ABSTRACT
Izaak Maurits Kolthoff was doubtlessly the preeminent analytical chemist of the twentieth century—certainly in the United States and perhaps in the world. Educated in the Netherlands, Kolthoff adopted as his own the scientific motto of his esteemed mentor: “Theory guides; experiment decides.” Professor Kolthoff published his first paper in 1915. It concerned acid–base titrations using the recently developed theories of weak and strong electrolytes of Arrhenius and Sorenson’s concept of pH. Throughout his career Kolthoff emphasized the role of chemico-physico principles in chemical analysis. Thus he was one of the earliest to understand the fundamental significance of the chemistry of crown ethers and cryptands and recognized the work of Jean Marie Lehn, who ultimately received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with cryptands. Many of his graduate students, including Sandell, Lingane, and Laitinen, went on to very successful careers in industry and academic life at institutions.
