Arthur E. Martell
Encyclopedia
Arthur E. Martell was a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University
and award-winning researcher in the field of inorganic chemistry
.
His research centered on metal chelate compounds, macrocyclic complexes and cryptates.
. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1938 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute
before receiving his Ph.D.
from New York University
.
and the Illinois Institute of Technology
.
In 1966, Martell joined the faculty of Texas A&M University
, serving as the Head of the Department of Chemistry until 1980. He was hired specifically to transform the A&M Chemistry Department into one of national prominence. By the end of his term as Department Head, he had expanded the faculty by thirty to fifty-five tenure-track professionals and attracted many well-known researchers, including F. Albert Cotton
to the department. The number of undergraduate chemistry majors tripled, and the number of graduate students quadrupled.
While leading the Department of Chemistry, Martell also led a highly productive research group. The group designed new ligands for complexation of iron and aluminium, technology that was used to treat patients suffering from iron or aluminum overload. He cowrote a book on his pioneering research in the chemistry of metal chelate compounds with Nobel Laureate Melvin Calvin
, and wrote or edited fourteen other textbooks that are in use by hundreds of chemists and biologists, including works on Critical Stability Constants (six volumes, with R.M. Smith), The Determination and Use of Stability Constants (with R.J. Motekaitis) and Metal COmplexes in Aqueous Solutions (with R.D. Hancock). Martell also authored over 550 articles that were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, most of which dealt with equilibria, kinetics, and the physical properties of metal chelates, macrocyclic complexes and cryptates. In 1993, he, Motekaitis and Smith developed the first computer database to track the reaction rates of ligands and how they react with ions to form complex chemical compounds.
After stepping down as department head in 1980, Martell served as a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M and continued his research. Although he officially retired from Texas A&M in 2001, he continued to conduct research with his former group until his death. Suffering from kidney trouble, he was forced to undergo dialysis several days per week, but could be found in his lab on days that he was not scheduled for treatment.
, the ACS Award for Distinguished Service to Inorganic Chemistry, and the Patterson-Crane Award. He was elected an honorary lifetime fellow of the New York Academy of Science and to honorary membership in the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry. He was a 1953 Guggenheim Fellow
, an NIH Special Fellow, and a National Science Foundation
Senior Postdoctoral Fellow.
Martell highly enjoyed the outdoors, spending much of his free time hiking, skiing, and fishing. One of his biggest personal accomplishments was successfully climbing the Matterhorn
.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
and award-winning researcher in the field of inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
.
His research centered on metal chelate compounds, macrocyclic complexes and cryptates.
Education
Arthur E. Martell was born October 18, 1916 in Natick, MassachusettsNatick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1938 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
before receiving his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Career
After completing his doctorate, Martell returned his alma mater WPI as an instructor in the Department of Chemistry. He later served as chair of the chemistry departments at Clark UniversityClark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
and the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
.
In 1966, Martell joined the faculty of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, serving as the Head of the Department of Chemistry until 1980. He was hired specifically to transform the A&M Chemistry Department into one of national prominence. By the end of his term as Department Head, he had expanded the faculty by thirty to fifty-five tenure-track professionals and attracted many well-known researchers, including F. Albert Cotton
F. Albert Cotton
Frank Albert Cotton was the W.T. Doherty-Welch Foundation Chair and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. He authored over 1700 scientific articles. Cotton was recognized for his research on the chemistry of the transition metals.-Education:Frank Albert Cotton was born on...
to the department. The number of undergraduate chemistry majors tripled, and the number of graduate students quadrupled.
While leading the Department of Chemistry, Martell also led a highly productive research group. The group designed new ligands for complexation of iron and aluminium, technology that was used to treat patients suffering from iron or aluminum overload. He cowrote a book on his pioneering research in the chemistry of metal chelate compounds with Nobel Laureate Melvin Calvin
Melvin Calvin
Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American chemist most famed for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He spent most of his five-decade career at the University of California, Berkeley.- Life :Calvin was born...
, and wrote or edited fourteen other textbooks that are in use by hundreds of chemists and biologists, including works on Critical Stability Constants (six volumes, with R.M. Smith), The Determination and Use of Stability Constants (with R.J. Motekaitis) and Metal COmplexes in Aqueous Solutions (with R.D. Hancock). Martell also authored over 550 articles that were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, most of which dealt with equilibria, kinetics, and the physical properties of metal chelates, macrocyclic complexes and cryptates. In 1993, he, Motekaitis and Smith developed the first computer database to track the reaction rates of ligands and how they react with ions to form complex chemical compounds.
After stepping down as department head in 1980, Martell served as a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M and continued his research. Although he officially retired from Texas A&M in 2001, he continued to conduct research with his former group until his death. Suffering from kidney trouble, he was forced to undergo dialysis several days per week, but could be found in his lab on days that he was not scheduled for treatment.
Recognition
Martell was honored with awards including the Southwest Regional Award of the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society 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 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, the ACS Award for Distinguished Service to Inorganic Chemistry, and the Patterson-Crane Award. He was elected an honorary lifetime fellow of the New York Academy of Science and to honorary membership in the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry. He was a 1953 Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, an NIH Special Fellow, and a National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Senior Postdoctoral Fellow.
Family life
Martell was married twice. His first marriage resulted in six children, Jon, Elaine, Stuart, Ed, Janet, and Judy, while his second, to Mary, produced two additional children, Helen and Kate.Martell highly enjoyed the outdoors, spending much of his free time hiking, skiing, and fishing. One of his biggest personal accomplishments was successfully climbing the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
.