Page 18 - Periodic Issue 04

A lumni

Science Fact and Fiction Chemistry, the DP and me

Hugh MacBride (Lincoln 1957) completed his BA and Dr Peter Dean (Jesus 1959) founded several companies,
DPhil at Oxford. He became a researcher and worked including Cambio Ltd, a molecular biology company
on steroids, including ‘the pill’ at BDH Chemicals for 2 specialising in technology transfer, after working in
years, followed by organic fluorine chemistry at Durham research for 15 years at the University of Liverpool.
for 5 years before moving to Sunderland Polytechnic for Now retired, he enjoys sculpture, model ship building
18 years. After taking early retirement from Sunderland and painting. A selection of recent work can be seen at
he continued to work on short research contracts at http://www.redbubble.com/people/drpeterdean
Durham for another 13 years. Now retired from from
the world of chemistry, Hugh writes science fiction When I was 10 years old, my mother equipped the spare
stories, including his latest book, Wormhunter (http:// room as a lab, enabling me to pursue an obsession that has
www.amazon.co.uk/Wormhunter-Hugh-MacBride- lasted for well over 60 years. My sister warned that I would
ebook/dpB01BZ8WQAM). Hugh shares some blow them all up any time soon which might have taught
memories of his time at Oxford Chemistry, and describes caution. The DP spectacularly caught fire whilst I was
a novel way to explain how NMR works. attending New College Choir School – nothing to do with
me! The nickname we had for the building was ‘the fire
I came up to Lincoln to read Chemistry in 1957, the house’; it must have triggered something in the young Dean
year after my National Service. My tutor at Lincoln was brain since I called in to Cameron’s the chemist in the High
Rex (later Sir Rex) Richards, and I did my Part II on at about this time and explained I needed a litre of conc.
nitrogen-heterocyclic chemistry under the supervision of sulphuric. The answer was ‘no problem’ and ‘would there
Ben Brown in the DP. I stayed with him for a DPhil. on be anything else?’ Conc. nitric and conc. hydrochloric,
flavonoid compounds, working in room 51, on the corridor came the reply. I cycled home with this precious load in
parallel to the front of the PCL. I used to visit my dig- glass bottles in a pannier bag with a big grin on my face.
mate, Peter Kolker in his lab, where he was working on a I knew from reading recipes that I could make almost
project involving NMR with Rex Richards. The NMR anything now.
that Rex had built in his research lab in the basement
had two rather tall steel stanchions on either side of the I applied to Jesus College to read chemistry and when I
magnet. There were two or three Australian Post-docs in arrived as a fresher, I thought the place must be paradise.
his lab and I recall seeing one of them, Ted Wells, sitting I rapidly got to grips with the chemistry course. Terry
at the spectrometer watching a green caterpillar crossing Cooper (Balliol) and I were friends and had read of the
the screen of his oscilloscope (an ex-radar CRT I imagine) exploits of HR Perkins in the DP. Apparently he had
with a spike for each resonance. An Australian voice completed the chemistry degree course in one year! Terry
from further down the lab called ‘What’s the score, Ted?’ and I discovered that a statute governing the provision of
There was a Test Match on. Ted turned a knob on his lessons in practical chemistry stated something to the effect
panel and the West Country tones of John Arlott, the that ‘demonstrators will be provided so long as students
cricket commentator, filled the lab describing a stroke just were there to receive instruction’. We spent as many hours
played and giving the score. I saw that Arlott’s voice came as we could completing the organic course and all our
from a small speaker fixed to the top of one of the magnet samples were submitted before the end of the first term
stanchions. Ted readjusted the knob to get the caterpillar in the DP. We must have been very unpopular with the
back. demonstrators, one of whom, Jeremy Knowles, was not
amused. At the end of term Professor Sir Ewart Jones’
This incident was useful when I had to teach the basic secretary asked us to go up to his lab immediately since he
principles of NMR, showing that the detector is essentially wished to have a few words! ‘What did we think we were
a radio receiver, and the frequency (at that time) not too doing and more importantly now we had done everything
different from broadcasting ones. required of us in practical organic chemistry outside of Part
II, what were the staff going to give us to do?’ The answer

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Periodic The Magazine of the Department of Chemistry