John D. Roberts '41, Ph.D. '44

Bruin and influential organic chemist John D. Roberts '41, Ph.D. '44 died of a stroke on Oct. 29, 2016 at his home in Pasadena, California. He was 98.

In the 1950s, Roberts played a crucial role in the explosive growth of physical organic chemistry, a field that studies the reactivity of biological compounds. One notable contribution was in popularizing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which was developed by physicists, to understand chemical structures and reaction mechanisms. In addition to spectroscopy, Roberts helped popularize the use of isotopes as tracers to monitor where atoms move during chemical reactions.

He was a leader in understanding how organic reactions occurred, and he shared his techniques for the betterment of the scientific community.

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