Academic literature on the topic 'University of Adelaide. Dept. of Organic Chemistry'

Athel Beckwith chose to embark on a career in free radical chemistry at a time when it was largely ignored by all but a small coterie within the broader Organic Chemistry community. Of his many contributions in this area, the mechanistic clarification and exploitation of the cyclization of hex-5-enyl radical-containing systems is undoubtedly the most significant, leading to what is now, in a multitude of variants, a universally-used, powerful, sophisticated, selective, general synthetic methodology. This account revisits and highlights the early studies carried out by the Beckwith group at The University of Adelaide from the late-1960s to 1980, a period when the main breakthroughs in kinetic and mechanistic understanding were made, and the implications for wider synthetic utility in more complex hex-5enyl systems became apparent.

Athel Beckwith chose to embark on a career in free radical chemistry at a time when it was largely ignored by all but a small coterie within the broader Organic Chemistry community. Of his many contributions in this area, the mechanistic clarification and exploitation of the cyclization of hex-5-enyl radical-containing systems is undoubtedly the most significant, leading to what is now, in a multitude of variants, a universally-used, powerful, sophisticated, selective, general synthetic methodology. This account revisits and highlights the early studies carried out by the Beckwith group at The University of Adelaide from the late-1960s to 1980, a period when the main breakthroughs in kinetic and mechanistic understanding were made, and the implications for wider synthetic utility in more complex hex-5enyl systems became apparent.

Athelstan (‘Athel’) Laurence Johnson Beckwith was an organic chemist whose research was concerned with free radicals, the reactive intermediates that have important roles in many organic chemical reactions. After studies and junior appointments at Australian universities, he completed his doctorate at Oxford University at a time when scepticism about the very existence of free radicals was being dispelled by a small group of experimentalists. Returning to Australia, where he occupied chairs at the University of Adelaide and the Australian National University, Beckwith used studies of organic structure and mechanisms, revealed by kinetic methods and electron spin resonance spectroscopy, to become a world leader in this field of chemistry. He was honoured by election to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science (1973) and the Royal Society of London (1989), by several awards from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, and by membership of the Order of Australia (2004). His extensive travels, often accompanied by his wife, Kaye, and their children, to work in overseas chemical research laboratories and to give presentations at international meetings, helped him to secure his place in networks at the highest levels of his profession. Several of those who studied with him now hold important positions in Australian chemistry.

Athel Beckwith was an organic chemist whose research was concerned with free radicals, the reactive intermediates that play important roles in many organic chemical reactions. After studies and junior appointments at Australian universities, at Oxford University he worked with W. A. Waters and completed his doctorate at a time when scepticism about the very existence of free radicals was being rolled back by a small group of experimentalists. Returning to Australia, where he occupied chairs at the University of Adelaide and the Australian National University, Beckwith used studies of organic structure and mechanisms, revealed by kinetic methods and electron spin resonance spectroscopy, to become a world leader in this field of chemistry. He was honoured by election to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science (1973) and the Royal Society of London (1989), by several awards from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, and by membership of the Order of Australia (2004). His extensive travels, often accompanied by his wife Kaye and their children, to work in overseas chemical research laboratories and to give presentations at international meetings, helped him to secure his place in networks at the highest levels of his profession. Several those who studied with him now hold important positions in Australian chemistry.

Geoffrey Malcolm Badger was Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Adelaide from 1955 to 1964 and, after serving briefly as a member of the CSIRO Executive, Vice-Chancellor from 1967 to 1977. Elected to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science in 1960, he served on the Council and was President of the Academy from 1974 to 1978. He was President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute in 1965 and Chairman of the Australian Science and Technology Council (ASTEC) from 1977 to 1982. During the Second World War, while working as a Lieutenant Instructor for the British Navy, he developed an interest in maritime navigation, and especially in Captain James Cook. Later, he edited the book Captain Cook: Navigator and Scientist and, in retirement, he wrote two books, Explorers of the Pacific (1988) and The Explorers of Australia (2001). He was admitted to the order of Australia (AO) in 1975 and knighted in 1979.

After 25 years with the Australian Journal of Chemistry, our editor, Dr Jan R. Zdysiewicz (known far and wide as John Z.), has recently retired. During his initial ten year period with the journal, John served as assistant editor under Bob Schoenfeld who, like John, was also very widely known throughout the Australian and New Zealand chemistry community. In 1985, John took up the editorship and under his editorial management the journal has continued to prosper. John has been an exceptionally talented editor who, despite increasing pressures over more recent times, has managed to maintain the journal’s very high editorial standard – a task aided by his wide understanding of chemistry and his truly exceptional knowledge of English usage. John had an eventful early life – details of which may be of interest to his many friends and acquaintances. He was born in Laukischken in East Prussia to parents from Mosty in eastern Poland. His parents had been taken to Germany during World War II for forced labour. After the war, the family was transferred, endlessly it seemed, from DP (displaced persons) camp to DP camp in Germany, until final acceptance for migration to Australia. After a long sea voyage on the Skaugum, the family arrived at Port Melbourne in December 1950. Then followed being shuffled between widely spread immigration holding centres in South-East Australia, finally ending up in Adelaide, where the family settled. After some difficulty in gaining enrolment, John attended Adelaide Boys High School. In 1962 at age 19, he lost his alien status and became an Australian citizen. Even during this early period, John Z. made a name for himself. He became somewhat of a celebrity for his virtuosity in playing the accordion. In 1961, he became Grand Australian Accordion Champion. On occasions, he still plays for friends and private audiences. John Z. obtained his tertiary education at the University of Adelaide. His Ph.D. research in the Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry was concerned with physical chemical studies on naturally occurring and synthetic polymers. He then held Post Doctoral appointments in England at the University of Lancaster (preparation and e.s.r. characterisation of radical anions), Australia at the Division of Protein Chemistry, CSIRO, Parkville (on the interactions of fluorescent compounds with protein components by photophysical techniques) and Canada at the University of Western Ontario (construction of a microsecond flash photolysis apparatus in connection with photochemical reactions involving radical ions). In 1975 he returned to Australia as the assistant editor of Aust. J. Chem. John Z. has served as the national representative on IUPAC’s Commission III.2 (on Physical Organic Chemistry) and is currently an associate member of this commission. In 1998, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute awarded him a citation for his contributions to the promotion of Australian chemistry nationally and internationally, principally through his role as editor of the journal. Finally, John is of a distinctly independent nature – perhaps a reflection of his Polish antecedents? While his management style might be said to be unique, it has always been characterised by an overriding commitment to quality. Clearly, John Zdysiewicz ranks as an exceptional individual. On behalf of my fellow advisory committee members and, indeed, also for the wider chemistry community, I thank John for a job exceedingly well done. We wish him well in his retirement.