Arthur J. Birch: To See the Obvious

Arthur Birch, esteemed Australian organic chemist, was Professor of Organic Chemistry at Manchester, England, before returning to his home country to help establish the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University, Canberra. He is most renowned for inventing and developing the "Birch Reduction" of aromatic ring systems which has been a mainstay in synthetic organic chemistry. His autobiography is rich in detailing his early schooling in the 1930s in Australia and his stu…