Derek H. R. Barton had a long and distinguished career in several universities in different countries in the field of natural products chemistry. He was active in structure determination, synthesis, and biosynthesis of a number of complex molecules, and had a special interest in the invention of new and useful chemical reactions. However, he is primarily known for his brilliant understanding of the importance of geometry in the behavior of organic compounds. Barton shared the 1969 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Odd Hassel, a Norwegian physical chemist, Afor developing and applying the principles of conformation in chemistry, that is, for showing how the shapes of molecules determine their physical and chemical properties.

Derek Harold Richard Barton was born in Gravesend, Kent, England, on September 8, 1918. His grandfather and father were carpenters, and his father, William Thomas Barton, owned a successful lumberyard. Derek was able attend a good private school, but...