Archer John Porter Martin

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Archer John Porter Martin bigraphy, stories - British biochemist

Archer John Porter Martin : biography

1 March 1910 – 28 July 2002

Archer John Porter Martin, FRS (1 March 1910 – 28 July 2002) was a British chemist who shared the 1952 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the invention of partition chromatography with Richard Synge.

His father was a GP. Martin was educated at Bedford School and Cambridge University. Working first in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory, he moved to the Dunn Nutritional Laboratory, and in 1938 moved to Wool Industries Research Institution in Leeds. He was head of the Biochemistry Division of Boots Pure Drug Company from 1946 to 1948, when he joined the Medical Research Council. There, he was appointed Head of the Physical Chemistry Division of the National Institute for Medical Research in 1952 and was Chemical Consultant from 1956 to 1959.

He specialised in Biochemistry, in some aspects of Vitamins E and B2, and in techniques that laid the foundation for chromatography. He developed partition chromatography whilst working on the separation of amino acids, and later developed gas-liquid chromatography. Amongst many other honours, he received his Nobel Prize in 1952.

He published far fewer papers than the typical Nobel winners—only 70 in all—but his 9th paper won the Nobel. The University of Houston dropped him from its chemistry faculty in 1979 (when he was 69 years old) because he was not publishing enough.See Obituary,

He was married, with two sons and three daughters. In the last years of his life he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Pop culture

Martin was mentioned in the animated television series The Simpsons in the episode titled "Flaming Moe’s" (Season 3, Episode 10). Character Martin Prince made reference to Martin while doing a show-and-tell presentation on the gas chromatograph.

References

Category:1910 births Category:2002 deaths Category:Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Category:English biochemists Category:People from London Category:Nobel laureates in Chemistry Category:British Nobel laureates Category:People educated at Bedford School Category:Fellows of the Royal Society Category:English Nobel laureates Category:English physical chemists