| Authorised form of name | Richards; Sir; Rex Edward (1922 - 2019) |
| Dates | 1922 - 2019 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Colyton, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 28/10/1922 |
| Date of death | 15/07/2019 |
| Occupation | Chemist |
| Research field | Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) |
| Activity | Education:
Colyton grammar school; St John's College, Oxford, BA (1945), DPhil (1948)
Career:
(Science) Research on infrared spectroscopy; Fellow and Tutor in Chemistry, Lincoln College, Oxford (1947); Dr Lee's Professor of Chemistry (1964); Warden of Merton College (1969-1984); moved to the Department of Biochemistry (1969); Vice Chancellor, Oxford University (1977-1981); Chancellor, Exeter University (1982); Director, Leverhulme Trust (1984)
(Art) National Gallery Scientific Advisory Committee (1978-2007) Chairman (1991-1993); Founding member of the World Cultural Council (1981); Chairman of the British Postgraduate Medical Foundation (1986-1993); Trustee of the Tate Gallery (1982-1993) Trustee of the National Gallery (19821993); Trustee of the Henry Moore Foundation from (1989-2002) Chairman (1994-2001)
Honours:
Kt 1977
Memberships:
FBA; FRSC
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 19/03/1959 |
| Age at election | 36 |
| Royal Society activity | Royal Society roles:
Council: 1973-1975
Medals and prizes:
Davy Medal 1976; Royal Medal 1986 |
| Relationships | DPhil supervisor Harold Warris Thompson FRS. Doctoral supervisor of Ray Freeman FRS |
| General context | Rex was a distinguished chemist who pioneered the early use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to determine the molecular structure of various compounds. A leading figure in the design and development of NMR equipment, he contributed to the technique’s adoption in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
Rex was amongst the first researchers to investigate the properties of phosphorous resonances, whose use in analysing muscle extracts served as the foundation of clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Keen to pursue the potential biological applications of these new analytical techniques, Rex chaired a consortium of like-minded researchers known as the Oxford Enzyme Group from 1969 to 1984.
A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Rex was awarded a knighthood in 1977 for services to NMR spectroscopy. Amongst his numerous other honours, he received the Royal Society’s Davy and Royal Medals for his far-sighted scientific work. Rex had been a trustee of both the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery (two stints each) and also Chairman of the Henry Moore Foundation. |
| Sources | References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Richards_(chemist)
AssocMaterial:
NCUACS 12/5/89. Papers deposited in the Bodleian Library, Oxford |
| Royal Society code | NA1761 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| GLB/20/5 | Note from R E Richards regarding nominations to the Natural Science Club | November 1965 |
| IM/003808 | Richards, Sir Rex Edward | nd |
| GLB/20/6 | Note from R E Richards regarding special meeting of Natural Science Club on 14 October | 4 October 1966 |
| GLB/65/95/23 | R E Richards, Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford to Brown | 8 October 1967 |
| GLB/65/95/22 | R E Richards, Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford to Brown | June 1967 |
| GLB/65/95/20 | R E Richards, Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford to Brown | April 1967 |
| HWT/1/8 | 'Notes on a double-beam infra-red recording spectrometer' by Thompson, D H Whiffen, R E Richards, Oxford | June 1945 |
| WF/1132 | Grant application from the University of Oxford to the Wolfson Foundation | 16 June 1980 |
| RR/71/251 | Referee's report by Alfred Gordon Gaydon, on a paper 'Infra-red spectra and state of aggregation. II' by Rex Edward Richards and Harold Warris Thompson | 1948 |
| EC/1959/18 | Richards, Sir Rex Edward: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| RR/79/277 | Referee's report by Ronald George Wreyford Norrish, on a paper 'Energies of interaction and other properties of clathrate compounds' by Dennis Frederick Evans and Rex Edward Richards | 10 November 1953 |