Meldola Medal, 1947 : Dr. J. Baddiley

Abstract

ON the recommendation of the Council of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Society of Maccabæans has awarded the Meldola Medal for 1947 to Dr. James Baddiley in recognition of the outstanding contributions he has made to knowledge in the field of nucleoside chemistry and related subjects. Educated at the Manchester Grammar School, Baddiley proceeded to the University of Manchester. Work with Prof. A. R. Todd on a synthetic approach to the study of nucleosides involved the development of new methods for the synthesis of purines and their 9-substituted derivatives and a general, unambiguous synthesis of 9-glycosidopurines. Application of these methods to the synthesis of 9-d-ribosidoadenine gave a product which differed only in the size of the sugar ring from the important naturally occurring nucleoside adenosine. He was awarded the degrees of M.Sc. (1942) and Ph.D. (1944) of the University of Manchester on the results of these investigations. After a period of work on penicillin chemistry under a grant from the Medical Research Council, he was awarded an I.C.I. fellowship and resumed work with Prof. Todd at Cambridge on the chemistry of the nucleotides, particularly those possessing coenzyme function. By the application of a new phosphorylating reagent, dibenzyl chlorophosphonate, muscle adenylic acid and adenosine diphosphate were synthesized from adenosine in good yield, thereby enabling these important biological substances to become more accessible for biochemical study and, at the same time, proving their structures beyond doubt. Since then, Dr. Baddiley has been engaged on a total synthesis of adenosine triphosphate and is at present spending a year at the Wenner Grens Institut, Stockholm, to extend his knowledge of nucleotides on the biological side and to acquire tracer technique for his future investigations. The Meldola Medal is the gift of the Society of Maccabseans and is normally awarded annually to the chemist who, being a British subject and less than thirty years of age, shows the most promise as indicated by his or her published chemical work.