Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of
SIR REX EDWARD RICHARDS FRS
(521922)
Compiled by Peter Harper and Timothy E Powell
All rights reserved
University of Bath
Deposited in the Bodleian Library, Oxford
1989
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The work of the National Cataloguing Unit for
the Archives of Contemporary Scientists, and the
production of this catalogue, are made possible by
the support of the following societies and organisations:
Biochemical Society
British Library
The City of Bath
The Geological Society
The Institute of Physics
Pergamon Books
The Royal Society
The Royal Society of Chemistry
The Society of Chemical Industry
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NOT ALL THE MATERIAL IN THE COLLECTION
IS YET AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION.
ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE
FIRST INSTANCE TO:
BODLEIAN LIBRARY
THE KEEPER OF WESTERN MANUSCRIPTS
OXFORD
R
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LIST OF CONTENTS
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
SECTION
NOTEBOOKS
SECTION
RESEARCH
SECTION
LECTURES AND PUBLICATIONS
SECTION
SECTION
SECTION
SECTION
CORRESPONDENCE
VISITS AND CONFERENCES
SOCIETIES AND ORGANISATIONS
INDEX OF INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS AND FIRMS
SECTION
BIOGRAPHICAL
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GENERAL INTRODUCTION
PROVENANCE
The papers were received in November 1987 and June and
November 1988 from Sir Rex Richards.
OUTLINE OF THE CAREER OF R
E RICHARDS
Rex Edward Richards was born in Colyton, Devon in 1922.
He was educated at the local grammar school and St John's College
Oxford.
He graduated with First Class Honours in 1945 and undertook
research on infrared spectroscopy with H
W (later Sir Harold) Thompson
Department of Biochemistry.
He served as the Vice Chancellor of Oxford
University for the period 1977-81.
In 1984 Richards gave up both the
Hinshelwood as Dr Lee's Professor of Chemistry.
He became Warden of
obtaining his D.Phil. in 1948.
In 1947 he was elected a Fellow and
spectroscopy.
He was one of the early workers in the field after the
Richards's research focussed on nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr)
Merton College in 1969 when he transferred his research to the
Warden's Lodgings and the research laboratory to become Director of the
Tutor in Chemistry at Lincoln College and in 1964 succeeded Sir Cyril
Richards and a number of colleagues from eight scientific departments
of nmr, a change of direction facilitated by the move to the Biochemistry
war and has been at the forefront of the application of nmr techniques
equipment.
In the 1960s he became interested in biological applications
Department and the development of new nmr instruments using super-
conducting magnets.
In 1969
(the year of the move to Biochemistry)
Leverhulme Trust.
Since 1982 he has been Chancellor of Exeter University.
to chemical problems and a leader in the design and development of nmr
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formed the Oxford Enzyme Group, a consortium of researchers from
different disciplines who agreed to contribute a significant part
of their research effort to a collaborative venture.
Richards
was the chairman of the Enzyme Group from its beginning until 1984.
Richards's scientific achievements have been recognised
with numerous honours and awards.
In 1954 he received the Corday-
Morgan Medal of the Chemical Society and in 1977 the Chemical Society
Award in Theoretical Chemistry and Spectroscopy.
He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society in 1959 and awarded its Davy Medal in
1976 and a Royal Medal in 1986.
He received a Knighthood in the
Queen's Jubilee Honours List in 1977.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Contents.
There is good documentation of Richards's research and
lectures on nmr and an extensive scientific correspondence.
Section A,
Notebooks, brings together research notes, student
records and notes and drafts for lectures in this format.
It includes
The material is presented in the order given in the List of
first year undergraduate essays written for H
W Thompson and,from the
period of Richards's Research Fellowship at Harvard 1955, lectures by
a Colyton Grammar School notebook with sixth form physics experiments,
It includes early work with
Research, presents the material relating to Richards's
E
M Purcell on nuclear magnetism.
Section B,
scientific research not in notebook format.
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H
W Thompson on penicillin as well as the later nmr work.
Oxford
Enzyme Group papers are not presented here.
They will form a separate
collection for deposit in the Bodleian Library.
Section C,
Lectures and publications,
presents lectures
material not in notebook format and material relating to Richards's
publications and editorial responsibilities.
Documentation of his
own publications is slight with the exception of the second (1964)
edition of Numerical problems in advanced physical chemistry, prepared
with J
H Wolfenden and E
E Richards.
Section D,
Oxford, is very slight but includes material
relating to the Natural Science Club of which Richards was secretary
for many years until 1976.
Section E,
Societies and organisations, documents Richards's
association with nineteen British organisations including the Advisory
Board for the Research Councils,.the Advisory Council for Applied
lectures.
which he advised on nmr.
The Royal Society material includes comprehensive
Research and Development, the Chemical Society and the Royal Society,
responsible for organising Royal Society discussion meetings and review
records of Richards's chairmanship of its Hooke Committee, the committee
and one European organisation, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
conferences, especially in America.
material relating to
a visit to the USSR in 1963 and a number of nmr
Section F,
Visits and conferences, is very slight but includes
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Section G,
Correspondence, is the largest in the collection.
Richards's correspondence files relate principally to his undergraduate
chemistry students at Lincoln and those who researched in various
There are also important sequences
capacities in his laboratory.
of correspondence with manufacturers of nmr equipment including the
Perkin-Elmer Corporation and Varian associates.
Section H,
Biographical, presents material for a 'profile'
of Richards's career.
asked to consider but declined, including a Harvard Professorship
There is also documentation for posts he was
in 1956.
Photographs are also presented in this Section.
There is
an index of individuals, societies, organisations
and firms.
LOCATION OF OTHER MATERIAL
The Science Museum London has the following nuclear magnetic
resonance equipment and laboratory notebooks:
1976- 652:
comprising cast iron yoke and six hand coils
Electromagnet for nuclear magnetic resonance experiments,
(4 original and 2 later)
constructed by Richards ca 1951-53.
Richards who used it for practical demonstrations, ca 1956.
1980- 649:
magnetic resonance experiments outside the US built by Mullards for
1976= 653:
and co-worker during construction of nuclear magnetic resonance
Two manuscript laboratory notebooks, compiled by Richards,
spectrometer, ca 1953.
Prototype of the first permanent magnet used for nuclear
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1988- 621:
magnetic resonance made by Mullards for Richards, 1959-60.
First permanent magnet for high resolution nuclear
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are very grateful to Sir Rex Richards for making the
material available, and for his advice and encouragement.
Peter Harper
Timothy E Powell
Bath 1989
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SECTION A
NOTEBOOKS
Research
Student records
Lectures
RESEARCH
Colyton Grammar School exercise book.
sixth form physics experiments dated 1940-41.
back, calculations of thermodynamic functions of halogenated
hydrocarbons,
back
postmark dated 17 June 1947.
is postcard from P Torkington, with
(RER, August 1989).
(as loose item)
From the front,
From the
At the
1946/7
"Undergraduate Essays written for HWT'.
ring binder so inscribed.
Contents of
December 1943'
W
(later Sir
term 1941 through
The topics are:
'Photochemistry';
and ‘Surface films’.
The
‘The quantum theory';
He missed the Michaelmas
The arrangement of the essays is by topic and
Notebook incribed 'Rex E Richards.
and 'Practical Physical Chemistry’.
undergraduate work, 1942-44.
These are the essays Richards wrote for H
Harold)Thompson in the Hilary and Trinity terms 1942,
his first year as an undergraduate at St John's College,
Oxford.
illness.
therefore not strictly chronological.
'The phase rule';
"Radioactivity and isotopes';
first essay Richards wrote for Thompson is missing from the
binder.
though the arrangement is not strictly chronological.
The notebook is paginated 1-306 (not all pages used) with
a contents list on ppv.1-2,
between 20 December 1943
Notebook inscribed 'Rex E Richards
Notes.
and there are entries dated
Undated but probably
St John's Coll, Oxon.
(p.4)
and 27 May 1946
(p.266)
St John's College'
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AA COnL. Gd...
Notebooks
Chemistry Part II and postgraduate work.
on 'secret' penicillin work 1944-45 (pp.200-219) and notes
on postgraduate lecture and seminar by C
(pp = 166,) 222) -
A Coulson, 1946.
Includes notes
Notebook incribed 'Rex E Richards
Oxon.
August 1944'
Results.
St. “Jonhnis!Coll.,
Unpaginated notebook (many pages unused) kept as daily
diary of Chemistry Part II and postgraduate work between
27 August 1944 and 17 July 1946, including work on penicillin
The diagram opposite entry
and specimens of German rubber.
for 29 September 1944 relates to Richards's
first published
scientific paper
for melted solids', Trans. Faraday Soc.,
back are lists of 'compounds used and studied with details
of source, melting point etc.'
W Thompson), ‘An Absorption cell
From the
(with H
1944.
W Thompson, D
- 134 with many pages unused.
The notebook is paginated 1
There is an incomplete contents list at the front.
"Notes on a double-beam infra-red recording spectrometer'
by H
H Whiffen and Richards, Oxford, June 1945.
Notes 10/2/45' with
Notebook inscribed 'Rex E. Richards.
later (June 1988) ms note by Richards 'Part II Chemistry'.
The work was carried out under the auspices of the Hydrocarbon
Research Group of the Institute of Petroleum.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Stirling University, 1965-73.
Cottrell was seconded from ICI to do research at the Physical
He was later Professor
Chemistry Laboratory Oxford, 1946-48.
of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, 1959-66 and first
Notebook inscribed 'Mathematics
1946-47.
Tom Cottrell’.
In
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Notebooks
Notebook inscribed 'Tom Cottrell, Rex Richards, Eva Vago
[later Richards], Roy Hill.
Wave Mechanics.
Examples
in Pauling and Wilson'.
in Oxford, 1946-48.
Undated but from Cottrell's time
Cottrell, Richards, Vago and Hill decided to solve the
problems in Pauling and Wilson's Introduction to Quantum
Mechanics and this notebook records their solutions.
The solution to the one problem they failed to solve was
provided by D
H Whiffen and enclosed in the book.
Notebook inscribed 'Rex E Richards'.
in use between late 1940s and mid 1950s.
Undated but probably
Richards has identified in the notebook 'calibrations of
oscillations etc for lst NMR machine c.1949' and
‘raw data
on NMR in xtals middle 50s'
(June 1988).
The notebook is paginated 1
and a contents list at the front.
- 113 with many pages unused,
There are notes ona
and
(p.55).
Ledger-type notebook.
1950s.
Undated but probably in use early
Notebook inscribed 'Rex E Richards'.
in use in the early 1950s.
Undated but probably
There are notes on bond contractions and clathrate compounds.
Only a few pages used.
seminar given by B Bleaney on nuclear resonance (p-51)
notes relating to papers on clathrate compounds published
by Richards in 1954
See also F.1-F.3.
From the front are scientific notes made after various
discussions, ideas about how to improve homogeneity of
magnets, etc.
and on visit to USSR 1963.
Pages from notebook dating from Richards's first visit to
America in 1955.
From the back are notes on ideas for research
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Notebooks
Spiral notebook inscribed 'Rex Richards.
Lowell.
H220
The notebook was used during Richards' visit to Harvard
January - July 1955.
in 1958
1961.
(work on strongly coupled NMR spectra), 1960 and
There are also later entries dated
"Daybook' kept by R Freeman for postgraduate work in the
Freeman
Physical Chemistry Laboratory Oxford, 1955-56.
was one of Richards's most distinguished research students.
In 1987 he became John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Magnetic
Resonance at Cambridge University.
Notebook inscribed 'Rex Richards'.
In use 1964-66.
Work on nuclear electron magnetic resonance.
draft by D
or more spins' with corrections and additions by Richards.
S Natusch on ‘interactions in systems of
Includes
3
F
Spiral notebook inscribed 'Rex Richards’.
during visit to USA.
In use in 1966
Notebook records conversations with scientists in America
including E Poindexter, M Cohn and R Freeman, and design
of first superconducting magnet.
It was used later for draft on biological applications of
NMR ‘probably to the last conference on spectroscopy
organised by the Institute of Petroleum', held Durham 1976.
are included.
The notebook records contributions of conference participants
at Meriden and conversations with colleagues at Harvard and
Berkeley.
Richards attended a Gordon Research Conference on Magnetic
Resonance, Meriden, New Hampshire, 19 -
visited Harvard and Berkeley.
Spiral notebook inscribed 'Rex Richards'.
during visit to USA.
Gordon conference programme, list of participants
In use in 1967
23 June, and then
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STUDENT RECORDS
Notebooks
Notebook inscribed 'Rex E Richards T.T. 1947'.
In 1947 Richards became Fellow and Chemistry Tutor at
Lincoln College Oxford and the notebook was used to record
progress of students and topics covered.
dated by terms, various dates 1947-55.
are typescript list of essay titles and final examination
papers.
The notes are
Also included
LECTURES
A.19 - A.28
Oxford undergraduate lectures
A.29:'
- A.35
Invitation and visiting lectures
A.36
Lectures by E
M Purcell
Oxford undergraduate lectures
Spiral notebook inscribed 'Rex E Richards Lecture Notes 1948".
Bibliographic references show that notebook continued in use
into early 1950s.
Nd.
Same format notebook inscribed ‘Scholarship results
R
resonance.
Same format notebook inscribed 'Vectors. Lectures 1954.
R
E Richards'.
E Richards, Lincoln' but containing lectures on magnetic
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Notebooks
Small format spiral notebook 'Lecture Notes 2'.
between Hilary Term 1949 and 1951 (latest bibliographic
reference).
In use
Small format notebook containing brief notes for lecture
course on methods of studying strengths of chemical bonds.
Latest bibliographic reference 1952.
Notebook inscribed 'Rex Richards 16/2/61'
Contents include physical chemistry course for undergraduate
freshmen.
Notebook inscribed 'Lecture Notes 1964'.
The first page is headed 'Physical Chemistry Book 2'.
Notebook containing notes for magnetic resonance lectures 1967.
Spiral notebook containing notes for magnetochemistry
lectures.
in 1965;
Nd but preprint amongst loose items is dated
Notebook containing notes for course on nuclear magnetic
resonance, 1965.
Includes at front, magnetic resonance lecture synopsis, Hilary
Term, 1970 and at rear, diagram illustrating transmitter
principle.
continued
A.29
Spiral notebook inscribed '1971 - 1973'.
Invitation and visiting lectures
Notes and drafts for the following lectures:
"Spin relaxation in liquids', Cambridge, April 1971.
"Spin echoes at high fields', Keele, April 1971.
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Aw29
RICHARDS, Rex Edward
Published: 20 November, 2023 Author: admin