Sir John Cadogan (1930 - 2020]#

Renowned Organic Chemist and a member of the Chemical sciences section of Academia Europaea, Sir John Cadogan, has died, aged 89.

Sir John was a Professor of Organic Chemistry. His specialist field was reaction mechanisms of organic compounds. He was the discoverer of the Cadogan reaction. His academic career took him to King’s College London, University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh.

In 1979, Cadogan joined the former British Petroleum Company as Chief Scientist in 1979 and shortly after became its first worldwide Director of Research. In 1994, he became the first Director General of Research Councils at the then Office of Science and Technology. From 1991-1993, he was a member of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice.

His achievements were many. He received the Meldola Medal from the Royal Institute of Chemistry and the Corday Morgan Medal awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Sir John was the Inaugural President of the Learned Society of Wales and was a past President of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He was knighted in 1991.

Sir John was elected to the Academia Europaea in 1990 making him one of the Academy’s earliest members.

Obituary, Royal Society of Chemistry.