James Cullen Martin

James Cullen Martin
190px JC Martin in Tokyo, Japan, December 19, 1991
Born	(1928-01-14)January 14, 1928 Dover, Tennessee, United States
Died	Tampa, Florida, United States
Nationality	American
Institutions	University of Illinois 1956–1985 Vanderbilt University 1985–1992
Alma mater	Vanderbilt University, MS 1952 Harvard University PhD 1956
Doctoral advisor	Paul Doughty Bartlett
Known for	Dess–Martin periodinane
Notable awards	Alexander von Humboldt Prize

James Cullen Martin (January 14, 1928 – April 20, 1999) was an American chemist. He specialized in organic chemistry and main group element chemistry with an emphasis on physical organic chemistry. Professor Martin is best known for his work on bonding of main group elements. He is responsible for the hexafluorocumyl alcohol derived "Martin" bidentate ligand and a tridentate analog. With his doctoral student Daniel Benjamin Dess he invented the Dess–Martin periodinane that is used for selective oxidation of alcohols. He is also known for the creation of the Martin sulfurane. His later work included studies of the hexaiodobenzene dication that shows σ-delocalization ("aromaticity") between the iodine atoms.

In 1983, Prof. Martin served as Chair of the Organic division of the American Chemical Society.