Martin Kamen

Martin David Kamen (August 27, 1913, Toronto – August 31, 2002, Montecito, California) was an American chemist who, together with Sam Ruben, co-discovered the synthesis of the isotope carbon-14 on February 27, 1940, at the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley.[1] He also confirmed that all of the oxygen released in photosynthesis comes from water, not carbon dioxide, in 1941.[2][3]

Kamen was the first to use carbon-14 to study a biochemical system, and his work revolutionized biochemistry and molecular biology, enabling scientists to trace a wide variety of biological reactions and processes.[4] Despite being blacklisted for nearly a decade on suspicion of being a security risk,[5][6] Kamen went on to receive the Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 1989, and the U.S. Department of Energy's 1995 Enrico Fermi award for lifetime scientific achievement.[7][4]

  1. ^ Arnold, James (May 2003). "Obituary: Martin David Kamen". Physics Today. 56 (5): 74–75. Bibcode:2003PhT....56e..74A. doi:10.1063/1.1583542.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rastogi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nickelsen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Lytle, James (January 8, 1996). "Groundbreaking chemist receives Enrico Fermi Award". USC News. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Martin David Kamen Papers". University of California, San Diego. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference FERMI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).