Ira Remsen
Ira Remsen was born on February 10, 1846 in New York city. Even though he
was
born in the United States, he was educated in Germany. He received his
M.D. at
Columbia University in 1867 and he also earned a Ph.D. at the
University of
Munich and Göttingen in Germany. After receiving his
degrees, Remsen began his
investigation in pure chemistry at the University
of Tübingen. It was in
Germany and in Europe Remsen did most of his
research. In 1876 he returned to
the United States where his became one of
the original faculty of Johns Hopkins
University. There he founded the
chemistry department. He was an excellent
professor who trained a generation
of prominent chemists. He was also the
Director of the Chemical
Laboratory and secretary of the Academic Council. In
1879, he was the
founding editor of American Chemical Journal. Also in that same
year, he made
a remarkable, accidental discovery with a fellow researcher
Constantine
Fahlberg when they were working on a derivative of coal tar. One
night, after
a long day in his laboratory He we was having dinner with wife.
When he
was eating a regular roll. Remsen noticed that it was quite sweet at
first,
but it left a bitter after-taste. He made his wife taste the bread and
he
found nothing wrong or something unusual about the taste. So Remsen
decided to
taste his fingers and there he found that same sweet then bitter
taste despite
washing his hands thoroughly after working in his lab. After
dinner, he returned
to his laboratory and started to taste all the chemicals
he was handling. When
he found that chemical, it was oxidation of
o-toluenesulfonamide and he called
it saccharin. In 1880, Remsen and Fahlberg
published their findings in the
February issue of The Chemical Journal.
Many people thought that it was
Constantine who discovered saccharin, but
he stole the formula from Remsen. When
they stopped working together,
Constantine patented the formula and became
filthy rich. As a result Remsen
didn't received any credit for the discovery.
Constantine received the
recognition that Remsen earned and rightfully deserved.
Remsen was
furious at first about the matter; "it makes my blood boil to
see the lies
that scoundrel Fahlberg constantly, constantly in print, and to see
further,
that they are generally believed." Later Remsen would apologize
for this
outburst. Remsen moved to bigger and better things. In 1901, he was
appointed
President of Johns Hopkins University, there in that same year, he
wrote
several important textbooks on chemistry. Remsen also found the School
of
Engineering at Johns Hopkins. He introduced many German laboratory
methods into
Johns Hopkins and emphasized the university's function as a
research "centre".
At the time at Johns Hopkins he helped establish the
school as a leading
graduate science teaching institute in the United States,
never seeking fame or
fortune for his contributions to science. His work on
the research-based
Doctoral program at Hopkins was considered important
improvement to science in
the United States. In 1913, Dr. Ira Remsen stepped
down as president at Johns
Hopkins University. Remsen still continued to
keep chemistry the number one
priority in his life. He moved and resided in
Carmel, California. Until his
passing away on March 4, 1927 of natural
causes. Saccharin Saccharin is derived
from the Latin word saccharum, meaning
sugar. Saccharin is also called Ortho-sulfobenzoic
acid imide; the formula is
C6H4CONHSO2. Saccharin is a synthetic, white,
crystalline powder that melts
at 228.08 to 229.7 degrees Celsius and very
soluble in water. It is 550 times
as sweet as sugar cane. And it is also
estimated to have a sweetening power
375 times that of sugar. When saccharin is
dissolved in water in large
amounts, the solution is very bitter. Sweetness is
only evident in a diluted
solution. Saccharin cannot be digested by the body and
has no food values.
Those who are diabetic and people who ate on weight reducing
diets use it in
place of sugar. They used it for the psychological purpose of
satisfying a
taste for sweetness. Many critics say that that saccharin can
itself
stimulate the appetite and the production of insulin in the body. For
several
years, saccharin has been under investigation as a risk for cancer. It
was
banned in Canada in 1977 for that same reason. But in the United
States
Public reaction has help to keep saccharin on the market. The Food
and Drug
Administration requires that warning labels to be put on
products containing
saccharin. Time Line of The Life of Ira Remsen 1846: Born
on February 10th in
New York City Childhood - Lived and educated in
Germany 1867: Received Masters
Degree from Columbia University 1870:
Earned Ph.D. at Universities of Munich and
Gottingen in Germany. Started
research into pure chemistry at University of
Tubingen. 1872: Moved back
to the United States 1875: Became one of the original
faculties of Johns
Hopkins university 1876: Founded the Chemistry department at
Johns
Hopkins and became Director of the chemical laboratory 1879:
Accidentally
discovered saccharin and founded The American Chemical Journal.
Also wrote
important textbooks. 1887: Named Secretary of the Academic Council
1901: Became
president of Johns Hopkins university Ended his term of
Secretary of the
Academic Council 1908: Stepped down as Director of
Chemical Laboratory 1913:
Retired as President, a professor, and as the
editor of American Chemical
Journal. 1927 Died on March 4th of natural
causes.
Bibliography
1."Sacchrin"Microsoft®Encarta®Encyclopedia. ©
1993-1997
Microsoft Corporation. 2."Ira Remsen"The Cambridge Dictionary
of
American Biography, By J.S Bowmen. ©1995Cambridge University.
3.http://www.jhu.edu/-gazette/1994/aug2294/remsen.html