CHEMIST

Martin Kamen

1913 - 2002

Photo of Martin Kamen

Icon of person 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. He also confirmed that all of the oxygen released in photosynthesis comes from water, not carbon dioxide, in 1941. 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. Despite being blacklisted for nearly a decade on suspicion of being a security risk, Kamen went on to receive the Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 1989, and the U.S. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Martin Kamen has received more than 79,319 page views. His biography is available in 15 different languages on Wikipedia. Martin Kamen is the 551st most popular chemist, the 536th most popular biography from Canada and the 6th most popular Canadian Chemist.

Memorability Metrics

  • 79k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 44.31

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 15

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.30

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.20

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among CHEMISTS

Among chemists, Martin Kamen ranks 551 out of 602. Before him are Jürgen Hennig, Henry Eyring, Frederick G. Donnan, John Roebuck, Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, and Bruce Alberts. After him are J. L. B. Smith, Florence B. Seibert, Mildred Cohn, Mary L. Good, Ching Wan Tang, and Max Bodenstein.

Most Popular Chemists in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1913, Martin Kamen ranks 341. Before him are Red Skelton, Luigi Piotti, Ioachim Moldoveanu, Minoru Honda, Jim Backus, and Dave Albritton. After him are Fred Davis, William Inge, Luis Taruc, Bertalan Papp, Mildred Cohn, and Gardnar Mulloy. Among people deceased in 2002, Martin Kamen ranks 294. Before him are Jovdat Hajiyev, Alex Hannum, R. A. Lafferty, Jonathan Harris, Johnny Unitas, and Pauline Chan Bo-Lin. After him are Lev Kulidzhanov, Sylvia Rivera, Ivano Blason, Walter Lord, Otis Blackwell, and Stanley Wagner.

Others Born in 1913

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2002

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In Canada

Among people born in Canada, Martin Kamen ranks 536 out of 1,622. Before him are Christopher Heyerdahl (1963), Marie Avgeropoulos (1986), Todd McFarlane (1961), Anne Dorval (1960), James Tupper (1965), and Sarah Polley (1979). After him are Erica Durance (1978), Douglas Rain (1928), Tom Thomson (1877), Maurice LaMarche (1958), Anne Heggtveit (1939), and Lolita Davidovich (1961).

Others born in Canada

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among CHEMISTS In Canada

Among chemists born in Canada, Martin Kamen ranks 6. Before him are William Giauque (1895), Sidney Altman (1939), Henry Taube (1915), Rudolph A. Marcus (1923), and Maud Menten (1879).

Canadian born Chemists

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous