David Rittenberg

2025-03-21T20:22:57Z

176.216.40.33:

{{Short description|American biochemist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = David Rittenberg
| image = Weizmann Institute of Science cornerstone laying ceremony 1946 - David Rittenberg.jpg
| caption = David Rittenberg at [[Weizmann Institute of Science]] cornerstone laying ceremony 1946
| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|11|11|mf=y}}
| birth_place = New York
| death_date = {{death date and age|1970|1|24|1906|11|11|mf=y}}
| death_place = New York
| field = [[Biochemistry]]
| work_institution = [[Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons|College of Physicians and Surgeons]], [[Columbia University]], U.S. Bureau of Mines, [[Rutgers University]]
| education = [[City College of New York]], B.S. 1929, Columbia University, Ph.D. 1935
| doctoral_advisor = [[Harold Urey]]
| doctoral_students =
| thesis_title = Some Equilibria Involving Isotopes of Hydrogen
| known_for = Isotope tracer method
| prizes = [[Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry]] (1941)
| footnotes =
}}
'''David Rittenberg''' (November 11, 1906 – January 24, 1970) was an American [[biochemist]] who pioneered the [[isotope|isotopic]] ''tagging'' of [[molecule]]s. He was born and died in New York, and spent almost the whole of his life there. He obtained his B.S. in 1929 from the City College of New York, and his Ph.D. in 1935 at Columbia University under the supervision of Harold Urey.<ref name=nas>{{Biographical Memoirs|rittenberg-david}}</ref>

==Research on isotopes as tracers==

Rittenberg's doctoral work concerned thermodynamic properties of molecules containing 2H (deuterium),<ref>{{cite journal | doi= 10.1063/1.1749265|journal = J. Chem. Phys.|volume = 1|number=1|title = Some thermodynamic properties of the H1H2 molecules and compounds containing the H2 atom|pages = 137–143|year = 1933|last1 = Urey|first1 = H. C.|last2 = Rittenberg|first2 =D.|doi-access = free}}</ref> and he built his career principally on work with isotopes.<ref>A surprising number of sources, including earlier versions of this article, emphasized radioactive isotopes, even though the most prominent isotopes in his work were 2H, 15N and 18O, which are not radioactive.</ref>

His introduction of the use of 2H<ref>{{cite journal | doi= 10.1126/science.82.2120.156|title = Deuterium as an indicator in the study of intermediary metabolism|journal = Science|volume = 82|number = 2120|pages = 156–157|last1 = Schoenheimer|first1 =R|last2 = Rittenberg|first2 =D|year = 1935}}</ref> as a tracer to follow the fate of various different compounds in human metabolism changed the prevailing scientific theory, from a static, "wear and tear" view of metabolic processes, to a dynamic theory in which there is constant and rapid buildup and degradation of body constituents.

In their Biographical Memoir<ref name=nas/> David Shemin and Ronald Bentley described the approach in these terms:
{{blockquote| The metabolites containing 2H had properties essentially indistinguishable from their natural analogs by the methods commonly used. Nevertheless, the presence of the isotope made it possible to trace their metabolic fate. Thus, if a 2H-containing compound, B, was isolated after feeding the 2H-labeled compound, A, to an animal, the metabolic conversion A → B was established. Prophetically, these authors noted that "the number of possible applications of this method appears to be almost unlimited." Subsequent developments have shown that they were true prophets.}}

From 1935 onwards Schoenheimer and Rittenberg published a long series of papers in the ''Journal of Biological Chemistry'' on the general topic of 2H as an indicator in the study of intermediary metabolism, starting with a general introduction to the topic,<ref>{{cite journal | journal = J. Biol. Chem.|volume = 111|number = 1|pages = 163–168|last1 = Schoenheimer|first1 =R|last2 = Rittenberg|first2 =D|year = 1935|title = Deuterium as an indicator in the study of intermediary metatolism. I}}</ref> and continuing to 1938 with a study of hydrogen in amino acids.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Deuterium as an indicator in the study of intermediary metabolism XIII. The stability of hydrogen in amino acids|journal = J. Biol. Chem.|volume = 125|number=1|pages= 1–12 |last1 = Rittenberg|first1 =D|last2 = Keston|first2 = A. S.|last3 = Schoenheimer|first3 =R|last4 = Foster|first4 = G. L.|year = 1938}}</ref>

From 1939 onwards Schoenheimer and Rittenberg continued on the same road with a further long series of papers in the ''Journal of Biological Chemistry'' on protein metabolism, starting by describing some general considerations.<ref>{{cite journal | journal = J. Biol. Chem.|volume = 127|number = 1|pages = 285–290|title = Studies in protein metabolism I. General considerations in the application of isotopes to the study of protein metabolism. The normal abundance of nitrogen isotopes in amino acids|year = 1939|last1 = Schoenheimer|first1 =R|last2 = Rittenberg|first2 =D}}</ref>

==Weizmann Institute==

Although Rittenberg remained throughout his career at Columbia University, he also participated in the early years of the [[Weizmann Institute]] in [[Rehovot]], Israel, first as a member of the Planning Board and later as a member of the Board of Governors. He was made an honorary fellow of the institute in 1967. Later he joined the advisory board of the [[Hadassah Medical Center|Hadassah Medical School]] in Jerusalem.<ref name = nas />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rittenberg, David}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1970 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American biochemists]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

David Rittenberg