Alexander H. Popkin, Ph.D. (November 7, 1913 – January 23, 1987) was an American scientist and inventor with 33 US patents and 18 scientific publications.[1]

Early life and education

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Popkin was born in New York City, on the lower east side of Manhattan. He received a B.S. in chemistry from Brooklyn College in 1934, an M.S. in organic chemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 1935, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 1939. He was a member of the honorary societies of Sigma Xi and Phi Lambda Upsilon.

Career

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Sun Chemical Company

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Dr. Popkin began his career at Sun Chemical Company, working there from 1939 - 1945. He was group head in charge of organic research on new pigments, dyes, and resins for use in printing ink formulations. During World War II, there was a major effort related to new pigments, dyes, and resins from non-critical raw materials. He was involved in confidential research for the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC), and he was added to American Men of Science in 1944.[2]

Maltbie Chemical Company

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In 1945 he became director of research at Maltbie Chemical Company with responsibility for the supervision and coordination of organic research and pharmaceutical development, and an advisor to the export department on matters relating to foreign registry of company products, and advisor to the advertising department on matters of dosage forms and labeling.

Esso Research and Engineering Company (formerly Standard Oil Development Company)

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From 1946 - 1968, Popkin worked at Esso Research and Engineering Company, Linden, NJ in research and development in the areas of motor lubricants, lubricant additives, gasolines, gasoline additives, aviation lubricants, new applications for asphalts related to water conservation and materials of construction, as well as studies in air pollution.

Between 1947 and 1970, he obtained 33 US patents as the inventor or co-inventor. The patents were assigned to the following companies: Sun Chemical Company (4 patents), Standard Oil Development Company (9 patents), and Esso Research and Engineering Company (20 patents). His inventions included a major gasoline additive, first Esso commercial low-cost aviation synthetic jet engine lubricant, first Esso military low-cost aviation synthetic jet engine lubricant, two major Esso aviation mineral oil piston engine lubricants, and two major Esso motor oil additives. Some of these inventions were developed into Uniflo Motor Oil 5W-20, a new synthetic lubricant for car and truck engines, and Esso Extra Gasoline containing a detergent additive, which was marketed and advertised as "Put a Tiger in Your Tank."

After taking early retirement from Esso in 1968, he continued working for Esso as a consultant doing research projects in the US Patent office in Washington, DC.

Esso Research and Engineering became Exxon and then ExxonMobil.

US Patents

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US Patent Number Title Inventor(s) Assignee Company Patent Application Date Patent Issue Date
2,431,889 Mixtures of Diamino Diphenyl Azo Compounds Alexander H. Popkin Sun Chemical Corporation May 2, 1942 Dec 2, 1947
2,433,784 Aminobipphenylsulfonanilide Alexander H. Popkin Sun Chemical Corporation Apr 12, 1943 Dec 30, 1947
2,440,117 Process for Preparing Sulfonamides Alexander H. Popkin Sun Chemical Corporation Mar 11, 1944 Apr 20, 1948
2,441,671 Process for Preparing Sulfonamides Alexander H. Popkin Sun Chemical Corporation Mar 11, 1944 May 18, 1948
2,448,823 Triphenylmethane Dyestuff and Pigment Dyestuffs and Process for Making the Same Alexander H. Popkin Sun Chemical Corporation Mar 11, 1944 Sept 7. 1948
2,559,521 Synthetic Lubricant Paul V, Smith, Jr. and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Nov 27, 1948 July 3, 1951
2,582,708 Lubricating Oil Additives Samuel B. Lippincott and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Oct 1, 1948 Jan 15, 1952
2,585,862 Synthetic Lubricants Paul V. Smith, Jr. and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Nov 1, 1945 Feb 12, 1952
2,601,063 Glycol Esters of Alkyl-Mercapto-Carboxylic Acids Paul V. Smith, Jr., Louis A. Mikeska, and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Sept 24, 1948 June 17, 1952
2,604,453 New Copolymer Compositions Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Dec 30, 1948 July 22, 1952
2,623,018 Extreme Pressure Lubricant Elmer B. Cyphers and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Dec 17. 1949 Dec 23, 1952
2,677,662 Lubricating Oil Additives Louis A. Makeska, Samuel B. Lippincott, and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Aug 2, 1948 May 4, 1954
2,683,119 Compounded Lubricant Paul V. Smith, Jr., Louis A. Mikeska, and Alexander H. Popkin Standard Oil Development Company Nov 16, 1949 July 6, 1954
2,689,223 Viscosity Index Improvers Alexander H. Popkin and Thomas S. Tutwiler Standard Oil Development Company June 22, 1951 Sept 14, 1954
2,703,783 Process for the Clarification of Lubricating Oil Additive Concentrates Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Apr 28, 1950 Mar 8, 1955
2,721,877 Lubricating Oil Additives and a Process for Their Preparation Alexander H. Popkin and James F. Black Esso Research and Engineering Company Aug 22, 1951 Oct 25, 1955
2,721,878 Strong Acid as a Polymerization Modifier in the Production of Liquid Polymers Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Aug 18, 1951 Oct 25, 1955
2,721,879 Aldehydes as Polymerization Modifiers in the Production of Liquid Polymers Alexander H. Popkin and James M. Phelan Esso Research and Engineering Company Aug 18, 1951 Oct 25, 1955
2,761,766 Combustion Test Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company May 1, 1953 Sept 4, 1956
2,762,774 Four Depressant-Detergent Additive Combination Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Apr 21, 1953 Sept 11, 1956
2,785,128 Metal Salts of Organic Acids of Phosphorus Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Sept 20, 1954 Mar 12, 1957
2,810,744 Polymerization Process for Preparing Lubricant Additives and Products Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Mar 25, 1955 Oct 22, 1957
2,849,398 Mineral-Based Lubricating Oils and Methods for Using Same Leonard E. Moody and Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Aug 19, 1953 Aug 26, 1958
2,906,729 Method for Color Improvement of Polymetric Four Point Depressors Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Aug 31, 1953 Sept 29, 1959
3,034,877 Leaded Gasolines Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Aug 5, 1957 May 15, 1962
3,047,372 Anti-Knock Gasoline Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Nov 29, 1957 July 31, 1962
3,099,682 Preparation, Treatment and Storage, Under a Nitrogen Blanket, of the Diesters of Dicarboxylic Acids and Oxo Alcohols Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Dec 24, 1959 July 30, 1963
3,325,565 Mixed Monoalkyl and Dialkyl Esters of Phosphoric Acid Partially Neutralized with a Primary Alkyl Amine Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Oct 1, 1963 Jun 13, 1967
3,334,977 Gasoline Composition Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Oct 23, 1963 Aug 8, 1967
3,382,139 Cementitious Compositions for Bituminous Substrates Alexander H. Popkin, George M. Kagan, and Roman Slysh Esso Research and Engineering Company Dec 24, 1964 May 7, 1968
3,384,466 Amine-Phosphates as Multi-Functional Fuel Additives Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Feb 21, 1967 May 21, 1968
3,509,240 Primary Amine Salts of Mono-and Di-Alkyl Phosphoric Acid Esters That Have Been Heat Treated Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Feb 20, 1967 April 28, 1970
3,511,676 Nonionic Asphalt Emulsifiers Mervin E. Conn and Alexander H. Popkin Esso Research and Engineering Company Sept 18, 1967 May 12, 1970

Publications

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  • "Sterols. X. Cholesterol Derivatives," Journal of the American Chemical Society, April 1, 1937 [3]
  • "The Action of Primary Grignard Reagents on t-Butylacetyl Chloride," Journal of the American Chemical Society, October 1, 1938 [4]
  • "Isomerization during the Preparation of n-Amyl Chloride," Journal of the American Chemical Society, October 1, 1938 [5]
  • "The Reducing Action of Primary Grignard Reagents with Trimethylacetyl Chloride," Journal of the American Chemical Society, November 1, 1938 [6]
  • "The Action of Primary Grignard Reagents with t-Butylacetyl Chloride. II¹, Journal of the American Chemical Society, November 1, 1938[7]
  • "The Common Basis of Intramolecular Rearrangements. VI.¹ Reactions of Neopentyl Iodide," Journal of the American Chemical Society, June 1, 1939[8]
  • "Reaction of Neopentyl Chloride with Sodium," Journal of the American Chemical Society, June 1, 1939[9]
  • "Attempted Separation of Isomeric Hexenes by Fractional Distillation," Journal of the American Chemical Society, April 1, 1940[10]
  • "The Common Basis of Intramolecular Rearrangements. VII.¹ Inapplicability of a Free Radical Mechanism. Formation of 1,1-DimethylcyclopropAerane and Neopentane by the Action of Sodium on Neopentyl Chloride. Relation to the Mechanism of the Wurtz Reaction," Journal of the American Chemical Society, January 1, 1941[11]
  • "Grignard Reductions. IX.¹'²'³ Further Studies on the Reduction of Acid Halides," Journal of the American Chemical Society, March 1, 1941[12]
  • "Additions and Corrections. The Reducing Action of Primary Grignard Reagents with Trimethylacetyl Chloride," Journal of the American Chemical Society, December 1, 1942[13]
  • "Derivatives of Biphenylsulfonamides. I. Preparation of p-(o-Aminophenyl)-benzenesulfonamide,¹" Journal of the American Chemical Society, November 1, 1943 [14]
  • "Derivatives of Biphenylsulfonamide. II.¹ Derivatives of p-(o-Aminophenyl)-benzenesulfonamide,²" Journal of the American Chemical Society, November 1, 1943 [15]
  • "Orientation in the Biphenyl System. The Preparation of 2- and 4-Aminobiphenyl-4'-sulfonamides," Journal of the American Chemical Society, May 1, 1944 [16]
  • "Orientation in the Biphenyl System.¹ Derivatives of 2-P.²" Journal of the American Chemical Society, May 1, 1944[17]
  • "Dibasic Acid Esters," Synthetic Lubricants, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 1962 [18]
  • "New Roles for Asphalt in Controlling Man's Environment," National Petroleum Refiners Association, Tech. AM-67-16, San Antonio, Texas, April 3–5, 1967[19]
  • "Low Cost Drinking Water from Asphalt Catchments," International Conference on Water for Peace, Washington, DC, 1968[20]

Professional Associations and Activities

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References

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  1. ^ "Dr. Alexander Popkin, Scientist, Inventor". New Jersey Jewish News. February 5, 1987. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  2. ^ Cattell, Jaques, ed. (1949). American Men of Science: A Biographical Directory (8th ed.). Lancaster, PA.: Bowker. p. 1971.
  3. ^ Marker, Russell E.; Kamm, Oliver; Fleming, George H.; Popkin, Alexander H.; Wittle, Eugene L. (April 1, 1937). "Sterols. X. Cholesterol Derivatives". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 59 (4): 619–621. doi:10.1021/ja01283a007 – via ACS Publications.
  4. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Popkin, A. H.; Whitaker, J. S.; Mattil, K. F.; Zech, J. D. (October 1, 1938). "The Action of Primary Grignard Reagents on t-Butylacetyl Chloride". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 60 (10): 2462–2464. doi:10.1021/ja01277a048 – via ACS Publications.
  5. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Karnatz, F. A.; Popkin, A. H. (October 1, 1938). "Isomerization during the Preparation of n-Amyl Chloride". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 60 (10): 2540–2542. doi:10.1021/ja01277a076 – via ACS Publications.
  6. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Meyer, R. E.; Pedlow Jr., G. W.; Popkin, A. H. (November 1, 1938). "The Reducing Action of Primary Grignard Reagents with Trimethylacetyl Chloride". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 60 (11): 2788–2789. doi:10.1021/ja01278a069 – via ACS Publications.
  7. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Whitaker, J. S.; Mattil, K. F.; Popkin, A. H. (November 1, 1938). "The Action of Primary Grignard Reagents with t-Butylacetyl Chloride. II1". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 60 (11): 2790–2792. doi:10.1021/ja01278a070 – via ACS Publications.
  8. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Wittle, E. L.; Popkin, A. H. (June 1, 1939). "The Common Basis of Intramolecular Rearrangements. VI.1 Reactions of Neopentyl Iodide". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 61 (6): 1586–1590. doi:10.1021/ja01875a073 – via ACS Publications.
  9. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Popkin, A. H.; Pfister, J. R. (June 1, 1939). "Reaction of Neopentyl Chloride with Sodium". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 61 (6): 1616–1617. doi:10.1021/ja01875a524 – via ACS Publications.
  10. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Fenske, M. R.; Quiggle, D.; Bernstein, H.; Carney, T. P.; Lawroski, S.; Popkin, A. H.; Wagner, R. B.; Wheeler, W. R.; Whitaker, J. S. (April 1, 1940). "Attempted Separation of Isomeric Hexenes by Fractional Distillation". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 62 (4): 795–800. doi:10.1021/ja01861a029 – via ACS Publications.
  11. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Popkin, A. H.; Bernstein, Herbert I.; Wilkins, John P. (January 1, 1941). "The Common Basis of Intramolecular Rearrangements. VII.1 Inapplicability of a Free Radical Mechanism. Formation of 1,1-Dimethylcyclopropane and Neopentane by the Action of Sodium on Neopentyl Chloride. Relation to the Mechanism of the Wurtz Reaction". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 63 (1): 124–127. doi:10.1021/ja01846a029 – via ACS Publications.
  12. ^ Whitmore, Frank C.; Whitaker, J. S.; Mosher, W. A.; Breivik, O. N.; Wheeler, W. R.; Miner Jr., C. S.; Sutherland, L. H.; Wagner, R. B.; Clapper, T. W.; Lewis, C. E.; Lux, A. R.; Popkin, A. H. (March 1, 1941). "Grignard Reductions. IX.1,2,3 Further Studies on the Reduction of Acid Halides". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 63 (3): 643–654. doi:10.1021/ja01848a004 – via ACS Publications.
  13. ^ Whitmore, Frank; Meyer, R.; Pedlow, Jr., G.; Popkin, A. (December 1, 1942). "Additions and Corrections. The Reducing Action of Primary Grignard Reagents with Trimethylacetyl Chloride". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 64 (12): 3067. doi:10.1021/ja01264a601 – via ACS Publications.
  14. ^ Popkin, Alexander H. (November 1, 1943). "Derivatives of Biphenylsulfonamides. I. Preparation of p-(o-Aminophenyl)-benzenesulfonamide.1". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 65 (11): 2043–2045. doi:10.1021/ja01251a001 – via PCS Publications.
  15. ^ Popkin, Alexander H.; Perretta, Gertrude M. (November 1, 1943). "Derivatives of Biphenylsulfonamide. II.1 Derivatives of p-(o-Aminophenyl)-benzenesulfonamide.2". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 65 (11): 2046–2048. doi:10.1021/ja01251a002 – via ACS Publications.
  16. ^ Popkin, A. H.; McVea, G. B. (May 1, 1944). "Orientation in the Biphenyl System. The Preparation of 2- and 4-Aminobiphenyl-4'-sulfonamides". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 66 (5): 796–798. doi:10.1021/ja01233a041 – via ACS Publications.
  17. ^ Popkin, A. H.; Perretta, G. M.; Selig, R (May 1, 1944). "Orientation in the Biphenyl System.1 Derivatives of 2-Aminobiphenyl2". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 66 (5): 833–834. doi:10.1021/ja01233a052 – via ACS Publications.
  18. ^ Dukek, W. G.; Popkin, A. H. (1962). "Chapter 5, Dibasic Acid Esters". In Gunderson, Reign C.; Hart, Andrew W. (eds.). Synthetic Lubricants. New York, NY: Reinhold Publishing Corporation. pp. 151–245.
  19. ^ Black, J. F. and Popkin, A. H., "New Roles for Asphalt in Controlling Man's Environment," Presentation at Annual Meeting, National Petroleum Refiners Association, San Antonio, Texas, 3–5 April 1967.
  20. ^ Black, James F.; Popkin, Alexander H. (1968). "Low - Cost Drinking Water from Asphalt Catchments". Water for Peace: Water supply technology. Washington, DC: United States Watershed Management. pp. 729–736.