Martin Hill Ittner was primarily a chemist, who is best known for his contributions to applied chemistry such as the development of toothpaste and detergent while working for Colgate, now known as Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...

. He was born in Berlin Heights, Ohio, on May 2, 1870.

Academic qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts from Washington University, 1892
• Bachelor of Science from Washington University, 1894
• PhD
  PHD
  PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
  
   from Harvard University
  Harvard University
  Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
  
  , 1896
• Honorary PhD
  PHD
  PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
  
   from Colgate University
  Colgate University
  Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
  
  , 1930
• Honorary L.L.D. from Washington University, 1938

Major contributions

His most important contribution was the development of the first applied chemistry research team at Colgate in 1896. He developed this research lab 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. Towards the end of his career he was awarded the Perkins Medal for applied chemistry.

Publications

• "Progress in the Soap Industry during the Last Fifty Years", by Martin Hill Ittner: Ind. Eng. Chem., 1926, 18 (9), pp 908–910; DOI: 10.1021/ie50201a008

External links

• 1942 Perkins Medal
  Perkin Medal
  The Perkin Medal is an award given annually by the American section of the Society of Chemical Industry to a scientist residing in America for an "innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development." It is considered the highest honor given in the US industrial chemical...
  
  
• 1938 Washington University commencement speech