Lindsay Heathcote Briggs

Last updated

Lindsay Heathcote Briggs
Born(1905-01-03)3 January 1905
Hastings, New Zealand
Died 16 January 1975(1975-01-16) (aged 70)
Auckland, New Zealand
Residence New Zealand
Alma mater Auckland University College
University of Oxford
Known for Contribution to the structure of strychnine; chemistry of New Zealand native plants
Awards Hector Medal (1943)
Scientific career
Fields Organic chemistry
Institutions University of Auckland
Thesis  (1932)
Doctoral advisor Robert Robinson

Lindsay Heathcote "Bob" Briggs (3 January 1905 – 16 January 1975) was a New Zealand organic chemist.

Contents

Early life

Born in Hastings in 1905, [1] Briggs was educated at Auckland Grammar School. [2]

Hastings, New Zealand City in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Hastings is a New Zealand city and is one of the two major urban areas in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The population of Hastings is 70,600, with 45,000 living in the contiguous city and Flaxmere, 13,950 in Havelock North, 2,210 in Clive, and the remainder in the peri-urban area around the city. Hastings is about 18 kilometres inland of the coastal city of Napier. These two neighbouring cities are often called "The Bay Cities" or "The Twin Cities". The combined population of the Napier-Hastings Urban Area is 134,500 people, which makes it the sixth-largest urban area in New Zealand, closely following Tauranga (141,600).

Auckland Grammar School state secondary school in New Zealand

Auckland Grammar School (AGS) is a state secondary school for years 9 to 13 boys in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of 2501 as of August 2018, including a number of boarders who live in nearby Tibbs' House, making it New Zealand's largest single-sex school and placing it among the six largest schools in the country.

Academic career

After graduating from Auckland University College with a Master of Science with second-class honours in 1928, [3] he received funding to research manuka oil the following year, [4] and undertook independent research at Massey Agricultural College from 1929 to 1930.

University of Auckland university in New Zealand

The University of Auckland is the largest university in New Zealand, located in the country's largest city, Auckland. It is the highest-ranked university in the country, being ranked 85th worldwide in the 2018/19 QS World University Rankings. Established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand, the university is made up of eight faculties; these are spread over six campuses. It has more than 40,000 students, and more than 30,000 "equivalent full-time" students.

Master of Science masters degree awarded for post-graduate study in the sciences, or occasionally social sciences

A Master of Science is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine and is usually for programs that are more focused on scientific and mathematical subjects; however, different universities have different conventions and may also offer the degree for fields typically considered within the humanities and social sciences. While it ultimately depends upon the specific program, earning a Master of Science degree typically includes writing a thesis.

<i>Leptospermum scoparium</i> species of plant

Leptospermum scoparium, commonly called mānuka, manuka, manuka myrtle, New Zealand teatree, broom tea-tree, or just tea tree, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, native to Australia and New Zealand.

He then went to the Dyson Perrins Laboratory at Oxford University for a PhD under Robert Robinson, investigating the chemical structure of strychnine. [1] He was awarded his doctorate in 1932 and returned to Auckland, where he was appointed as a lecturer in organic chemistry in 1933. [2]

Dyson Perrins Laboratory

The Dyson Perrins Laboratory is in the science area of the University of Oxford and was the main centre for research into organic chemistry of the University from its foundation in 1916 until its closure as a research laboratory in 2003. Until 2018, parts of the building were used as teaching laboratories in which undergraduate students were trained in practical organic chemistry.

Strychnine chemical compound

Strychnine is a highly toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the eyes or mouth, causes poisoning which results in muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia. While it has no known medicinal effects, in the past the convulsant effect was believed to be beneficial in small doses. The most common source is from the seeds of the Strychnos nux-vomica tree.

In 1941 he was awarded a DSc from Auckland University College. [3] He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1942 [5] and served as its president from 1956 to 1958. [6] He was awarded the Hector Medal by the society in 1943. [7]

He was also an active member of the Auckland University field club. [8]

Related Research Articles

Royal Society Te Apārangi academy of sciences

The Royal Society Te Apārangi is an independent, statutory not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities.

Martin Gerhardt Banwell, Hon.FRSNZ is an organic chemist specialising in biotransformations and natural product synthesis.

Peter Schwerdtfeger German chemist

Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger currently holds a chair in Theoretical Chemistry at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand, serves as Director of the Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, is the Deputy Director of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, and the past President of the New Zealand Alexander von Humboldt Association.

Ira James Cunningham (1905–1971) was a New Zealand researcher in trace element nutrition and animal science. He is best remembered as a past president of the New Zealand Veterinary Association.

Ralph O’Reilly Piddington was a New Zealand psychologist, anthropologist and university professor.

Warren Richard Roper FRS FRSNZ FNZIC is a New Zealand chemist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Auckland.

Margaret Brimble New Zealand chemist

Dame Margaret Anne Brimble is a New Zealand chemist. Her research has included investigations of shellfish toxins and means to treat brain injuries.

Richard Ellis Ford Matthews was a New Zealand plant virologist.

John Reader Hosking was a New Zealand natural products chemist.

William Percival Evans was a New Zealand chemistry academic who specialised in the study of local brown coals.

Francis Brian Shorland was a New Zealand organic chemist.

Edward Edinborough Chamberlain was a New Zealand plant pathologist.

Richard Conrad "Con" Cambie is a New Zealand natural products chemist known for his research into bioactive compounds.

Rod Bieleski New Zealand botanist and academic

Roderick Leon Bieleski was a New Zealand plant physiologist.

Peter Bernard David de la Mare was a New Zealand physical organic chemist.

Robert Dudley Jolly is a New Zealand veterinary academic, currently an emeritus professor at Massey University, specializing in animal pathology. Much of his research has been into animal models of human disease, including Batten's Disease and mannosidosis.

Edward Neill "Ted" Baker is a New Zealand scientist specialising in protein purification and crystallization and bioinformatics. He is currently a distinguished professor at the University of Auckland.

Jeffery Lewis Tallon is a New Zealand physicist specialising in high-temperature superconductors.

Christopher Alexander Hunter, FRS is a British chemist and academic. Since 2014, he has been Herchel Smith Professor of Organic Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry the University of Cambridge. His research is currently focused on molecular recognition. He was previously a lecturer at the University of Otago and a lecturer then professor at the University of Sheffield.

Michael Philip Hartshorn was a British-born New Zealand organic chemist. He was awarded the Hector Memorial Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1973.

References

  1. 1 2 McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Briggs, Lindsay Heathcote". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Chemistry lecturer". New Zealand Herald. 27 March 1933. p. 10. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "NZ university graduates 1870–1961: Bri–By" . Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Scientific research". Evening Post. 5 March 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "The academy: A–C". Royal Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand". Royal Society of New Zealand. 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Hector Medal". Royal Society of New Zealand. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  8. ↑ Millener, Laurie (1975). "Obituary – Professor L.H. Briggs" (PDF). Tane: The Journal of the Auckland University Field Club. 21: 175–176. Retrieved 20 August 2014.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.