( he, רְחוֹבוֹת ''Rəḥōvōt'', ar, رحوڤوت ''Reḥūfūt'') is a city in the Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of .
Etymology
Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu movement, ...
, Israel, first as a member of the Planning Board and later as a member of the Board of Governors. He was a made an honorary fellow of the institute in 1967. Later he joined the advisory board of the Hadassah Medical School
Hadassah Medical Center ( he, הָמֶרְכָּז הָרְפוּאִי הֲדַסָּה) is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem – one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus –, ...
in Jerusalem.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rittenberg, David
1906 births
1970 deaths
20th-century American biochemists
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences