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Alexander R. Todd

January 01, 1970

Alexander Robertus Todd, Baron Todd OM FRS FRSE[1] (2 October 1907 – 10 January 1997) was a British biochemist whose research on the structure and synthesis of nucleotides, nucleosides, and nucleotide coenzymes gained him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1957.

Early life and education edit

Todd was born in Cathcart in outer Glasgow, the son of Alexander Todd, a clerk with the Glasgow Subway, and his wife, Jane Lowry.[2]

He attended Allan Glen's School and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a bachelor's degree in 1928. He received a doctorate from Goethe University Frankfurt in 1931 for his thesis on the chemistry of the bile acids.

Todd was awarded an 1851 Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851,[3] and, after studying at Oriel College, Oxford, he gained another doctorate in 1933.

Career edit

Todd held posts with the Lister Institute, the University of Edinburgh (staff, 1934–1936) and the University of London, where he was appointed Reader in biochemistry.

In 1938, Alexander Todd spent six months as a visiting professor at California Institute of Technology, eventually declining an offer of faculty position.[4][5] Todd became the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry and director of the Chemical Laboratories of the University of Manchester in 1938, where he began working on nucleosides, compounds that form the structural units of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).

In 1944, he was appointed to the 1702 Chair of Chemistry in the University of Cambridge, which he held until his retirement in 1971.[6] In 1949, he synthesised adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Todd served as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago in Autumn 1948[7] and University of Sydney in 1950.[4][8][9]

In 1955, he helped elucidate the structure of vitamin B12, although the final formula and definite structure was determined by Dorothy Hodgkin and her team, and later worked on the structure and synthesis of vitamin B1 and vitamin E, the anthocyanins (the pigments of flowers and fruits) from insects (aphids, beetles) and studied alkaloids found in cannabis. He served as chairman of the Government of the United Kingdom's advisory committee on scientific policy from 1952 to 1964.

He is credited as the first person to synthesize H4-CBD and H2-CBD from Cannabidiol by hydrogenation as early as 1940.[10]

He was elected a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge in 1944 and was Master from 1963 to 1978. He became Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde in 1975, and a visiting professor at Hatfield Polytechnic (1978–1986). Among his many honours, including over 40 honorary degrees, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1942, a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1955,[11] a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1957,[12] and the American Philosophical Society in 1965.[13] He was President of the Royal Society from 1975 to 1980 and became a member of the Order of Merit in 1977.[14]

In 1981, Todd became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.[15]

Personal life and death edit

In 1937, Todd married Alison Sarah Dale (d.1987), daughter of Nobel Prize winner Sir Henry Dale, who, as Todd did, served as president of the Royal Society of London. They had a son, Alexander Henry, and two daughters, Helen Jean and Hilary Alison.

Todd died in Cambridge on 10 January 1997 at the age of 89 following a heart attack.

Honours edit

Todd was honoured as a Nieuwland Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame in 1948,[16] an Arthur D. Little Visiting Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1954,[4][17] and a Hitchcock Lecturer at University of California, Berkeley, in 1957.[4][18]

He was knighted as Sir Alexander Todd in 1954[19] and was created a Life Peer as Baron Todd of Trumpington in the County of Cambridge on 16 April 1962.[20]

He is commemorated by a blue plaque erected by the Royal Society of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry in the University of Cambridge.[citation needed]

Coat of arms of Alexander R. Todd
Crest
In front of an open book Proper bound Or a fox passant guardant Gules.
Escutcheon
Gules a chevron between in chief two foxes' masks and in base a serpent embowed biting the tail Or.
Supporters
Dexter an ounce and sinister a fox each sable bezanty and gorged with a ducal coronet with chain reflexed over the back Or pendant from the coronet by a like chain an escutcheon blue celeste.
Motto
Faire Sans Dire [21]

Bibliography edit

  • Todd, Alexander (3 December 2009). A Time to Remember. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-12673-1.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Brown, D. M.; Kornberg, H. (2000). "Alexander Robertus Todd, O.M., Baron Todd of Trumpington. 2 October 1907 – 10 January 1997: Elected F.R.S. 1942". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 46: 515. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1999.0099. S2CID 73076704.
  2. ^ Brown, Daniel M.; Kornberg, Hans (2000). "Alexander Robertus Todd, O. M., Baron Todd of Trumpington. 2 October 1907–10 January 1997". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 46 (–1): 517–532. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1999.0130. JSTOR 770414.
  3. ^ 1851 Royal Commission Archives
  4. ^ a b c d "Lord Todd – Biographical". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  5. ^ Kay, Lily E. (3 December 1992). The Molecular Vision of Life: Caltech, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Rise of the New Biology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-028161-8.
  6. ^ Archer, Mary D.; Haley, Christopher D. (2005), The 1702 chair of chemistry at Cambridge: transformation and change, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-82873-2, Chapter 9: Alexander Todd, p 233
  7. ^ Todd, Alexander (17 November 1983). A Time to Remember: The Autobiography of a Chemist. Cambridge University Press. p. 110. ISBN 0-521-25593-7.
  8. ^ Conn, Eric E. (2008). "Our Work with Cyanogenic Plants". Annual Review of Plant Biology. 59: 1–19. doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092924. PMID 17988213.
  9. ^ "ChemNEWS (FACULTY OF SCIENCE)" (PDF). The University of Sydney.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/1940/jr/jr9400000649
  11. ^ "Alexander R. Todd of Trumpington". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Alexander Robertus Todd". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  13. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  14. ^ "No. 47362". The London Gazette. 28 October 1977. p. 13613.
  15. ^ "About Us". World Cultural Council. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  16. ^ Todd, Alexander R (1949). Vitamins, coenzymes and nucleotides; a series of lectures presented at the University of Notre Dame on October 22, 25 and 27, 1948. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame. OCLC 6142088.
  17. ^ . chemistry.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Nucleotide Co-Enzymes: A Study in Synthesis | Berkeley Graduate Lectures". gradlectures.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  19. ^ "No. 40227". The London Gazette. 9 July 1954. p. 4026.
  20. ^ "No. 42651". The London Gazette. 17 April 1962. p. 3185.
  21. ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1973.

Further reading edit


External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander R. Todd.
Academic offices
Preceded by Professor of Organic Chemistry, Cambridge University
1944–1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by 32nd Master of Christ's College, Cambridge
1963–1978 		Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by 54th President of the Royal Society
1975–1980 		Succeeded by

January 01, 1970
alexander, todd, alexander, robertus, todd, baron, todd, frse, october, 1907, january, 1997, british, biochemist, whose, research, structure, synthesis, nucleotides, nucleosides, nucleotide, coenzymes, gained, nobel, prize, chemistry, 1957, right, honourableth. Alexander Robertus Todd Baron Todd OM FRS FRSE 1 2 October 1907 10 January 1997 was a British biochemist whose research on the structure and synthesis of nucleotides nucleosides and nucleotide coenzymes gained him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1957 The Right HonourableThe Lord ToddOM FRS FRSETodd in 1957BornAlexander Robertus Todd 1907 10 02 2 October 1907Cathcart ScotlandDied10 January 1997 1997 01 10 aged 89 Oakington EnglandAlma materUniversity of GlasgowUniversity of Frankfurt am Main Oriel College OxfordAwardsDavy Medal 1949 Royal Medal 1955 Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1957 Paul Karrer Gold Medal 1963 Copley Medal 1970 Lomonosov Gold Medal 1978 Scientific careerFieldsChemistry BiochemistryInstitutionsLister Institute University of Edinburgh University of London University of Manchester University of Cambridge Christ s College Cambridge University of Strathclyde Hatfield PolytechnicDoctoral advisorWalter Borsche Sir Robert RobinsonDoctoral studentsJ Rodney Quayle Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Personal life and death 4 Honours 5 Bibliography 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksEarly life and education editTodd was born in Cathcart in outer Glasgow the son of Alexander Todd a clerk with the Glasgow Subway and his wife Jane Lowry 2 He attended Allan Glen s School and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a bachelor s degree in 1928 He received a doctorate from Goethe University Frankfurt in 1931 for his thesis on the chemistry of the bile acids Todd was awarded an 1851 Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 3 and after studying at Oriel College Oxford he gained another doctorate in 1933 Career editTodd held posts with the Lister Institute the University of Edinburgh staff 1934 1936 and the University of London where he was appointed Reader in biochemistry In 1938 Alexander Todd spent six months as a visiting professor at California Institute of Technology eventually declining an offer of faculty position 4 5 Todd became the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry and director of the Chemical Laboratories of the University of Manchester in 1938 where he began working on nucleosides compounds that form the structural units of nucleic acids DNA and RNA In 1944 he was appointed to the 1702 Chair of Chemistry in the University of Cambridge which he held until his retirement in 1971 6 In 1949 he synthesised adenosine triphosphate ATP and flavin adenine dinucleotide FAD Todd served as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago in Autumn 1948 7 and University of Sydney in 1950 4 8 9 In 1955 he helped elucidate the structure of vitamin B12 although the final formula and definite structure was determined by Dorothy Hodgkin and her team and later worked on the structure and synthesis of vitamin B1 and vitamin E the anthocyanins the pigments of flowers and fruits from insects aphids beetles and studied alkaloids found in cannabis He served as chairman of the Government of the United Kingdom s advisory committee on scientific policy from 1952 to 1964 He is credited as the first person to synthesize H4 CBD and H2 CBD from Cannabidiol by hydrogenation as early as 1940 10 He was elected a Fellow of Christ s College Cambridge in 1944 and was Master from 1963 to 1978 He became Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde in 1975 and a visiting professor at Hatfield Polytechnic 1978 1986 Among his many honours including over 40 honorary degrees he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1942 a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1955 11 a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1957 12 and the American Philosophical Society in 1965 13 He was President of the Royal Society from 1975 to 1980 and became a member of the Order of Merit in 1977 14 In 1981 Todd became a founding member of the World Cultural Council 15 Personal life and death editIn 1937 Todd married Alison Sarah Dale d 1987 daughter of Nobel Prize winner Sir Henry Dale who as Todd did served as president of the Royal Society of London They had a son Alexander Henry and two daughters Helen Jean and Hilary Alison Todd died in Cambridge on 10 January 1997 at the age of 89 following a heart attack Honours editTodd was honoured as a Nieuwland Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame in 1948 16 an Arthur D Little Visiting Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1954 4 17 and a Hitchcock Lecturer at University of California Berkeley in 1957 4 18 He was knighted as Sir Alexander Todd in 1954 19 and was created a Life Peer as Baron Todd of Trumpington in the County of Cambridge on 16 April 1962 20 He is commemorated by a blue plaque erected by the Royal Society of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry in the University of Cambridge citation needed Coat of arms of Alexander R Todd Crest In front of an open book Proper bound Or a fox passant guardant Gules Escutcheon Gules a chevron between in chief two foxes masks and in base a serpent embowed biting the tail Or Supporters Dexter an ounce and sinister a fox each sable bezanty and gorged with a ducal coronet with chain reflexed over the back Or pendant from the coronet by a like chain an escutcheon blue celeste Motto Faire Sans Dire 21 Bibliography editTodd Alexander 3 December 2009 A Time to Remember Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 12673 1 See also editAtherton Todd reaction History of RNA biology List of RNA biologists List of presidents of the Royal SocietyReferences edit Brown D M Kornberg H 2000 Alexander Robertus Todd O M Baron Todd of Trumpington 2 October 1907 10 January 1997 Elected F R S 1942 Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 46 515 doi 10 1098 rsbm 1999 0099 S2CID 73076704 Brown Daniel M Kornberg Hans 2000 Alexander Robertus Todd O M Baron Todd of Trumpington 2 October 1907 10 January 1997 Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 46 1 517 532 doi 10 1098 rsbm 1999 0130 JSTOR 770414 1851 Royal Commission Archives a b c d Lord Todd Biographical www nobelprize org Retrieved 27 January 2018 Kay Lily E 3 December 1992 The Molecular Vision of Life Caltech the Rockefeller Foundation and the Rise of the New Biology Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 028161 8 Archer Mary D Haley Christopher D 2005 The 1702 chair of chemistry at Cambridge transformation and change Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 82873 2 Chapter 9 Alexander Todd p 233 Todd Alexander 17 November 1983 A Time to Remember The Autobiography of a Chemist Cambridge University Press p 110 ISBN 0 521 25593 7 Conn Eric E 2008 Our Work with Cyanogenic Plants Annual Review of Plant Biology 59 1 19 doi 10 1146 annurev arplant 59 032607 092924 PMID 17988213 ChemNEWS FACULTY OF SCIENCE PDF The University of Sydney permanent dead link https pubs rsc org en content articlelanding 1940 jr jr9400000649 Alexander R Todd of Trumpington www nasonline org Retrieved 3 October 2022 Alexander Robertus Todd American Academy of Arts amp Sciences Retrieved 3 October 2022 APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved 3 October 2022 No 47362 The London Gazette 28 October 1977 p 13613 About Us World Cultural Council Retrieved 8 November 2016 Todd Alexander R 1949 Vitamins coenzymes and nucleotides a series of lectures presented at the University of Notre Dame on October 22 25 and 27 1948 Notre Dame Ind University of Notre Dame OCLC 6142088 Postdoc T Y Shen Honors his Wife MIT Department of Chemistry chemistry mit edu Archived from the original on 15 September 2015 Retrieved 27 January 2018 Nucleotide Co Enzymes A Study in Synthesis Berkeley Graduate Lectures gradlectures berkeley edu Retrieved 27 January 2018 No 40227 The London Gazette 9 July 1954 p 4026 No 42651 The London Gazette 17 April 1962 p 3185 Debrett s Peerage 1973 Further reading editReynolds David 2005 Christ s A Cambridge College Over Five Centuries Macmillan ISBN 0 333 98988 0 The Era of Todd Plumb and Snow by Sir David Cannadine External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander R Todd Obituary in the Independent Obituary in The New York Times Lord Todd on Nobelprize org nbsp including the Nobel Lecture 11 December 1957 Synthesis in the Study of Nucleotides Portraits of Alexander R Todd at the National Portrait Gallery London nbsp Interviews with Nobel Prize winning scientists Lord Alexander Todd British Broadcasting Corporation c 1985 Video of an interviewed with Lewis Wolpert Duration 37 minutes The Papers of Lord Todd held at Churchill Archives Centre Academic offices Preceded byWilliam Pope Professor of Organic Chemistry Cambridge University1944 1972 Succeeded byRalph Raphael Preceded byBrian Downs 32nd Master of Christ s College Cambridge1963 1978 Succeeded bySir John Plumb Professional and academic associations Preceded byAlan Lloyd Hodgkin 54th President of the Royal Society1975 1980 Succeeded byAndrew Huxley Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alexander R Todd amp oldid 1214748405, 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