Ernst Twitchell

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Ernst Twitchell (born February 16, 1863 in Cincinnati , † June 5, 1929 there ) was an American chemist .

Ernst Twitchell was the son of the astronomer, chemist, and engineer Henry Twitchell . The family had German ancestors. He studied chemistry at the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor's degree in 1886. After the death of his father, he had to look for a sideline while still studying to support the family. In 1886 he became a chemist and manager at Emery Candle Corp. in Atlanta . There he invented fat splitting according to Twitchell ( Twitchell Process ) in 1897 . The fats were mixed with 30 percent sulfuric acid and an emulsifier and split into glycerine and fatty acids at 100 degrees Celsius. The Twitchell Process Company was founded for industrial implementation and Twitchell was its chairman. In 1925 he retired for health reasons.

He also made many other contributions to fat chemistry, for example of an analytical nature.

In 1917 he received the Perkin Medal and in 1915 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cincinnati. In 1896 he was President of the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society.

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personal data
SURNAME Twitchell, Ernst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American chemist
DATE OF BIRTH February 16, 1863
PLACE OF BIRTH Cincinnati
DATE OF DEATH June 5, 1929
Place of death Cincinnati