Birch, Arthur John (1915 - 1995)

Summary

Arthur Birch was Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Australian National University (ANU) from 1967. Prior to working at ANU Birch was at Oxford (1938-1948), Cambridge (1948-1952), the University of Sydney (1952-1955), and Manchester University (1955-1967). He received many honours including the H.G. Smith Medal, A.E. Leighton Memorial Award and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the ANZAAS Medal and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). His outstanding research contributions include the his studies of synthetic applications of diene iron tricarbonyl complexes, the Birch reduction of aromatic compounds by sodium and ethanol in liquid ammonia, his polyketide theory of the biosynthesis of natural products.

The A. J. Birch Medal has been awarded by the Organic Chemistry Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute since 1992. The main building of the Research School of Chemistry at ANU was named the Birch Building in his honour in1995.

Details

Chronology

1937

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney

1938

Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Sydney

1938 - 1948

Award - 1851 Exhibition Overseas Scholarship and ICI Fellow, studied at University of Oxford, UK

1940

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), University of Oxford

1948 - 1952

Career position - Smithson Fellow, The Royal Society, University of Cambridge, UK

1952 - 1955

Career position - Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Sydney

1954

Award - H. G. Smith Memorial Medal, Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1954 - 1995

Award - Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1955 - 1967

Career position - Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK

1958 - 1995

Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)

1960

Award - Fritsche (Gunther) Award for Terpene Chemistry, American Chemical Society

1960 - 1995

Award - Fellow, Royal Institute of Chemistry (Chartered Chemist)

1967 - 1970

Career position - Dean of the Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University

1967 - 1980

Career position - Foundation Professor of Organic Chemistry, Australian National University

1968 - 1995

Award - Fellow, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI)

1972

Award - Davy Medal, The Royal Society, London

1972

Award - Flintoff Medal, Chemical Society, United Kingdom

1972

Award - Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Science

1972

Award - Purkyne Award for Contributions to Biochemistry, Czechoslovak Medical Society

1973 - 1976

Career position - Dean of the Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University

1974

Award - Archibald Liversidge Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales

1977

Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, University of Sydney

1977

Career position - Chair of the Independent Inquiry into CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)

1977 - 1978

Career position - President, Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1979

Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in recognition of service to science

1979

Career position - Founding Chair of the Australian Marine Sciences and Technologies Advisory Committee

1980

Award - Leighton Memorial Medal, Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1980 - 1995

Award - Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, United Kingdom

1982

Award - DSc honoris causa, University of Manchester

1982

Award - DSc honoris causa, Monash University

1982

Award - Natural Products Award, Royal Society of Chemistry, United Kingdom

1982 - 1986

Career position - President, Australian Academy of Science

1986 - 1995

Award - Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales

1987

Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in recognition of service to science, particularly in the field of organic chemistry

1989 - 1995

Award - Foreign Fellow, Indian National Academy of Science

1990

Award - ANZAAS Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

1994 - 1995

Award - Honorary Fellow, Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1995

Award - Naming of the main building of the Research School of Chemistry as Birch Building

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Arthur John Birch - Records, 1961 - 1996, MS 121; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details

Books

• Birch, Arthur, To See the Obvious (Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 1995), 297 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Slaytor, Michael, 'Birch, Arthur John (1915-1995), organic chemist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 19: 1991 - 1995 A-Z, Melanie Nolan, ed. (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2021), pp. 60-61, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/birch-arthur-john-109. Details

Edited Books

• Birch, A. J.; and Kaye, M. J. eds, Australia 75: the other arts: science, invention, technology (Canberra: Australia '75 Science Committee, 1975), 59 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Birch, A. J., 'Sir Robert Robinson: a Contemporary historical assessment and a personal memoir', Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 109 (3/4) (1976), 151-160. Details
• Birch, Arthur J., 'Investigating a Scientific Legend: the Tropinone Synthesis of Sir Robert Robinson, FRS', Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, 47 (1993), 277-296. Details
• Rae, Ian D., 'Appointing a Professor: Reflections on Filling the Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Sydney in 1948', Historical Records of Australian Science, 18 (1) (2007), 19-42, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR07001. Details
• Rae, Ian D., 'The Roche Research Institute of Marine Pharmacology, 1974-1981: Searching for Drug Leads', Historical Records of Australian Science, 20 (2) (2009), 209-231 , https://doi.org/10.1071/HR09013. Details
• Rickards, Rodney W.; and Cornforth, John, Sir, 'Arthur John Birch 1915-1995', Historical Records of Australian Science, 18 (2) (2007), 243-280, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR07010. Details
• Walker, Rosanne, 'Arthur Birch: the Grandfather of the Contraceptive Pill', Australasian Science, 20 (6) (1999), 46. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q708668. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/20487946. Details
• 'Birch, A J (19150803-19951208)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-507565. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Birch, Arthur John - Ms 121', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms121.html. Details
• 'Arthur Birch - grandfather of the contraceptive pill', in The 1997 Australian Science Festival, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/other/asf_scientists.htm#arthur. Details
• 'Obituary - Arthur Birch', in Annual Report 1996, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/pubs/reports/1996/ar96_9.htm#ArthurBirch. Details

See also

• Aroney, M. J.; Buckingham, A. D., 'Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre 1905-1986', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (3) (1988), 273-297. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9880730273. Details