Donald Charlton Bradley , (1924–2014) was a British chemist who was recognized for his work on the chemistry of metal- alkoxides and metal- amides, their

synthesis Synthesis or synthesize may refer to: Science Chemistry and biochemistry *Chemical synthesis, the execution of chemical reactions to form a more complex molecule from chemical precursors ** Organic synthesis, the chemical synthesis of organ ...

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

and bonding, and for his studies of their conversions to

metal-oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom and one other chemical element, element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion of oxygen, an O2– (molecular) ion. with oxygen in the oxidation state of � ...

s and metal- nitrides.

Biography

Donald Charlton Bradley was born in London on 7 November 1924 at the Paddington Green Children's Hospital, the son of Gladys Winifred Bradley, a milliner, from

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

. Gladys’s older sister Doris Marian and her husband John brought up Donald, mostly in Hove. There he attended Hove County Grammar School for Boys. After gaining his Higher School Certificate in sciences and maths, Bradley was directed to work at the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association (ERA) in northwest London, as part of the war effort. He investigated the effects of mustard gas on electrical components, and how to extend the lifetime of capacitors. During this apprenticeship he enrolled for a part-time degree at Birkbeck College in London, and gained a first-class BSc in 1946. He went on to do research for a PhD, under Professor William Wardlaw. during which he studied

zirconium alkoxide Titanium ethoxide is a chemical compound with the formula Ti4(OCH2CH3)16. It is a colorless liquid that is soluble in organic solvents but hydrolyzes readily. It is sold commercially as a colorless solution. Alkoxides of titanium(IV) and zirconium ...

compounds r(OR)₄sub>n. He was awarded his PhD in 1950. Bradley continued at Birkbeck, working with

Ram Charan Mehrotra Ram Charan Mehrotra (16 February 1922 – 11 July 2004) was an Indian analytical and organometallic chemist, academic, educationist and the vice chancellor of the Universities of Delhi and Allahabad. He was known for his studies on the chemical ...

, who was visiting for two years from India, and Marc Faktor, among others. On 21 August 1959, Bradley, his wife and son sailed on the SS ''Maasdam'' from Southampton to Canada, en route to London, Ontario, where Donald was to take up a professorial job at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), working with Fred Pattison and Paul de Mayo. After six years in Canada, Bradley was offered the chair in inorganic chemistry at Queen Mary College in London (QM), starting in 1965. Amongst other achievements he hired crystallographer Michael Hursthouse and so started a thriving X-ray crystallography group at QM. Don formally retired in 1987, remaining very active in research as emeritus professor of

inorganic chemistry Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two disci ...

Family

While at the ERA Bradley met Constance Joy Hazeldean (Joy), the librarian there. They married in 1948 and had one child, David, on 18 May 1951. Joy died on 9 March 1985. In January 1988 he met Ann Levy (née MacDonald). They married at St Olav’s church in the City of London on 10 June 1990. Donald Charlton Bradley died on 20 December 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Donald Charlton Royal Medal winners British chemists Fellows of the Royal Society Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1924 births 2014 deaths Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Academics of Queen Mary University of London