Sir George Porter shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1967 with his former teacher, Ronald G. W. Norrish, and Manfred Eigen for their contributions to the study of rapid chemical reactions. Porter's efforts included research on flash photolysis, which has been used widely in the fields of organic chemistry, biochemistry, and photobiology. Flash photolysis is a technique used in studies of ATP and muscle cell physiology that enables investigators to exam the rapid (millisecond) actions of cross-bridging, and the role of ATP (and ATPases) during muscle contraction.

Porter was born on December 6, 1920, to John Smith Porter and Alice Ann (Roebuck) Porter in Stainforth, West Yorkshire, where he received his early education at Thorne Grammar School. With the award of an Ackroyd Scholarship, he entered Leeds University in 1938 to study chemistry and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1941. While at Leeds he also studied radio physics and electronics...