Sir Derek Barton was a British chemist and is considered one of the greatest chemists of the twentieth century. In 1950 he was appointed Reader in Organic Chemistry at Birkbeck and in 1953, at the early age of 35, as Professor.

His studies revealed that organic molecules have a preferred three-dimensional form from which their chemical properties can be inferred. This research earned him the 1969 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, shared with Odd Hassel of Norway.

Barton’s scientific works in organic chemistry spanned 58 years and ranged over vast areas of the subject. He set himself a target to publish 1,000 research papers before the age of 80, and remarkably, but not surprisingly, achieved his goal.