Donald Charlton Bradley , (1924–2014) was a British

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

who was recognized for his work on the chemistry of metal- alkoxides and metal-

amides In organic chemistry, an amide, also known as an organic amide or a carboxamide, is a compound with the general formula , where R, R', and R″ represent organic groups or hydrogen atoms. The amide group is called a peptide bond when it is ...

, their synthesis, structure and bonding, and for his studies of their conversions to metal-oxides and metal-

nitrides In chemistry, a nitride is an inorganic compound of nitrogen. The "nitride" anion, N3- ion, is very elusive but compounds of nitride are numerous, although rarely naturally occuring. Some nitrides have a find applications, such as wear-resistant ...

Biography

Donald Charlton Bradley was born in London on 7 November 1924 at the

Paddington Green Children's Hospital The Paddington Green Children's Hospital was a hospital in Paddington Green, London, that existed from 1883 to 1987. The former building is now grade II listed with Historic England. History The hospital was founded at Bell Street by Eustace Smi ...

, the son of Gladys Winifred Bradley, a

milliner Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of ...

, from Leamington Spa. Gladys’s older sister Doris Marian and her husband John brought up Donald, mostly in

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th c ...

. 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 compounds r(OR)₄sub>n. He was awarded his PhD in 1950. Bradley continued at Birkbeck, working with Ram Charan Mehrotra, 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 London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, where Donald was to take up a professorial job at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

(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 , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

in London (QM), starting in 1965. Amongst other achievements he hired crystallographer Michael Hursthouse and so started a thriving

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

group at QM. Don formally retired in 1987, remaining very active in research as emeritus professor of inorganic chemistry.

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