Donald Charlton Bradley

CBE FRS
Born(1924-11-07)7 November 1924
London, United Kingdom
Died20 December 2014(2014-12-20) (aged 90)
NationalityBritish
Alma materBirkbeck, University of London
Spouses
  • Joy Hazeldean (1948–1985 [her death])
  • Ann Levy (1990–2014 [his death])
Children
  • 1 son (with Joy Hazeldean)
  • 1 stepdaughter (from Ann Levy)
AwardsRoyal Medal
Scientific career
FieldsInorganic chemistry
Institutions
Doctoral advisorWilliam Wardlaw
Doctoral studentsMalcolm H. Chisholm

Donald Charlton Bradley CBE FRS, (1924–2014) was a British chemist who was recognized for his work on the chemistry of metal-alkoxides and metal-amides, their synthesis, structure and bonding, and for his studies of their conversions to metal-oxides and metal-nitrides.[1][2]

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. 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.[3] during which he studied zirconium alkoxide compounds [Zr(OR)4]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,[4] among others.

On 21 August 1959, Bradley, his wife and son sailed on the SS Maasdam from Southampton to Canada,[5] 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[6] and Paul de Mayo.[7][8]

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[9] 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.

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.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Bradley, Donald Charlton". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.109463. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ "Professor Donald Bradley FRS". Birjbeck, University of London. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Overend, W G (February 21, 1959). "Prof. W. Wardlaw, CBE". Nature. 183 (4660): 505. Bibcode:1959Natur.183..505O. doi:10.1038/183505a0. S2CID 4269138.
  4. ^ Bray, John (2002). Innovation and the Communications Revolution: From the Victorian Pioneers to Broadband Internet. The Institution of Engineering and Technology. pp. 236–37.
  5. ^ UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960, Ancestry
  6. ^ "Frederick (Fred) Lewis Maitland PATTISON". yourlifemoments.ca. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Paul de Mayo (Post doctoral mentor)" (PDF). Department of Chemistry, University of Miami. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "History of the Department of Chemistry". Western University. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Professor Michael B Hursthouse: Emeritus Professor". University of Southampton. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Thomas, Sir John Meurig (March 13, 2015). "Professor Donald Bradley: One of Britain's foremost inorganic chemists". The Independent. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
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