Arthur John Birch AC CMG FRS FAA was one of the great organic chemists of the twentieth century. He held chairs at the Universities of Sydney and Manchester and at the Australian National University in Canberra, and was President of the Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅ from 1982 to 1986. His outstanding research contributions include the Birch reduction of aromatic compounds by sodium and ethanol in liquid ammonia, his polyketide theory of the biosynthesis of natural products, and his studies of synthetic applications of diene iron tricarbonyl complexes.
Arthur John Birch AC CMG FRS FAA was one of the great masters of organic chemistry of the twentieth century. His extra ordinary creativity left its imprint across the breadth of the subject in its broadest sense, from synthesis to biochemistry to organometallic chemistry. He remains best known for the reaction that bears his name, the Birch reduction of aromatic compounds by solutions of sodium and ethanol in liquid ammonia. This process has wide application, most notably in the commercial synthesis of oral contraceptives, giving rise to his being called βthe father of the pillβ, although he himself preferred the more remote βgrandfatherβ relationship. His polyketide theory, which accounts for the biosynthetic origins of a wide range of natural products, is less widely acknowledged today simply because it has become absorbed into the accepted knowledge base of the subject. His final researches on the use of diene iron tricarbonyl derivatives in synthesis are equally distinguished and have prompted others to extend their application. During his career he was involved in the design of three new university chemistry buildings, one of which now bears his name, and contributed influential advice to governments on national science policies.
The authors of this memoir knew Arthur Birch from complementary perspectives. Rod Rickards was as an undergraduate at the University of Sydney when he first met him in 1954, on a crowded evening tram going home down George Street. Banter with a fellow student suggested that the unknown Professor of Organic Chemistry was quite a lad, who worked on things like sex hormones. A quiet voice alongside them said, βYou want to be careful what you say on these trams, you never know whom you are sitting next to. β It was immediately apparent who sat alongside them. The Professor was undoubtedly more amused than the petrified students and, at a post-retirement symposium in his honour in Canberra in 1981, Birch recounted the incident with glee. In between these events Rod attended Birchβs undergraduate lectures, became one of his research students initially in Sydney and then in Manchester, and one of his staff in Manchester and Canberra. Finally he had the sad honour of speaking at his funeral.
John Cornforth was a year behind Birch at the University of Sydney and followed him to Robinsonβs laboratory at Oxford. He married Rita Harradence, Birchβs contemporary at Sydney, who also went to Oxford one year after Birch. The three were lifelong friends.
Early Years
Arthur Birch was born in Sydney on 3 August 1915, the only child of Arthur Spencer Birch and Lily Bailey. His father was born in Northamptonshire, England, left school at the age of 12 years and home at 14, and then lived in Canada, Fiji and New Zealand, where he met Lily. Lily was born in central Tasmania but had emigrated to New Zealand at 27 years of age, and was 37 when they married. Arthur was born a year later, after the couple moved to Sydney. His father became a pastry chef at a major Sydney hotel, and later was manager of Woolworthβs cafeterias. Arthur βsauntered carelessly through primary schoolβ in the suburb of Woollahra but became interested in science. His father encouraged this with some apparatus and books bought with a legacy from an aunt, and Arthur βtaught himself organic chemistryβ from about the age of 12 years. With his father now ailing, he was selected to go to the renowned Sydney Technical High School, where he did well academically while pursuing his own initiatives.
Chemistry initially fascinated him aesthetically rather than intellectually, although in later years he was clearly moved by the intellectual βhighsβ that came from being the first to see and understand fundamental truths of chemical and biological behaviour. The beautiful natural product chemistry of the Australian bush intrigued him, with its range of odours from eucalypt trees, brilliant flower colours, and strange coloured resins exuding from the trunks of eucalypts and grass trees. He was to return to all these themes in due course as a scientist.
Career Path
Sydney 1933β1938
The University of Sydney, the oldest in Australia, was then the only university in the state of New South Wales, with about 3000 students. Its first Professor of Organic Chemistry was Robert (later Sir Robert) Robinson from 1913 to 1915. In his final school examination in 1932 Arthur Birch was ranked third in Chemistry in the state, winning a Public Exhibition exempting him from university fees. His rivals included Rita Harradence, later to become Lady Cornforth, who topped the state. These were the years of the Depression. His father was declining and died in 1937, so his family could offer him little more than accommodation. To pursue his desire to learn he washed bricks, coached other students, and won the only scholarship available at the end of his first year. The Sydney Chemistry Department in the 1930s lacked resources and ready access to the international chemical world, but its undergraduates were rich in talent and made their own fortunes. Birchβs competition with Rita Harradence continued and, on graduation at the end of their honours year in 1936, they were to share the University Medal in Chemistry. Ern Ritchie (later professor at the University of Sydney) was in the same year, Allan Maccoll (professor at University College London) was a year ahead, and a year behind were John Cornforth (Nobel Laureate) and Ron (later Sir Ronald) Nyholm (also professor at University College London).
Birchβs formal entry into research began in his fourth year, the honours year in the Sydney system. His Honours and MSc supervisor, Professor J. C. Earl, gave him a bottle of Eucalyptus dives leaf oil, a by-product of piperitone production, and then went on sabbatical leave. The result was five publications, four with Birch as sole author, on monoterpene natural products. The schoolboyβs interests were bearing fruit. In 1938, he was awarded a scholarship of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to study for a doctorate degree in England. No PhD degrees were awarded in Australia then, and there were few opportunities for those with such degrees, so he chose to work with Robert Robinson in Oxford and sailed from Sydney as World War II developed in Europe.
Oxford 1938β1948
Birchβs ten years at Oxford, 1938β1948, were not normal years for anyone alive at that time. A letter from him, written shortly after he started work at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory (DP), expressed pleasure at the ready availability of chemicals and disgust at the quality of the apparatus and equipment. Robinson had given him a problem of synthesis based on a speculation, later found to be baseless, that the peculiar lipids of mycobacteria contained fatty acids doubly branched at the positions next to the carboxyl group. Methods for the preparation, separation and handling of such compounds were largely undeveloped at the time. Birch did a creditable job with the preparation and gained his DPhil from the work in 1940. He never worked with fatty acids again. His predoctoral years were darkened by the approach and outbreak of the war in Europe.
Oxford was never bombed, and workers in the DP shared the life of most civilians in Britain: the blacked-out nights, the multifarious shortages and the resulting queues (even for films), the nutritionally adequate but uninteresting food (someone mistranslated the motto Alchymista spem alit aeternam above the DP entrance as βEternal Spam nourishes the chemistβ) and, for the first two years and more, the increasingly ominous news. In practice, people adapted: finding, for example, the Zionist restaurant that could make boiled red cabbage palatable by cooking it with vinegar and a little spice, or the pub that sporadically dispensed draught cider. Birch joined the Home Guard (βDadβs Armyβ); his autobiography (460) comments on it with characteristic wry humour.
Robinson was soon involved with numerous committees directing the contribution of science to the countryβs war effort. He could not devote much time to his students and he had no deputy. This meant that students were unusually free to follow their own ideas: this was excellent for those who could think for themselves and learn from their work and from interaction with able peers, but less so for those who expected to be taught.
A certain amount of support was available for post-doctoral workers and after his DPhil Birch became, mysteriously, an ICI employee to whom a government grant was funnelled. His brief was to synthesize analogues of steroid hormones. His autobiography (460) gives a fascinating account of the complications caused by his success (ICI was bound by cartel agreements, and Robinson was bound by a promise to send all samples for testing to Sir Charles Dodds). That work, by that recalcitrant junior, laid the foundation for what is today an immense industry.
In 1941, Cornforth assembled some indications from the literature and showed that 2-methoxynaphthalene could be reduced by sodium in boiling ethanol to an enol ether readily hydrolysed by acids to 2-tetralone. A paper recording this procedure and some developments was published (with Rita Cornforth and Robinson) (Cornforth et al. 1942). Birch saw how much more useful this discovery could be if it could be applied to benzenes, which are less easily reducible than naphthalenes. He searched the literature and found an initially fortuitous discovery by C. B. Wooster in 1937 (Wooster and Godfrey 1937, Wooster 1939) that benzene, toluene and methoxybenzene could be reduced to dihydro derivatives by sodium and ethanol in liquid ammonia. Early in 1943, Birch tried this procedure with methoxybenzene. Physical techniques were primitive in those days, and chemistry was often needed to find out what was happening. He added a little of his reaction product to a solution of dinitrophenylhydrazine in hydrochloric acid. A slowly developing crystalline yellow precipitate dissolved when the mixture was heated and was redeposited as beautiful orange-red crystals. That test-tube experiment said it all: the addition of hydrogen was necessarily to the 2- and 5-positions of methoxybenzene. The enol ether group was hydrolysed by the acid to cyclohex-3-enone and thence by slower isomerisation to cyclohex-2enone, each of which formed its characteristic coloured derivative with the hydrazine. The Birch reduction was born (15). Birch spent much time, despite Robinsonβs disapproval, exploring and developing the reaction.
The most direct application of the new method to the preparation of steroid hormone analogues was the conversion of oestradiol glyceryl ether into 19nortestosterone by way of an unconjugated isomer (41). Robinson provided only 0. 5 g of oestrone and refused a further supply when the first experiments showed practical difficulties. The situation was saved by Gilbert Stork, who generously gave Birch 5 g of oestrone. 19Nortestosterone proved to be a potent anabolic androgen, and the unconjugated isomer was an oestrogen. Part of the enormous importance of these artificial hormone mimics is that variations in structure can lead to specific biological effects, whereas with natural hormones effects are sometimes multiple and influenced by transformations in vivo.
Although the Birch reduction was certainly his principal achievement at Oxford, Birch made several contributions to some of Robinsonβs schemes for steroid synthesis, including a widely applicable method for introduction of angular methyl groups.
Almost the last event of Birchβs Oxford days was his marriage to Jessie Williams, an event seen by all his friends as the best thing that could have happened to him.
Cambridge 1949β1952
In January 1949, Birch moved to Cambridge University as Smithson Fellow of the Royal Society. This appointment carried prestige, reasonable remuneration, and an independence that unfortunately precluded him from receiving university research support other than through the generosity of Sir Alexander (later Lord) Todd, who was a good friend to Birch on several occasions and whose opinion Birch respected greatly, especially on administrative matters. Todd allocated him Herchel Smith as a PhD student, a fortunate event that would later have major ramifications. In contrast to Oxford, the Cambridge laboratory facilities were excellent, and they made good progress with steroid synthesis directed towards androgenic and progestational hormones.
By Birchβs own admission, however, he was at that time becoming rather bored with synthesis, and the surrounding research projects of Todd and others reawakened his interest in natural products. Initially this found expression in deducing the correct structures of published natural products, and in collaborating with others to define the structures of new compounds. Much more significant for the subsequent development of organic chemistry, however, was his increasing interest in biosynthesis, the detailed process whereby natural products are formed by enzymes in living systems. This would become Birchβs second major contribution to science.
Alone after her husbandβs death, Birchβs mother Lily had followed him to Oxford in 1939. During the progressive development of Parkinsonβs disease, Birch had cared for her largely on his own, until the advent of Jessie Williams as her nurse in 1947. Lily Birch accompanied the newly married couple to Cambridge, and died there in 1951. In the same year, Birch was invited to accept the Chair of Organic Chemistry at his alma mater, The University of Sydney, and with his wifeβs concurrence he decided to accept this challenge. After fourteen years absence he was homesick for Australia, and it would be a better place in which to bring up their three young children than post-war Britain.
Sydney 1952β1955
In 1952, Birch returned to Sydney to take up his first tenured academic appointment, as Professor of Organic Chemistry and Head of Department in a chemistry school of nearly 1000 students, with little teaching and less administrative experience. The chair had been vacant for several years, even its continued existence the subject of university controversy. The Depression and war years had passed, but the Department still lacked resources and international contacts. The laboratories in sandstone buildings around the Vice-Chancellorβs quadrangle (βthe vice quadβ) were ancient and poorly equipped. Spectroscopy was limited to a manually driven ultraviolet spectrometer, and the small bottle of the novel solvent tetrahydrofuran could be used only if 90% could be recovered. The state government provided finance for a new building by mistake, confusing chemistry with pharmacy, but honoured its public commitment. This was the first of three such building designs with which Birch was to be involved, although the building itself was not erected until after his departure from Sydney in 1955.
The research projects chosen had to make the most of these facilities, in the hands of research students who mostly did only honours or masters degrees. Those who wanted to pursue a doctorate still usually went to England, although it was now possible in Sydney. Birchβs classic publication on the biosynthesis of phenolic natural products, βStudies in relation to biosynthesis. Part 1β, embodying ideas developed largely in Cambridge, was published by the Australian Journal of Chemistry in 1953 (56), having been rejected by the Journal of the Chemical Society on the grounds that it lacked experimental support. Proof of the hypothesis required the radiolabelled compounds that were now becoming available as a result of developments in isotope technology during the war. With financial assistance from the Nuffield and Rockefeller Foundations to buy 14C labelled acetate and to train students in its use, the first experimental support for the acetate hypothesis was presented in 1955. These students were shortly to follow their supervisor to England.
Birch also accomplished some structural work on natural products and some synthetic chemistry in Sydney, but the research environment was too restrictive. In 1954, he was elected a Fellow of the newly formed Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅. In 1955, he declined an offer of a foundation chemistry chair in the Research School of Physical Sciences at the new Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. It would be twelve years before he joined the ANU, taking instead the renowned organic chemistry chair at the University of Manchester vacated by Professor E. R. H. (later Sir Ewart) Jones on his way to Oxford. His dissatisfaction on leaving Sydney in late 1955 prompted newspaper headlines like βBeggars in mortar boards. Why the professor resigned. β The departure for England of Birch and other senior chemists was a factor leading to the subsequent reorganisation of Australian universities under Common wealth rather than State auspices and funding. Birch later dryly suggested, βI probably made my best contribution to the Australian university system by then publicly quitting itβ.
Manchester 1956β1967
Manchester was different. The Australian students who joined Birch in the industrial, commercial and cultural centre of northern England were used to the brilliant clear light and the sand and surf of their own country. They now frequently found themselves in thick, damp smog, at times barely able to see street lights glinting through the gloom at midday. They drank warm beer with the locals, learned to understand the North Country accent, watched Manchester United play football, and cheered the Australian cricketers at Old Trafford. Birch, too, liked the people, and the city because βit was easier to get out of than, say, Londonβ. But the βred brickβ university dating back to 1851 was also different from Sydney, and its faculty lists, which included Nobel Laureates, reflected the illustrious scientific tradition that Birch felt honoured to join.
Birchβs research flourished. In Cam bridge, he had realised that micro organisms rather than higher plants were the preferred vehicles for experimental biochemistry. They were prolific producers of the phenolic compounds in which he was interested, and could be grown readily in the laboratory. The Manchester Chemistry Department already had such a facility, established by Birchβs predecessor E. R. H. Jones. He now appointed Herchel Smith, his PhD student from Cambridge, to the lecturing staff, and they collaborated on biosynthetic research. Herchel learned and introduced radiotracer techniques, which greatly accelerated the biosynthetic studies. Direct quantitative 14C assay of compounds was performed on open planchettes under an end-window Geiger counter, avoiding the previous cumbersome combustions to carbon dioxide gas and thus leaving the compounds available for further purification or degradative chemistry. The low counting efficiency was offset by the competence and convenience of the producing microorganisms.
Herchel Smith and Birch also resumed their Cambridge collaboration on sex-hormone synthesis, until Herchel wanted independence in this area and Birch withdrew. Herchel was highly successful, ultimately achieving an effective total synthesis of norgestrel and its analogues, which were to become widely used constituents of modern oral contraceptives. The basic chemistry was carried out in Manchester, but no patents were then filed. In 1961, Herchel moved to Wyeth Pharmaceutical Industries in Pennsylvania as Research Director, taking with him two Mancunian PhD students who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Subsequent royalties enabled Herchel Smith to retire in 1973; at his death in 2001 his estate value was estimated in excess of Β£100 million. He generously bequeathed some Β£90 million to be shared between his alma mater Cambridge University and Harvard University, supplementing the Β£15 million given to Cambridge during his lifetime. Birchβs work on the reduction of aromatic rings was crucial to this success, a fact that gave him intellectual satisfaction.
During this period, Birch utilized intermediates prepared by his metalβammonia reduction chemistry in several areas apart from the steroid work. On the one hand, they were elaborated by various means to natural products; on the other, they were reacted with metal carbonyls to provide the organometallic species that were to interest Birch until his retirement.
The old Manchester laboratories had been periodically extended since their opening in 1872, when they were considered the best in the country (Burkhardt 1954), and now had character and history but were outdated and inflexible. They were reasonably equipped with ultraviolet and infrared spectrometry, and the physical chemists might allow their mass spectro meter to be used for organic work if the sample was volatile. But organic chemistry was changing rapidly, with increasing dependence upon sophisticated instrumentation. Fortunately, Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) was making the worldβs best mass spectrometers only a few miles away, and their development engineers were happy to test the capabilities of instruments on their production line. In due course, a new chemistry building was designed and built, and in its turn became the best equipped in the UK. Organic mass spectrometry became routine with the acquisition of the classic AEI MS 9 spectro meter. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry was emerging from the realm of physics to revolutionize organic chemistry, so the government commissioned AEI to design and build NMR spectrometers to save England from having to import state-ofthe-art American Varian instruments. After much delay, the department acquired one, which detected passing buses better than precessing protons and was superseded in the new building by a Varian A60.
The advent of such instrumentation changed the face of natural product chemistry worldwide. Birchβs structural work in Sydney and initially in Manchester was primarily of the classical type, dependent upon microanalyses to indicate molecular formulae, reaction chemistry to establish functionality and to break structures apart, the occasional use of ultraviolet or infrared spectroscopy, and analytical reasoning. To this, he had added his own requirement of biosynthetic rationality, at times convincing in itself. Mass spectrometry now defined precise molecular formulae and suggested structural fragments, whereas 1H NMR spectroscopy looked directly at the intact molecule, mapping hydrogen atoms and their environments. Birch recognised the importance of these advances and ensured they were available, but he was not one to tie himself to technology. Instead, once his biosynthetic hypotheses were firmly established by experiment on known compounds, he reversed the logic and used radiotracer incorporations in vivo to assist the structure determination of unknown natural products. This innovative although somewhat cumbersome approach was valuable in difficult cases, but was soon surpassed by the increasing power of NMR analysis alone. Much later, with the availability of 13C-labelled compounds, the two techniques would successfully merge, until direct spectrometry again prevailed.
Birch was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1958 and became established as one of the worldβs leading organic chemists. Scientific conferences, connections with industry (notably Syntex in Palo Alto and Mexico City, and Roche in Basle), periods in Nigeria to establish research, and even the occasional family holiday drew him away from the department, where research students jokingly appointed him to the BOAC Chair of Chemistry (after the national airline, the British Overseas Airways Corporation). A less sympathetic undergraduate referred to βthe occasional smell of stale cigar smoke in a liftβ. Although not inclined towards overall university administration, he nevertheless promoted departmental interests, setting up and chairing the first Department of Biological Chemistry in Manchester.
One conference Birch attended was the 1st International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Symposium on Natural Products, held in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in 1960. In Canberra, the establishment of a Research School of Chemistry at the ANU was discussed, with Birch and Professors David Craig and Ronald (later Sir Ronald) Nyholm, now both at University College London, as the three Foundation Professors. Craig had been a professorial colleague with Birch in Sydney, whereas Nyholm had been at the New South Wales University of Technology. This unique but onerous opportunity was ultimately accepted only by Birch and Craig; Nyholm decided to stay in England. Imaginatively code-named βProject Cβ by the ANU to prevent premature exposure (Foster and Varghese 1996), the basic building was designed in a flat in Half Moon Street, London, by Melbourne architects in close consultation with all three covert βAdvisersβ. The ANU supported PhD scholars and postdoctoral fellows in Manchester and London from 1965, who transferred with the professors to Canberra in 1967.
Canberra 1967β1980, and Retirement
Canberra was different, too. The remarkable ANU was and still is unique, not only in Australia. Conceived to provide research and postgraduate training to rebuild the nation following World War II, it inherited undergraduate faculties from the Canberra University College in 1960. Prominent expatriates were recruited to lead the generously funded research schools in its Institute of Advanced Studies, and Chemistry was the fifth to be established. βProject Cβ emerged from a hockey field as a structurally elegant and technically efficient building, with the internal flexibility needed for a rapidly advancing science and laboratories designed for sophisticated instrumentation. For the organic chemists, there was then a mass spectrometer and a 100 MHz 1H NMR spectrometer; by 2004 the School would run six mass spectrometers, and six NMR spectrometers operating from 200 to 800 MHz. The Research School of Chemistry was officially opened by Birchβs Cambridge mentor, by this time Lord Todd of Trumpington, in 1968.
Counter to ANU practice and causing opposition from those who believed βnothing should be done for the first timeβ, the βAdvisersβ had prescribed a school comprising research groups without the traditional departmental divisions, overseen by a Dean rather than a Director, and sited adjacent to the existing Chemistry Department to promote interaction. Birch was the Dean Elect from 1965, and Foundation Dean from 1967β1970. He served again as Dean from 1973β1976, and retired as Foundation Professor of Organic Chemistry in 1980. The Schoolβs prime purpose was to conduct fundamental research at the highest international level, some aspects of which had potential application to Australian industry and national interests. In so doing it would provide opportunities and training for young Australians, both at home and overseas. The Schoolβs research record into the twenty-first century has vindicated the judgement of its founders. The main building of the Research School was named in honour of Arthur Birch at a ceremony, which, despite failing health, he attended with great satisfaction in August 1995.
Birchβs personal research in Canberra developed his Manchester themes further, but with increasing emphasis on the organometallic chemistry of tricarbonyliron complexes with organic ligands. Metalβammonia reduction provided the cyclohexadiene ligands, the reactivity of which was substantially altered and stereospecifically controlled by the transition metal attached laterally in a reversible fashion. Efficient syntheses of highly functionalized natural products emerged, but the concepts and methods were general and lent themselves to exploitation. With his major biosynthetic hypotheses now confirmed and the results of isotope incorporation studies becoming routine, this area was gradually phased out. Natural product studies were initiated using the new automated counter-current distribution apparatus to resolve complex mixtures, such as the phenolic resins from Australian grass trees that he had observed as a youth, but also gave way to the new developments in organometallic research.
In 1980, Birch reached the then mandatory retirement age of 65. In February 1981, the Research School of Chemistry honoured his achievements and contributions with a major symposium, involving participants from across Australia and overseas. Professor Albert Eschenmoser of the EidgenΓΆssische Technische Hoch schule, Zurich, gave the inaugural Birch Lecture, since then an annual event on the Schoolβs calendar. At the symposium dinner, Birch was presented with the Leighton Memorial Medal of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) (its most prestigious medal, awarded βin recognition of eminent services to chemistry in Australia in the broadest senseβ) by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Zelman Cowen, and delivered the Leighton Address on βCreative and Accountable Researchβ (416). Shortly afterwards, he took up the inaugural Newton-Abraham Visiting Professorship at Oxford, returning to the ANU in 1982 as a University Fellow in the Department of Chemistry. In 1987, he was awarded the Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry. In 1994, the RACI made him one of their few Honorary Fellows, and in 1996 the Organic Chemistry Division of the Institute named their premier award in his honour.
The establishment of the Research School at the ANU demanded more of Birchβs time in onerous school organization and broader university administration than at Manchester, particularly during the periods of his deanship. This drawback was partly offset by the absence of undergraduate teaching responsibilities, but far greater compensation came from observing the success of his endeavours. Demands upon his time from outside the university also increased, which, as a professional scientist, he felt a moral obligation to meet both before and after his retirement. He was appointed Treasurer of the Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅ from 1969 to 1973, Vice-President then President of the RACI in 1977β1978, and was elected President of the Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅ from 1982 to 1986. During his Presidency of the Academy, he was instrumental both in reorganising and in securing much needed headquarters for its administration. The offices now occupy an elegantly refurbished 1927 government hostel, which retains its distinctive original exterior and is listed on the Register of Significant Twentieth Century Archi tecture, adjacent to the βDomeβ, a Canberra architectural landmark housing the conference hall of the Academy.
As an international scientist of standing, Birchβs advice was also extensively sought beyond academia by governments in Australia and overseas. One of his major undertakings was to chair the 1976β1977 Independent Inquiry into the CSIRO, the large and widespread Australian government research body (374). The inquiry reaffirmed the role of CSIRO as strategic, mission-oriented research in the national context. It proposed radical changes to its longstanding structure, however, including notably the grouping of the many operating units of the organization, the Divisions, into six Institutes under an Advisory Council and Executive. Most of the recommendations were accepted and implemented by the Government, not entirely to the joy of the scientists involved; subsequent changes built on these recommendations. He was appointed Foundation Chair of the Australian Marine Sciences and Technologies Advisory Committee from 1978 to 1981. In 1987, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his contributions to science in Australia.
At the international level, he was an examiner for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Science and Technology Policy in Denmark. For an extended period from 1979 to 1987, he was Consultant to the UNESCO United Nations Development Programme project βStrengthening Research and Teaching in Universitiesβ in the Peopleβs Republic of China, and made six visits to that country advising on technical and laboratory management and instrument centres. International honours included appointments as Academician of the USSR Academy of Science in 1976 and Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Science in 1989.
Birchβs scientific autobiography, incisively entitled βTo See the Obviousβ, was written over the last ten years of his life for the American Chemical Society series βProfiles, Pathways and Dreams. Autobiographies of Eminent Chemistsβ (460). With Arthur now seriously ill, the editor and publishers responded to an urgent request from Jessie Birch, and it was published just before his 80th birthday in August 1995.
Scientific Research
Birchβs scientific research is described in more than 400 publications, which range in subject matter from organic synthesis to biochemical processes and organometallic chemistry. In this memoir, we can do no more than attempt to outline the origins, essence and significance of his three major research themes: the Birch reduction, his polyketide theory of biosynthesis and his studies of the organic chemistry of transition metal complexes.
The Birch Reduction
Figure 1.
Solution of the structures of many steroids during the 1930s led immediately to efforts to bring these biologically important compounds into the domain of synthetic organic chemistry, which at that time was heavily biased towards derivatives of benzene and other aromatics readily supplied by distillation of coal. Thus, sterols tended to be seen as βhydroaromaticβ compounds. It is no coincidence that the first steroid to be synthesised was the naphthalenoid equilenin (1) and that the second was oestrone (2) (Fig. 1). Alicyclic chemistry had been stimulated by work on the essential oils, but synthetic methods and control of stereoisomerism were still rudimentary. Methods for reduction were especially backward. Metallic sodium in association with alcohols was one of the more powerful reagents: it could, for example, reduce esters to alcohols and could add two hydrogen atoms to many naphthalenes, but it was largely ineffective for reducing solitary benzene rings. For that, hydrogenation over large amounts of platinum black or at high pressures and temperatures over nickel or copperβchromium catalysts was the most general method; however, it was stereo-chemically indiscriminate and it could alter or remove functional groups. Full appreciation of aromatics in steroid synthesis was also delayed by a curious failure to recognize that vinyl ethers are easily hydrolysed by mild acids to carbonyl compounds. Methoxyl groups on aromatic or saturated carbon atoms need vigorous methods for cleavageβthe classical reagent is boiling hydriodic acidβand it seemed to be taken for granted that vinyl ethers would be similarly resistant.
Figure 2.
Birchβs crucial experiment in 1943, already outlined in the section on his Oxford days, combined two recent discoveries: that solitary aromatic rings could add two hydrogen atoms when treated in liquid ammonia with a combination of sodium metal and an alcohol, and that vinyl ethers were excellent sources of carbonyl compounds. Thus, his methoxy benzene (3) gave, on reduction, the 2, 5-dihydro derivative (4), which was hydrolysed by mild acid to cyclohex-3-en1-one (5) and thence by acid-catalysed isomerization to cyclohex-2-en-1-one (6) (Fig. 2) (15). Several important steroid hormones are formally derivatives of cyclo hexenone; in addition, cyclohexenones are useful intermediates for further synthesis. In Birchβs hands, pheno-lic ethers became packaged cyclohexenones, stable to many manipulations of functional groups elsewhere in the molecule and unpacked by a procedure that left many of these groups untouched. In a series of mostly single-author papers published between 1944 and 1950, Birch laid the foundations of this uniquely useful and, as it turned out, timely method (43). Dialkylaminobenzenes were shown to be reduced in the same manner as alkoxybenzenes (a procedure that has perhaps received less attention than it deserves). Allylic and benzylic alcohols were deoxygenated. The technical difficultyβthat many substrates were insoluble in liquid ammoniaβwas palliated by substituting 2hydroxyethyl or glyceryl ethers for the usual methyl ethers. Other workers, later, found that lithium was preferable to sodium in some special cases. Birchβs original assignment to synthesize analogues of steroid hormones was to succeed beyond measureβbut largely in other hands.
Figure 3.
Herchel Smith, his graduate student at Cambridge and his colleague at Manchester, devised along with others some commercially practical methods for synthesising oestrone (2, Fig. 1) and many analogues, and the last intermediate in these syntheses was almost always a methoxybenzene. When the Birch reduction was applied to these intermediates, hydrogen was added at the 1- and 4-positions (steroid numbering) and the products (7) by acid-catalysed hydrolysis and rearrangement gave enones (8) and (9) (Fig. 3). The structural element (9) occurs, of course, in many natural androgens and progestogens as well as in the adrenal hormones, but these also feature an angular methyl group between rings A and B, as in progesterone (10, Fig. 4).
Figure 4.
The synthetic enones lacked this angular methyl group between rings (A) and (B). It was possible, although inefficient, to introduce it via halocarbene addition to suitably protected intermediates (8). However, the principle of the contraceptive pill (daily oral intake of a combination of progestogen and oestrogen) had meanwhile been discovered and, unpredictably, many synthetic compounds devoid of this angular methyl group were found to be equal or superior (for this purpose) to the natural hormones. The progestogen norgestrel (11, Fig. 4) made Herchel Smith a multimillionaire.
Figure 5.
Although the Birch reduction is a practical method par excellence (320), Birch felt bound to understand its mechanism: why were the protons added where they were, and what was the role of the alcohol? His final paper on this subject was a collaboration with Leo Radom, who used ab initio calculations to substantiate a mechanism already adumbrated by the early experimental work (406). From methoxybenzene (3), acceptance of a solvated electron from the sodiumβammonia solution leads, reversibly, to a radical-anion (12) that in turn accepts, reversibly, a proton from the alcohol. The resulting neutral radical (13) accepts, reversibly, a second electron to form a stabilised anion (14). The final addition of a second proton to this anion is virtually irreversible in the usual conditions for Birch reduction and it leads to the terminal product 2, 5-dihydro1-methoxybenzene (4) (Fig. 5). This and similar products were not only sources of cyclohexenones, but, after complexation with metal carbonyls, were the basis for what Birch called lateral control of synthesis (see later).
Studies in Relation to Biosynthesis
Figure 6.
By the early 1950s, the fundamental role of amino acids in the biosynthesis of alkaloids and some aromatic compounds had been recognized, as had the role of acetic acid in fatty acid and steroid biosynthesis. In contrast, the origin of the increasing numbers of phenolic compounds isolated from various plant and microbial sources was not yet understood. It was such a compound from a New Guinean tree that provided Birch with the inspiration for his second major contribution to science, his polyketide theory of aromatic biosynthesis. The original authors had recognized that the carbonyl group in the side chain of campnospermonol (15, Fig. 6) defined a C18 βoleyl radical withβ¦possible generic connection with the fatty oilsβ (Jones and Smith 1928). Birch realized that if the presumed acetate-derivation of this segment was extended further, and coupled with decarboxylation and loss of oxygen, it could account for the origin of the phenolic ring and, in particular, the position of the phenolic hydroxyl meta to the side chain.
Figure 7.
From this emerged his βacetate hypothesisβ, published from Sydney in 1953, whereby βthe head-to-tail linkage of acetate units (17) could lead to phenolic substances in several waysβ (56). Ring closure of polyketonic intermediates of the type (18) through aldol condensation or C-acylation could yield orcinol (19) or phloroglucinol (20) derivatives, respectively (Fig. 7). Super imposition of other biochemically acceptable reactions, such as decarboxylation, reduction, dehydration, oxidation and halogenation, on these basic processes would extend the range of possible products (for example 21β23). The chain-initiating acid RCO2H (16) could be acetic or other natural aliphatic acids, or aromatic acids such as hydroxycinnamic acids in the case of plant stilbenes and flavonoids. The carbon skeleton and residual oxygen functionality of the resulting metabolite defined the folded polyketonic intermediate. Birch later termed such metabolites βpoly ketidesβ, in deference to the early ideas of J. N. Collie (Collie 1907).
Figure 8.
Initial support for the acetate hypothesis came from structural analysis of a range of phenolic metabolites. Lecanoric acid (24, Fig. 8) is the simplest of the lichen depsides, containing two orsellinic acid (19, Fig. 7; R = CH3) units in ester linkage. Partial structure 25 (Fig. 8) summarizes the structures of the acid units present in all the depsides then known (85). Particularly convincing was the presence of carboxyl at position 1, oxygen at positions 2 and 4, and an odd-numbered alkyl chain at position 6 of all these units, in full agreement with Birchβs hypothesis. In contrast, positions 3 and 5 carried occasional oxygen, chlorine and methyl substituents, arising by secondary modifications.
Figure 9.
Biochemical proof of the hypothesis was provided by examination of the distribution of radioactive carbon (indicated by asterisks) in 6-methylsalicylic acid (26, Fig. 9) produced by growing the fungus Penicillium griseofulvum in the presence of [carboxyl-14C]-labelled acetic acid (85). Like campnospermonol (15, Fig. 6), this metabolite has also lost an oxygen from its polyketonic precursor by reduction and dehydration, but in contrast retains the carboxyl group. This was the Sydney forerunner of an extended series of radio-isotope studies of the biosynthetic origins of diverse fungal and bacterial metabolites, performed in Manchester and using detailed degradative chemistry to locate the radiolabels; the ease of pinpointing heavy isotopes with NMR spectrometry was not yet available.
The acetate theory was confirmed when griseofulvin (27, Fig. 9) in P. griseofulvum was shown to arise from a chain of seven acetate units (indicated by asterisks), modified by O-methylation, halogenation, phenolic oxidative coupling, and reduction stages (130). The occurrence of additional C-methyl substituents, as in the lichen depsides (25, Fig. 8) mentioned above, was shown to be an extension of the known biological O- and N-methylation by transfer from the S-methyl group of the amino acid methionine; the O- and C-methyl groups (indicated by filled squares) on the modified orsellinic acid nucleus of mycophenolic acid (28, Fig. 9) from P. brevi-compactum both arose in this way (133). The C7-chain of 28 confirmed another general process predicted by Birch, involving C-alkylation with a terpenoid moiety (which here suffered subsequent degradation at its terminus) (132).
Figure 10.
The acetate theory with its associated concepts now correlates the structures of many thousands of natural products. Subsequent work by others showed that whereas the polyketide chain biosynthesis is indeed initiated via acetyl coenzyme A or another acyl coenzyme A, the βacetate unitsβ (17, Fig. 7) extending the chain are incorporated not directly via acetyl coenzyme A as suggested by Birch, but rather via its carboxylation product, malonyl coenzyme A, with concomitant decarboxylation. This detail, although significant biochemically, in no way detracts from Birchβs theory. Fungi also provided the vehicle for studying some aspects of terpene biosynthesis, which was by then known to proceed from acetate through the inter - mediacy of mevalonic acid to isoprenoid chains, which could undergo concerted cyclisation and further modification. The important C19 plant hormone gibberellic acid (30) from Gibberella fujikuroi was proved to be a degraded diterpene, arising from a C20-precursor (29) by predictable and stereospecific biochemical processes (Fig. 10) (143).
Transition Metal Complexes in Synthesis
Figure 11.
Birchβs development of the use of iron carbonyl complexes in synthesis arose from his ready access to unconjugated dihydrobenzenes, such as 2, 5-dihydro-1methoxybenzene (4), from the reductions discussed earlier. Reaction with iron penta carbonyl gave the conjugated isomers (31 and 32) of the iron tricarbonyl complex (Fig. 11). An attempt to separate these as crystallizable salts by the removal of hydride with triphenylmethyl tetrafluoro borate gave the stable salt (33) from the former complex, but the isomeric 1methoxy salt (34) from the latter complex was unexpectedly hydrolysed to the neutral dienone complex (35) (Fig. 11) (219). This last compound was of interest as a stabilised ketonic tautomer of phenol, but it was the stable salts of the type 33 that proved to be of greater value in synthesis.
Figure 12.
An extensive series of iron tricarbonyl complexes of substituted cyclohexadienes was prepared, and their novel reactivity with a range of reagents studied (362). The presence of the attached but readily removable transition metal resulted in βsuperimposed lateral control of reactivity, stereochemistry and structureβ of the organic ligand (409). For example, the salt (33) could behave as the synthetic equivalent either of an aryl cation (36) or of a cyclohex-2-enone cation (37), depending upon the reaction sequence chosen (Fig. 12). Thus, reaction with a nucleophile (R) afforded the neutral com plex (38). Subsequent iron tricarbonyl removal coupled with dehydrogenation then gave the p-substituted anisole (39), whereas coupling with acid hydrolysis gave the 4-substituted cyclohex-2-enone (40) (Fig. 12).
Figure 13.
The iron carbonyl group blocks one face of the ring system (33, Fig. 12), and controls the reaction stereochemistry by forcing the nucleophile to attack specifically from the other face (electrophiles attack from the same face), affording the relative stereochemistry (38, Fig. 12) shown. This is not always significant, but the salt (33) and the neutral complex (38) are both chiral, and potentially resolvable into their mirror image pairs, the enantiomers (41 and 42) and (43 and 44), respectively (Fig. 13). The products from such stereochemically pure materials, if they themselves are chiral as is the ketone (40, Fig. 12), will be stereochemically pure.
Figure 14.
The potential of the chemistry is illustrated in one of his last publications, a synthesis of the important biochemical path way intermediate shikimic acid (Fig. 14) (441). The starting dihydro benzene in this case is methyl 1, 4dihydro benzoate (45), prepared from benzoic acid by Birch reduction and methylation. Complexation with iron tricarbonyl gave a mixture of dienesized by acid into the single isomer (46). This complex could be separated into its mirror image components (47 and 48) by hydrolysis to the acid, salt formation with (+)- or (-)-phenylethylamine, and re-esterification (427). Hydride removal from the enantiomer (47) with triphenylmethyl tetrafluoroborate now yielded the cation (49), which gave the neutral alcohol complex (50) on stereospecific reaction with hydroxide ion. Protection of the hydroxyl group as its tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether and removal of the iron by oxidation with trimethylamine N-oxide provided the free diene (51). Cis-diol formation with osmium tetraoxide and removal of the protecting silyl group with fluoride ion gave stereochemically pure (-)-methyl shikimate (52). Alternative chemistry, again laterally controlled by the iron tricarbonyl group, enabled conversion of the mirror image complex (48) to the same product (52).
Birch explored many facets of this chemistry over some twenty years, even beyond his retirement. The powerful methodology has not been used to the extent that he expected, however, probably for several reasons. The range of substituted cyclohexadienes readily available from Birch reductions has limitations, and metal complexation frequently yields a mixture of the conjugated diene complexes, only one of which is required. Furthermore, the transition metal has to be employed stoichiometrically and, although iron pentacarbonyl is relatively cheap, applications of organometallic chemistry in organic synthesis were turning increasingly towards catalytic processes.
Arthur Birch the Person
This memoir has sought to outline Birchβs life and career, and his major contributions to chemistry and science at large. His achievements stand on their own merits.
His extraordinary talent and his love for his chosen science are obvious, as are his preparedness to accept challenges and his commitment and determination to succeed. Readers will have inferred his ability to lead, glimpsed his dry humour, and seen his concern for the wellbeing of his family. His scientific persona emerges clearly in his scientific autobiography (460). His Oxford mentor, Sir Robert Robinson, regarded Birch as the student who most resembled him, a compliment accepted by Birch with mixed feelings. Comments by renowned chemists of his era are definitive (460). Sir Derek Barton regarded him as βten years ahead of his time in three areas: reduction chemistry, biosynthesis, and organometallicsβ. Few chemists achieve this in a single area, let alone in three, and with the pace and maturity of chemistry in the twenty-first century it may no longer even be possible. Birch achieved it with relatively few collaborators and limited resources, even by the standards of the time. Carl Djerassi described him as βa maverick, a lone wolfβ.
For the present memoir, Djerassi commented further: βMy enormous regard for Arthur Birch as the quintessence of an original chemical mind can be most succinctly shown by two facts. In the early 1950s, I persuaded Syntexβat that time a small pharmaceutical research company in Mexico Cityβto hire Arthur as one of its chemical consultants. This was the beginning of Arthurβs longest professional relation with a pharmaceutical company. Much more significant is my personal conviction that I was the first chemist to publish the word βBirch Reductionβ in the literature. But while naming an important chemical reaction after its discoverer is a standard form of homage among chemists, I converted mine into the ultimate compliment: transforming it also into a verb. At Syntex in Mexico City in the mid 1950s, it was standard phraseology βto birch an aromatic methyl ether. β Que viva Don Arturo Birch!β
Birchβs close academic colleague David Craig recalled their interaction over many years in these terms. βAlthough Arthur and I came from the same undergraduate stable in the University of Sydney he was older and we did not meet at that time. We came to know each other well when in 1951 we were appointed to chairs in Sydney, he in Organic Chemistry at 36 and I in Physical Chemistry at 31. The Head of School was Raymond Le FΓ¨vre. I doubt that Le FΓ¨vre felt comfortable with these two brash youngsters. He was probably relieved when in 1955β56 we went back to the UK, Arthur to Manchester and I to London. β
βStarting in 1963 and with the strong support of our colleagues and the University, Arthur and I shared the task of establishing the Research School of Chemistry within the ANU. It was a great moment when the School opened its doors in 1967 with Arthur as the first Dean. We were confident that chemistry in Australia had moved forward. The School prospered. We had the same ideasβa firm commitment to a non-departmental structure and a determination that research should have priority over management and administration. In the alternation of the Deanship between Arthur and me we had an unspoken agreement never to interfere or to look back over what the other had done. β
βArthur stood out, a man of purpose, academic values, good judgment and principles. I was fortunate to have been able to work closely with him over a long period. β
His advice to governments was rational and influential. Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983 and Minister for Education and Science at the official opening of the ANU Research School of Chemistry in 1968, wrote: βI remember Professor Arthur Birch well. His contribution to the highest scientific research in Australia and overseas won a most distinguished, world-wide reputation. He played a significant, indeed indispensable role in establishing the Research School of Chemistry at the ANU. As a university established to foster fundamental research and post-graduate training in Australia, Professor Birchβs contribution was outstanding. Its research schools were regarded of real significance to building this country. β
βThe government then believed in the integrity of academic freedom and the need for fundamental research if science was to advance in Australia and if scientists of the highest international standing were to be attracted to Australia. Professor Birch became a valued advisor to government. He chaired the 1976β77 Independent Inquiry into the Common wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and laid the foundations for that organisationβs continued relevance and importance. Its task was to accomplish strategic mission-orientated research. His service to Australia continued as Foundation Chair of the Australian Marine Sciences and Technologies Advisory Committee in 1978. β
βWhen asked by government, he felt an obligation to provide service beyond the particular confines of his own discipline. As a consequence he made a most distinguished and broad-ranging contribution to the advancement of science in Australia. β
Those who worked for Birch were also fortunate. Research students at their bench soon learnt to recognize the smell of cigar smoke nearby, and to expect the ensuing laconic βAnything new?β Of necessity they also learnt to select from the many ideas he would suggest to them, and to design and perform the experiments themselves. The sole exceptions were his signature reductions in which he liked to participate, preferably using a conical flask stoppered with cotton wool, frosted at the base by the evaporating liquid ammonia, and swirled by hand as he added pieces of sodium and watched them dissolve in transient blue patches. With longer acquaintance, particularly during his Canberra years, they saw not only the scientist, but also a man of warmth and sympathy, good company and an engaging raconteur, fluent in French, which he enjoyed speaking, and with a liking for Mozart.
With regard to his science, Birch was certainly self-centred, a trait that may be necessary for outstanding achievement. Was he content with the recognition that he achieved? There were clear reservations as he looked back in an interview at the age of 79 years (Wright 1995). In the Australian system, he could not obtain significant research support beyond his retirement; other countries would have welcomed his continuing involvement. His assistance or even his advice had not been sought for ten yearsββI havenβt been made use of properly in this countryβ. He was critical of both government and industry in Australia. Although he was clearly proud of the Research School of Chemistry and its achievements, his answer when asked if it was worth the sacrifice on his part was βprobably noβ. He was certainly nominated several times for the Nobel Prize, although he did not believe in such major awards.
Behind the frank professional scientist, however, Arthur Birch was a private person. Those who knew Birch before his marriage noticed with pleasure the effect that it had on him. Before, he was a lone wolf who had always had to make his own way; now, he had constant support and love and he could give it too. John and Rita Cornforth were touched when, very late in his life, he told them that they were like a brother and sister to him. He was a welcome visitor to their Sussex home.
In his biography, he acknowledges his debt to Jessie, as a nurse for his ailing mother in Oxford and Cambridge, as his wife and mother of their five children, and as the support for his career: βshe shared my scientific achievementsβ. She accompanied him twice from England to the other side of the world, where she now lives in the second of their Canberra homes. The first, which she helped to design in the style of a Roman villa around a pool, won the architectural award for a Canberra residence in 1968. An artist in her own right, she has been employed by the National Gallery of Australia, and has made other contributions to arts organization, the theatre, and family planning. Her enthusiasm for golf was not shared by her husband; even as her caddy he was βuselessβ. Jessie, their children Sue, Michael, Frank, Rosemary and Chris, and their ten βbright and beautiful grandchildren who made him a rich manβ were a source of great pride, pleasure, and ultimately strength during the terminal stages of his illness.
Birchβs family, and his fighting spirit and humour, sustained him through long illness and successive operations. He died in Canberra on 8 December 1995. He disliked pomp and ceremony, and had said that there should be neither service nor eulogy at his funeral; the occasion was to be more in the spirit of an Irish wake. His wishes were essentially met at his cremation and the subsequent gathering at the Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅ on 11 December 1995.
Honours and Distinctions
Honours and Honorary Degrees
1962 β MSc (ad. e. grad. ) University of Manchester
1977 β DSc (honoris causa) University of Sydney
1979 β Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)
1981 β MA (ad. e. grad. ) Oxon.
1982 β DSc (honoris causa) Monash University
1982 β DSc (honoris causa) University of Manchester
1987 β Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
Elected Fellowships and Memberships
1954 β Fellow, Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅
1958 β Fellow, Royal Society
1960 β Fellow, Royal Institute of Chemistry (Chartered Chemist)
1968 β Fellow, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
1976 β Full Foreign Academician, USSR Academy of Science (first election in Australia)
1978 β President, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
1980 β Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (Fellow 1936)
1982-85 β University Fellow, Australian National University
1982-86 β President, Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅
1986 β Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of NSW (Fellow 1936)
1989 β Foreign Fellow, Indian National Academy of Science
1994 β Honorary Fellow, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Distinctions and Named Lectureships
1937 β University Medal in Chemistry, University of Sydney
1945 β UK Defence Medal (1940β45)
1954 β H. G. Smith Memorial Medal, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
1986 β Plaque, Jurusan Kimia, Institut Teknologi Bandung
1987 β Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry
1990 β ANZAAS Medal, Australia and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
1991 β Medaille Homage, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Produits Naturelles
1992 β Dedicated Issue, Australian Journal of Chemistry
1995 β Main building of Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, named the Arthur Birch Building
About this memoir
This memoir was originally published in Historical Records of Australian Science, vol.18, no.2, 2007. It was also published in Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society of London, 2007. It was written by Rodney W. Rickards (corresponding author), Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia, email: rickards@rsc.anu.edu; and Sir John Cornforth, Saxon Down, Cuilfail, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2BE, UK.
Acknowledgments
Details of Arthur Birchβs early life and some factual information on his subsequent career are drawn from his scientific auto biography βTo See the Obviousβ, published by the American Chemical Society in 1995. We are grateful to the Birch family, including Jessie, Sue, Michael, Frank, Rosemary, and particularly Chris, for helpful comments and for providing a curriculum vitae and publication list. His colleagues Professors Carl Djerassi and David Craig, and former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser kindly responded to invitations for personal recollections. We ourselves accept responsibility for other narrative and scientific aspects of this memoir.
The frontispiece photograph was taken in 1989 by Bob van der Toorren, A. R. M. I. T., member A. I. P. P., Melbourne, and is reproduced with permission.
References to other authors
Burkhardt, G. N. 1954 The School of Chemistry in the University of Manchester (Faculty of Science). J. Roy. Inst. Chem., 448β460.
Collie, J. N. 1907 Derivatives of the multiple keten group. J. Chem. Soc., 1806β1813.
Cornforth, J. W., Cornforth, R. H. and Robinson, Sir Robert 1942 The preparation of Ξ²-tetralone from Ξ²-naphthol and some analogous transformations. J. Chem. Soc., 689β691.
Foster, S. G. and Varghese, M. M. 1996 The Making of the Australian National University, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards, pp. 229β234.
Jones, T. G. H. and Smith, F. B. 1928 Campnospermonol, a ketonic phenol from Campnospermum brevipetiolatum. J. Chem. Soc., 65β70.
Wooster, C. B. and Godfrey, K. L. 1937 Mechanism of the reduction of unsaturated compounds with alkali metals and water. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 59, 596β597. Wooster, C. B. 1939 Process for hydrogenatingaromatic hydrocarbons. US Pat. 2, 182, 242.
Wright, B. 1995 A chemist on his own. Chemistry in Australia, 62, 34β38.
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A. J. Birch (1949). The preparation of some esters of 3, 3-dimethylbutanol and 3, 3-dimethylpentanol. J. Chem. Soc., 2721β2722.
A. J. Birch (1949). How Chemistry Works. pp. 218. London: Sigma.
A. J. Birch (1950). A conversion of cholest-4-en-3-one into cholesterol. J. Chem. Soc., 2325β2326.
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A. J. Birch and A. R. Murray (1951). The constitution of lanceol. J. Chem. Soc., 1888β1890.
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A. J. Birch (1951). An attempted total synthesis of testosterone. Chem. and Ind., 616.
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A. J. Birch (1951). Ξ²-Triketones. Part I. The structures of angustione, dehydroangustione, calythrone, and flavaspidic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 3026β3030.
A. J. Birch and A. R. Todd (1952). Anthelmintics: kousso. Part II. The structures of protokosin, Ξ±-kosin, and Ξ²-kosin. J. Chem. Soc., 3102β3108.
A. J. Birch, J. A. K. Quartey and H. Smith (1952). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part III. Some angular-methylated inter -mediates. J. Chem. Soc., 1768β1774.
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A. J. Birch (1952). Terpene structures and their elucidation. Perfumery and Essential Oil Record, 43, 110β113, 132.
A. J. Birch and F. N. Lahey (1953). The structure of aromadendrene. I. Aust. J. Chem. 6, 379β384.
A. J. Birch, F. W. Donovan and F. Moewus (1953). Biogenesis of flavonoids in Chlamydomonas eugametos. Nature 172, 902β904.
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A. J. Birch and P. Elliott (1953). Eudesmic acid: its identity with 3, 4, 5-trimethoxy -benzoic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 355β356.
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A. J. Birch, P. Hextall and J. A. K. Quartey (1953). A conversion of 4-cholesten-3-oneinto 5-cholesten-3-one. Aust. J. Chem. 6, 445β446.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp and S. E. Wright (1953). Natural derivatives of furan. I. Ngaione. Aust. J. Chem. 6, 385β390.
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A. J. Birch (1953). The volatile oil of Metrosideros scandens. J. Chem. Soc., 715.
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A. J. Birch and K. M. C. Mostyn (1954). The steric configuration of eudesmol. Aust. J. Chem. 7, 301β303.
L. Bauer, A. J. Birch and W. E. Hillis (1954). Some synthetic leucoanthocyanidins. Chem. and Ind., 433β434.
A. J. Birch, P. Elliott and A. R. Penfold (1954). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. IV. Angustifolionol. Aust. J. Chem. 7, 169β172.
A. J. Birch, P. Hextall and S. Sternhell (1954). Reduction with dissolving metals. X. Aromatic compounds containing electron sinks. Aust. J. Chem. 7, 256β260.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp, S. E. Wright, T. Kubota, T. Matsuura and M. D. Sutherland (1954). Ipomeamarone and ngaione. Chem. and Ind., 902.
L. Bauer, A. J. Birch and A. J. Ryan (1955). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. VI. Rheosmin. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 534β538.
A. J. Birch, D. J. Collins and A. R. Penfold (1955). Zierone: derivative of a new naturalazulene. Chem. and Ind., 1773β1774.
A. J. Birch and F. W. Donovan (1955). Barbaloin. I. Some observations on its structure. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 523β528.
A. J. Birch and F. W. Donovan (1955). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. V. The structures of some natural quinones. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 529β533.
A. J. Birch, J. Cymerman-Craig and M. Slaytor (1955). Reduction by dissolving metals. XIII. The production of aldehydes from amidines, amides, and related compounds. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 512β518.
A. J. Birch and K. M. C. Mostyn (1955). A new sesquiterpene alcohol from Himantandrabaccata Bail. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 550β551.
A. J. Birch and M. Slaytor (1955). The use of Mannich base methiodides in the diene reaction. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 144.
A. J. Birch, P. Elliott, S. K. Mukerjee, T. R. Rajagopalan, T. R. Seshadri and S. Varadarajan (1955). The synthesis ofangustifolionol. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 409β412.
A. J. Birch and P. Hextall (1955). Reduction by dissolving metals. XII. The conversion of2, 5- into 2, 3-dihydroanisoles by means of potassium amide in ammonia. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 96β99.
A. J. Birch and P. Hextall (1955). Studies onxanthorrhoea resins. II. Xanthorrhoein and hydroxypeonol. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 263β266.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp and C. J. Moye (1955). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. VII. 2-Hydroxy-6-methylbenzoicacid in Penicillium griseofulvum Dierckx. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 539β544.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp and C. J. Moye (1955). The biosynthesis of6-hydroxy-2-methylbenzoic acid. Chem. and Ind., 683β684.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp and R. W. Rickards (1955). Mycelianamide. Chem. and Ind., 1599.
A. J. Birch and R. J. Harrisson (1955). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. IV. (+)-19-Nor-D-homotestosterone. Aust. J. Chem. 8, 519β522.
A. J. Birch (1955). The structure of fuscin. Chem. and Ind., 682β683.
A. J. Birch (1955). The structure of stercobilin. Chem. and Ind., 652.
A. J. Birch, A. V. Robertson and J. W. Clark-Lewis (1956). The relative configurations of catechin and epicatechin. Chem. and Ind., 664β665.
A. J. Birch and E. Smith (1956). Loganin. I. Some observations on the structure. Aust. J. Chem. 9, 234β237.
A. J. Birch, H. Smith and R. E. Thornton (1956). The stereochemistry of the metalammonia reduction of Ξ±, Ξ²-unsaturated ketones. Chem. and Ind., 1310.
A. J. Birch and H. Smith (1956). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part V. Some D-homo-18, 19-bisnorsteroids. J. Chem. Soc., 4909β4916.
J. B. Davenport, A. J. Birch and A. J. Ryan (1956). The alkali-catalyzed isomerization of unsaturated compounds. Chem. and Ind., 136β137.
A. J. Birch and M. Slaytor (1956). Reduction of cinnamyl alcohols with aluminum chloride and lithium aluminum hydride. Chem. and Ind., 1524.
A. J. Birch and P. Elliott (1956). Dehydroangustione. Chem. and Ind., 124β125.
A. J. Birch and P. Elliott (1956). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. VIIIa. Tasmanone, dehydroangustione, and calythrone. Aust. J. Chem. 9, 95β104.
A. J. Birch and P. Elliott (1956). Ξ²-Triketones. III. Xanthostemone. Aust. J. Chem. 9, 238β240.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp and R. W. Rickards (1956). Studies in relation tobio synthesis. Part VIII. The structure of mycelianamide. J. Chem. Soc., 3717β3721.
A. J. Birch and R. W. Rickards (1956). Natural derivatives of furan. II. The structure of evodone. Aust. J. Chem. 9, 241β243.
A. J. Birch (1956). Biosynthetic theories inorganic chemistry. In Perspectives in Organic Chemistry (ed. A. R. Todd), 134β154. London: Interscience.
A. J. Birch (1956). The investigation of natural products. J. Sci. Indust. Res. 15A, 353β358.
A. J. Birch and C. J. Moye (1957). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part X. A synthesis of lumichrome from nonbenzenoid precursors. J. Chem. Soc., 412β414.
A. J. Birch, D. G. Pettit and R. Schofield (1957). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part IX. The structure of spherophysine. J. Chem. Soc., 410β411.
E. F. L. J. Anet, A. J. Birch and R. A. Massy-Westropp (1957). The isolation of shikimic acid from Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. Aust. J. Chem. 10, 93β94.
A. J. Birch, E. Pride and H. Smith (1957). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XII. The synthesis of ethyl 4-formyl-3-methylbut-3-enoate. J. Chem. Soc., 5096β5097.
A. J. Birch, H. Smith and R. E. Thornton (1957). Reduction by dissolving metals. Part XIV. Some stereochemical aspects of the reduction of Ξ±, Ξ²-unsaturated ketones. J. Chem. Soc., 1339β1342.
A. J. Birch, J. W. Clark-Lewis and A. V. Robertson (1957). The relative and absolute configurations of catechins and epicatechins. J. Chem. Soc., 3586β3594.
A. J. Birch and R. A. Massy-Westropp (1957). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XI. The structure of nalgiovensin. J. Chem. Soc., 2215β2217.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp, R. W. Rickards and H. Smith (1957). The conversion of acetic acid into griseofulvin in Penicillium griseofulvum Dierckx. Proc. Chem. Soc., 98.
A. J. Birch and R. J. English (1957). Ξ²-Triketones. Part IV. The chromophore of caly -throne. J. Chem. Soc., 3805β3806.
A. J. Birch, R. J. English, R. A. Massy-Westropp and H. Smith (1957). The origin of the terpenoid structures in mycelianamide and mycophenolic acid. Mevalonic acid as an irreversible precursor in terpene bio -synthesis. Proc. Chem. Soc., 233β234.
A. J. Birch, R. J. English, R. A. Massy-Westropp, M. Slaytor and H. Smith (1957). The biochemical origins of the methyl groups of mycophenolic acid. Proc. Chem. Soc., 204.
A. J. Birch (1957). Biosynthetic relations of some natural phenolic and enolic compounds. In Fortschr. Chem. org. Naturstoffe, vol. 14, pp. 186β216. Vienna: Springer-Verlag.
A. J. Birch (1957). Liquid ammonia as a solvent. J. Roy. Inst. Chem. 81, 100β105.
A. J. Birch (1957). The chemistry of terpenoid compounds. Nature 180, 470β471.
A. J. Birch, A. J. Ryan and H. Smith (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XIX. The biosynthesis of helminthosporin. J. Chem. Soc., 4773β4774.
A. J. Birch, B. Milligan, E. Smith andR. N. Speake (1958). Some stereochemical studies of lignans. J. Chem. Soc., 4471β4476.
A. J. Birch and C. J. Moye (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XVI. The synthesis of lumiflavin from non-benzenoid precursors. J. Chem. Soc., 2622β2624.
A. J. Birch, E. Pride and H. Smith (1958). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part VI. Some D-homo-analogues lacking ring B. J. Chem. Soc., 4688β4693.
A. J. Birch, G. A. Hughes and H. Smith (1958). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part VII. (Β±)-17Ξ±-Ethynyl-17Ξ±-hydroxy-Dhomo-18, 19-bisnorandrost-4-en-3-one. J. Chem. Soc., 4774β4776.
A. J. Birch, G. E. Blance and H. Smith (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XVIII. Penicillic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 4582β4583.
A. J. Birch and H. Smith (1958). Oxidative formation of biologically active compounds from peptides. Ciba Foundation Symposium, Amino Acids Peptides Antimetabolic Activity, 247β257, discussion 257β263
A. J. Birch and H. Smith (1958). Reduction by metal-amine solutions; applications insynthesis and determination of structure. Quart. Revs. 12, 17β33.
A. J. Birch and H. Smith (1958). The bio -synthesis of aromatic compounds from C1-and C2-units. Chem. Soc. Spec. Publ., 1β16.
H. D. Law, I. T Millar, H. D. Springall and A. J. Birch (1958). The structure of evolidine. Proc. Chem. Soc., 198.
A. J. Birch, J. Schofield and H. Smith (1958). The origin of the C5-unit in auroglaucin. Chem. and Ind., 1321.
A. J. Birch, P. Fitton, E. Pride, A. J. Ryan, H. Smith and W. B. Whalley (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XVII. Sclerotiorin, citrinin, and citromycetin. J. Chem. Soc., 4576β4581.
A. J. Birch, R. A. Massy-Westropp, R. W. Rickards and H. Smith (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XIII. Griseofulvin. J. Chem. Soc., 360β365.
A. J. Birch, R. I. Fryer and H. Smith (1958). The biosynthesis of aurantiogliocladin, rubriogliocladin, and gliorosein: a possible relation to the biosynthesis of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q). Proc. Chem. Soc., 343β344.
A. J. Birch, R. J. English, R. A. Massy-Westropp and H. Smith (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XV. Origin of terpenoid structures in mycelianamide and mycophenolic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 369β375.
A. J. Birch, R. J. English, R. A. Massy-Westropp, M. Slaytor and H. Smith (1958). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XIV. The origin of the nuclear methyl groups in mycophenolic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 365β368.
A. J. Birch, R. W. Rickards and H. Smith (1958). The biosynthesis of gibberellic acid. Proc. Chem. Soc., 192β193.
A. J. Birch, R. W. Rickards, H. Smith, A. Harris and W. B. Whalley (1958). The biosynthesis of rosenonolactone, a diterpenoid metabolite of Trichothecium roseum Link. Proc. Chem. Soc., 223.
A. J. Birch, D. Boulter, R. I. Fryer, P. J. Thomson and J. L. Willis (1959). The biosynthesis of citronellal and cineole in Eucalyptus. Tetrahedron Lett. (3) 1β2.
A. J. Birch, D. Nasipuri and H. Smith (1959). Reduction of monobenzenoid compounds bymetalβammoniaβalcohol systems. Experi -entia 15, 126β127.
A. J. Birch and D. Nasipuri (1959). Reaction mechanisms in reduction by metalβammonia solutions. Tetrahedron 6, 148β153.
A. J. Birch and H. Smith (1959). The bio -synthesis of terpenoid compounds in fungi. Ciba Foundation Symposium 1958. The Bio -synthesis of Terpenes and Sterols, 245β263, discussion 263β266.
A. J. Birch, H. F. Hodson and G. F. Smith (1959). Echitamine. Proc. Chem. Soc., 224.
A. J. Birch, J. Grimshaw, R. N. Speake, R. M. Gascoigne and R. O. Hellyer (1959). Aromadendrene and viridiflorol. TetrahedronLett. (3) 15β18.
A. J. Birch, O. C. Musgrave, R. W. Rickards and H. Smith (1959). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XX. The structure and biosynthesis of curvularin. J. Chem. Soc., 3146β3152.
A. J. Birch, R. W. Rickards, H. Smith, A. Harris and W. B. Whalley (1959). Studies in relation to biosynthesis, - XXI. Roseno -nolactone and gibberellic acid. Tetrahedron7, 241β251.
A. J. Birch, B. J. McLoughlin and H. Smith (1960). The biosynthesis of the ergot alkaloids. Tetrahedron Lett. 1, 1β3.
A. J. Birch, B. J. McLoughlin, H. Smith and J. Winter (1960). Biosynthesis of Ξ²-nitropropionic acid. Chem. and Ind., 840β841.
A. J. Birch, D. G. Pettit, A. J. Ryan and R. N. Speake (1960). Flavanones in Angophora lanceolata. J. Chem. Soc., 2063β2066.
A. J. Birch, D. W. Cameron and R. W. Rickards (1960). Studies in relation tobiosynthesis. Part XXIII. The formation of aromatic compounds from Ξ²-polyketones. J. Chem. Soc., 4395β4400.
A. J. Birch, D. W. Cameron, P. W. Holloway and R. W. Rickards (1960). Further examples of biological C-methylation. Novobiocin and actinomycin. Tetrahedron Lett. 1, 26β31.
A. J. Birch, D. W. Cameron, R. W. Rickards and Y. Harada (1960). Antimycin-A. Proc. Chem. Soc., 22β23.
A. J. Birch, E. Pride, R. W. Rickards, P. J. Thomson, J. D. Dutcher, D. Perlman and C. Djerassi (1960). Biosynthesis of methy -mycin. Chem. and Ind., 1245β1246.
A. J. Birch, E. Ritchie and R. N. Speake (1960). The structure of alphitonin. J. Chem. Soc., 3593β3599.
A. J. Birch, H. F. Hodson, B. Moore, H. Potts and G. F. Smith (1960). Echitamine. Tetrahedron Lett. 1, 36β42.
A. J. Birch, J. F. Grove and I. S. Nixon (1960). Gibberellic acid. Brit. Pat. GB844341 19600810.
J. F. Snell, A. J. Birch and P. L. Thomson (1960). The biosynthesis of tetracycline antibiotics. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 82, 2402.
A. J. Birch and M. Kocor (1960). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXII. Palitantin and cyclopaldic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 866β871.
A. J. Birch, R. W. Rickards, H. Smith, J. Winter and W. B. Turner (1960). The allo -gibberic-gibberic acid rearrangement. Chem. and Ind., 401β402.
A. J. Birch (1960). Phytochemical surveys in Australia. W. Afric. J. Biol. Chem. 4, 3β5.
A. J. Birch (1960). Terpenoid compounds of mixed biogenetic origins in fungi. Chemisch Weekblad 56, 597β602.
A. J. Birch (1960). The biosynthesis of flavonoids and anthocyanins. In Proc. XVIIIUPAC Conf. Munich 1959. pp. 73β84. London: Butterworth.
A. J. Birch, A. Cassera and R. W. Rickards (1961). Intermediates in biosynthesis from acetate units. Chem. and Ind., 792β793.
A. J. Birch and C. J. Moye (1961). The synthesis of 4, 5, 7-trimethoxy-2-propyl anthra -quinone. J. Chem. Soc., 4691β4692.
C. W. L. Bevan, A. J. Birch and H. Caswell (1961). An insect repellant from black cocktailants. J. Chem. Soc., 488.
A. J. Birch, D. W. Cameron, Y. Harada and R. W. Rickards (1961). The structure of the antimycin-A complex. J. Chem. Soc., 889β895.
A. J. Birch, G. E. Blance, S. David and H. Smith (1961). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXIV. Some remarks on the structure of echinulin. J. Chem. Soc., 3128β3131.
A. J. Birch, H. F. Hodson, B. Moore and G. F. Smith (1961). The reactions of echitamine. Proc. Chem. Soc., 62β63.
A. J. Birch, J. Grimshaw and H. R. Juneja (1961). Aucubin. J. Chem. Soc., 5194β5198.
A. J. Birch and J. Grimshaw (1961). Loganin. Part II. Structural interpretation of the spectralproperties. J. Chem. Soc., 1407β1408.
A. J. Birch, J. Grimshaw, A. R. Penfold, N. Sheppard and R. N. Speake (1961). An independent confirmation of the structure of geijerene by physical methods. J. Chem. Soc., 2286β2291.
A. J. Birch and M. Slaytor (1961). The synthesis of (Β±)-S-3-methylbut-2-enylhomo -cysteine. J. Chem. Soc., 4692.
A. J. Birch, R. I. Fryer, P. J. Thomson andH. Smith (1961). Pigments of Phomaterrestris and their biosynthesis. Nature 190, 441β442.
A. J. Birch, E. M. A. Shoukry and F. Stansfield (1961). The base-catalyzed isomerisation of some 3-alkyldihydroanisoles. J. Chem. Soc., 5376β5380.
A. J. Birch (1961). Biosynthesis of natural products. In Proc. Symp. Phytochem., Univ. Hong Kong Jubilee.
A. J. Birch (1961). Biosynthesis of some monobenzenoid quinones. Ciba Foundation Symposium 1960. Quinones in Electron Transport, 233β243.
A. J. Birch (1961). Reduction by metalammonia solutions. Lectures Commem -orating Inauguration Shionogi Research Laboratories, 176β187.
A. J. Birch, A. Cassera, P. Fitton, J. S. E. Holker, H. Smith, G. A. Thompson and W. B. Whalley (1962). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXX. Rotiorin, monascin, and rubropunctatin. J. Chem. Soc., 3583β3586.
A. J. Birch, B. Moore and R. W. Rickards (1962). Curvularin. Part IV. Synthesis of adegradation product. J. Chem. Soc., 220β222.
A. J. Birch, B. Moore, S. K. Mukerjee and C. W. L. Bevan (1962). A partial synthesis of (Β±)-pisatin from pterocarpin. Tetrahedron Lett. 3, 673β676.
A. J. Birch, C. J. Moye, R. W. Rickards and Z. Vanek (1962). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXI. Some developments of the bromopicrin reaction. J. Chem. Soc., 3586β3589.
A. J. Birch, D. J. Collins, A. R. Penfold and J. P. Turnbull (1962). The structure ofzierone. Part II. J. Chem. Soc., 792β799.
A. J. Birch, D. W. Cameron, Y. Harada and R. W. Rickards (1962). Studies in relation tobiosynthesis. Part XXV. A preliminary study of the antimycin A complex. J. Chem. Soc., 303β305.
A. J. Birch and E. Pride (1962). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXVI. 7-Hydroxy-4, 6-dimethylphthalide. J. Chem. Soc., 370β371.
A. J. Birch, J. F. Snell and P. J. Thompson (1962). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXVIII. Oxytetracycline (Terramycin). J. Chem. Soc., 425β429.
A. J. Birch, J. M. H. Graves and F. Stansfield (1962). A convenient synthesis of some tropone derivatives. Proc. Chem. Soc., 282.
A. J. Birch, M. Kocor and D. C. C. Smith (1962). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part VIII. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12-Octahydro-8- methoxy-1-oxochrysene. J. Chem. Soc., 782β785.
A. J. Birch, M. Kocor, N. Sheppard and J. Winter (1962). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XXIX. The terpenoid chain of mycelianamide. J. Chem. Soc., 1502β1505.
A. J. Birch and M. Smith (1962). The addition of Grignard reagents to Ξ±, Ξ²-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by copper salts. Proc. Chem. Soc., 356.
A. J. Birch, R. W. Holloway and R. W. Rickards (1962). Biosynthesis of noviose, a branched-chain monosaccharide. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 57, 143β145.
S. Bhattacharji, A. J. Birch, A. Brack, A. Hofmann, H. Kobel, D. C. C. Smith, H. Smith and J. Winter (1962). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXVII. The biosynthesis of ergot alkaloids. J. Chem. Soc., 421β425.
A. J. Birch (1962). Biosynthesis of flavonoids and anthocyanins. In Chemistry of Flavonoid Compounds (ed. T. A. Geissman), pp. 618β625. New York: MacMillan Co.
A. J. Birch (1962). Some pathways in biosynthesis. Proc. Chem. Soc., 3β13.
A. J. Birch, D. J. Collins, S. Muhammad and J. P. Turnbull (1963). The structure of flin -dissol. Some remarks on the elemi acids. J. Chem. Soc., 2762β2772.
A. J. Birch, D. W. Cameron, C. W. Holzapfel and R. W. Rickards (1963). The diterpenoid nature of pleuromutilin. Chem. and Ind., 374β375.
A. J. Birch, J. Grimshaw and J. P. Turnbull (1963). A possible structure for eremo -lactone, a new type of diterpene. J. Chem. Soc., 2412β2417.
A. J. Birch and J. Winter (1963). A partial synthesis of 14C-phyllocladene: some observationson the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid. J. Chem. Soc., 5547β5548.
A. J. Birch, J. M. H. Graves and J. B. Siddall (1963). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part IX. Tropone analogues of estrone. J. Chem. Soc., 4234β4237.
A. J. Birch and K. R. Farrar (1963). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXIII. Incorporation of tryptophan into echinulin. J. Chem. Soc., 4277β4278.
A. J. Birch, P. Fitton, D. C. C. Smith, D. E. Steere and A. R. Stelfox (1963). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXII. Preparation, spectra, and hydrolysis of poly-Ξ²-carbonyl compounds. J. Chem. Soc., 2209β2216.
A. J. Birch (1963). Biosynthetic pathways. In Chemical Plant Taxonomy (ed. T. Swain), pp. 141β166. New York: Academic.
A. J. Birch (1963). The biosynthesis of antibiotics. Pure and Applied Chemistry 7, 527β537.
A. J. Birch, B. Moore, E. Smith and M. Smith (1964). The conversion of gmelinol intoneogmelinol. J. Chem. Soc., 2709β2712.
A. J. Birch, C. Djerassi, J. D. Dutcher, J. Majer, D. Perlman, E. Pride, R. W. Rickards and P. J. Thomson (1964). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXV. Macrolide antibiotics. Part XII. Methymycin. J. Chem. Soc., 5274β5278.
A. J. Birch, C. W. Holzapfel, R. W. Rickards, C. Djerassi, M. Suzuki, J. W. Westley, J. D. Dutcher and R. Thomas (1964). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXVI. Macrolide antibiotics. XIII. Nystatin. V. Biosynthetic definition of some structural features. Tetrahedron Lett. 5, 1485β1490.
A. J. Birch, C. W. Holzapfel, R. W. Rickards, C. Djerassi, P. C. Seidel, M. Suzuki, J. W. Westley and J. D. Dutcher (1964). Nystatin. Part VI. Chemistry and partial structure of the antibiotic. Tetrahedron Lett. 5, 1491β1497.
C. W. L. Bevan, A. J. Birch, B. Moore and S. K. Mukerjee (1964). A partial synthesis of (Β±)-pisatin: some remarks on the structure and reactions of pterocarpin. J. Chem. Soc., Suppl., 5991β5995.
A. J. Birch and D. A. White (1964). A direct conversion of Ξ±-tetralone into naphthalene. J. Chem. Soc., 4086.
A. J. Birch, D. N. Butler and J. B. Siddall (1964). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part II. Some reactions of adducts of benzoquinones and 1-methoxycyclohexadienes. J. Chem. Soc., 2932β2941.
A. J. Birch, D. N. Butler and J. B. Siddall (1964). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part III. Conversion of some 1-methoxycyclohexa-1, 3-dienes into polycyclic quinones. J. Chem. Soc., 2941β2944.
A. J. Birch, D. N. Butler and R. W. Rickards (1964). The structure of the azaanthraquinone phomazarin. Tetrahedron Lett. 5, 1853β1858.
A. J. Birch and D. N. Butler (1964). The structure of hyptolide. J. Chem. Soc., 4167β4168.
A. J. Birch, F. A. Hochstein, J. A. K. Quartey and J. P. Turnbull (1964). Structure and some reactions of acoric acid. J. Chem. Soc., 2923β2931.
F. A. Kincl, A. J. Birch and R. I. Dorfman (1964). Pituitary gonadotropic inhibitoryactivity of various steroids in ovariectomized-intact female rats in parabiosis. Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. Med. 117, 549β552.
A. J. Birch, J. M. Brown and F. Stansfield (1964). A new route to a cyclooctane derivative. Chem. and Ind., 1917β1918.
A. J. Birch, J. M. Brown and F. Stansfield (1964). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. IV. Some transformations of bisdihalocarbene adducts. J. Chem. Soc., 5343β5348.
A. J. Birch, J. M. Brown and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1964). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part X. Conversion of estrone intoandrost-4-ene-3, 17-dione. J. Chem. Soc., 3309β3312.
A. J. Birch, M. Salahud-Din and D. C. C. Smith (1964). The structure of xanthor rhoein. Tetrahedron Lett. 5, 1623β1627.
A. J. Birch and M. Salahud-Din (1964). A natural flavan. Tetrahedron Lett. 5, 2211β2214.
A. J. Birch and M. Smith (1964). The constitution of gmelinol. Part IV. Stereochemistryand relationships to other lignans. J. Chem. Soc., 2705β2708.
A. J. Birch, P. Hodge, R. W. Rickards, R. Takeda and T. R. Watson (1964). The structure of pyoluteorin. J. Chem. Soc., 2641β2644.
A. J. Birch, P. E. Cross, J. Lewis and D. A. White (1964). Iron tricarbonyl adducts of dihydroanisoles: an adduct of a tautomers of phenol. Chem. and Ind. 20, 838.
A. J. Birch, S. F. Hussain and R. W. Rickards (1964). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXIV. The branched-chain origin of citromycetin. J. Chem. Soc., 3494β3495.
A. J. Birch, G. A. Hughes, G. Kruger and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1964). Hydroaromaticsteroid hormones. Part XII. J. Chem. Soc., Suppl., 5889β5891.
A. J. Birch (1964). Aspects of the biosynthesis of phenolic and related compounds from acetic acid. VII Corso Estivo di Chimica, Biogenesi delle Sostanze Naturali1962, Roma Accad. Naz. dei Lincei, 57β66.
A. J. Birch (1964). Some aspects of structure and biosynthesis in the terpene field. Perfumery and Essential Oil Record 55, 587β596.
A. J. Birch (1964). Some considerations of biosynthesis and taxonomy. VII Corso Estivodi Chimica, Biogenesi delle Sostanze Naturali 1962, Roma Accad. Naz. dei Lincei, 77β93.
A. J. Birch (1964). The biosynthesis of some antibiotics. VII Corso Estivo di Chimica, Biogenesi delle Sostanze Naturali 1962, Roma Accad. Naz. dei Lincei, 67β75.
A. J. Birch, A. Cassera and A. R. Jones (1965). The biosynthesis of terrein. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 167β168.
A. J. Birch, A. J. Ryan, J. Schofield and H. Smith (1965). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXVII. Some structures derived from acetic acid by two pathways. J. Chem. Soc., 1231β1234.
A. J. Birch, D. N. Butler, C. J. Moye, R. W. Rickards and J. B. Siddall (1965). A new synthesis of polycyclic quinones. Bulletin of the National Institute of Sciences of India 28, 99β104.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1965). Steroid hormones. Part XIII. 13-Aza- and13-aza-D-homo analogues of equilenin methyl ether. J. Chem. Soc., 3007β3008.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1965). Steroid hormones. Part XV. (Β±)-8Ξ±-Androst-4-ene-3, 17-dione from 8Ξ±-estrone methyl ether. J. Chem. Soc., 5139β5140.
A. J. Birch and J. B. Siddall (1965). Hydroaromatic steroid hormones. Part XI. A steroid with an angular aromatic ring. J. Chem. Soc., 1552β1553.
A. J. Birch, J. M. H. Graves andG. S. R. Subba Rao (1965). Steroid hormones. Part XIV. Further tropone and tropolone analogues. J. Chem. Soc., 5137β5138.
A. J. Birch, L. Loh, A. Pelter, J. H. Birkinshaw, P. Chaplen, A. H. Manchanda and M. Riano-Martin (1965). The structure of canescin. Tetrahedron Lett. 6, 29β32.
A. J. Birch, P. E. Cross and H. Fitton (1965). Reactions of some metal carbonyls with1-methoxycyclohexa-1, 4-diene and related compounds. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 366β367.
A. J. Birch (1965). Chemical and physical properties of metal-ammonia solutions. Cooch Behar Lectures 1960. Calcutta: Indian Assoc. Cultiv. Sci.
A. J. Birch (1965). Organic reactions in liquid ammonia. Chem. and Ind., 594β595.
A. J. Birch, C. W. Holzapfel and R. W Rickards (1966). The structure and some aspects of the biosynthesis of pleuromutilin. Tetrahedron 22 Suppl. 8, 359β387.
A. J. Birch, G. S. R. Subba Rao and J. P. Turnbull (1966). Eremolactone. Tetrahedron Lett. 7, 4749β4751.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1966). Steroid hormones. Part XVIII. Some derivatives of hexoestrol [3, 4-di (p-hydroxy -phenyl)hexane]. J. Chem. Soc. C, 1213β1214.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1966). Steroid hormones β XVII. Further A-homo -steroid hormones. Tetrahedron 22, Suppl. 7, 391β395.
A. J. Birch and H. Fitton (1966). A vitamin-A aldehyde-tricarbonyliron adduct. J. Chem. Soc. C, 2060β2061.
A. J. Birch, H. Fitton, R. Mason, G. B. Robertson and J. E. Stangroom (1966). Vitamin-A aldehyde iron tricarbonyl. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 613β614.
A. J. Birch, J. L. Willis, R. O. Hellyer and M. Salahud-Din (1966). The biosynthesis of tasmanone. J. Chem. Soc. C, 1337.
A. J. Birch and J. S. Hill (1966). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part V. A new synthesis of4-substituted cyclohexenones. J. Chem. Soc., Org., 419β424.
A. J. Birch and J. S. Hill (1966). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part VI. Further reactions of DielsβAlder adducts from 1-methoxy cyclo -hexadienes. J. Chem. Soc. C, 2324β2327.
A. J. Birch and K. A. M. Walker (1966). Aspects of catalytic hydrogenation with a soluble catalyst. J. Chem. Soc. C, 1894β1896.
A. J. Birch and K. A. M. Walker (1966). Specific deuteration of unsaturated compounds. Tetrahedron Lett. 7, 4939β4940.
A. J. Birch, M. Salahud-Din and D. C. C. Smith (1966). The synthesis of (Β±)-xanthorrhoein. J. Chem. Soc., Org., 523β527.
A. J. Birch, P. E. Cross, D. T. Connor and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1966). Steroid hormones. Part XVI. Some organometallic and3-deoxysteroids. J. Chem. Soc., Org., 54β56.
A. J. Birch (1966). Biosynthetic intermediates in polyketide biosynthesis. Proc. Meet. Fed. Eur. Biochem. Soc., 2nd, 1965, 3, 3β13.
A. J. Birch (1966). Some natural antifungal agents. Chem. and Ind., 1173β1176.
A. J. Birch, C. J. Dahl and A. Pelter (1967). The isolation and characterization of a new type of biflavan derivative from a Xanthorrhoea. Tetrahedron Lett. 8, 481β487.
A. J. Birch, G. M. Iskander, B. I. Magboul and F. Stansfield (1967). Conversion of some dihalocyclopropanes into unsaturated ketones. J. Chem. Soc. C, 358β361.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1967). A ring C aromatic bisnorsteroid. TetrahedronLett. 8, 857β858.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1967). New total syntheses of (Β±)-equilenin methylether and (Β±)-isoequilenin methyl ether: some remarks on polyphosphoric acidcyclizations. Tetrahedron Lett. 8, 2763β2765.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1967). Steroid hormones. Part XIX. (+)-9Ξ²-Androstenedioneand βretroβ-androstenedione from9Ξ²-estrone. J. Chem. Soc. C, 2509β2510.
A. J. Birch and J. S. Hill (1967). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part VII. A DielsβAlder adduct of a tetrahydropyranyloxycyclohexadiene. J. Chem. Soc. C, 125β126.
A. J. Birch and K. A. M. Walker (1967). Homogeneous hydrogenation in the presence of sulfur compounds. Tetrahedron Lett. 8, 1935β1936.
A. J. Birch and K. A. M. Walker (1967). Hydrogenation of some quinones to ene -diones. Tetrahedron Lett. 8, 3457β3458.
A. J. Birch and K. S. J. Stapleford (1967). The structure of nalgiolaxin. J. Chem. Soc. C, 2570β2571.
A. J. Birch and M. Maung (1967). The synthesis of ortho-isopentenylphenols. Tetra -hedron Lett. 8, 3275β3276.
A. J. Birch, P. L. MacDonald and A. Pelter (1967). A revised structure for neogmelinol: determinations of configurations in tetra -hydrofuranoid lignans. J. Chem. Soc. C, 1968β1972.
A. J. Birch (1967). A-Homoestratrien-3-onederivatives. Ger. Pat. DE 1252679 19671026.
A. J. Birch (1967). Biosynthesis of poly -ketides and related compounds. Science 156, 202β206.
A. J. Birch (1967). Fumagillin. Antibiotics (USSR) 2, 152β153.
A. J. Birch (1967). Nystatin. Antibiotics (USSR) 2, 228β230.
A. J. Birch (1967). Some approaches to the total synthesis of steroid hormones and analogues based on aromatic precursors. Proc. Int. Congr. Hormonal Steroids, 2nd, Milan, 1966, 316β320.
A. J. Birch, A. A. Qureshi and R. W. Rickards (1968). Metabolites of Aspergillus indicus: the structure and some aspects of the biosynthesis of dihydrocanadensolide. Aust. J. Chem. 21, 2775β2784.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1968). Olefin isomerizations using tristri phenyl -phosphinerhodium chloride. Tetrahedron Lett. 9, 3797β3798.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1968). Oxidations catalyzed by tris (triphenyl -phosphine) rhodium chloride. Tetrahedron Lett. 9, 2917β2918.
A. J. Birch, H. Fitton, M. McPartlin and R. Mason (1968). The structure and somereactions of the iron tricarbonyl complex of thebaine. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 531.
A. J. Birch and M. Haas (1968). Removal of OMe from tricarbonyl-1- or -2-methoxy -cyclo hexa-1, 3-dieneiron complexes: a novel preparation of tricarbonyl-Ο-cyclohexa -dienyliron salts. Tetrahedron Lett. 9, 3705β3706.
A. J. Birch, P. E. Cross, J. Lewis, D. A. White and S. B. Wild (1968). The chemistry of coordinated ligands. Part II. Iron tricarbonyl complexes of some cyclohexadienes. J. Chem. Soc. A, 332β340.
A. J. Birch and R. Keeton (1968). A synthesis of nezukone. J. Chem. Soc. C, 109.
A. J. Birch (1968). Biosintesi: caratteristica fondamentale della materia vivente. In Enciclopedia della scienza e della tecnica. Milano: Mondadori.
A. J. Birch (1968). Polyketide metabolism. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 19, 321β332.
A. J. Birch, B. McKague and C. S. Rao (1969). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. IX. Some reactions of nitrosobenzene adducts of1-methoxycyclohexa-1, 3-dienes. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 2493β2495.
A. J. Birch and B. McKague (1969). Steroid hormones. XX. An A-substituted estrone derivative. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 2255β2256.
A. J. Birch, C. J. Dahl and A. Pelter (1969). Synthetic evidence for the structure of xanthor rhone. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 423β426.
C. W. Holzapfel, A. J. Birch and R. W. Rickards (1969). The oxidation of deoxy rosenonolactone by Trichotheciumroseum. Phytochem. 8, 1009β1012.
A. J. Birch, F. Gager, L. Mo, A. Pelter and J. J. Wright (1969). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XLI. Canescin. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 2429β2436.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1969). Metal-ammonia reduction of some acylphenols. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 761β764.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1969). The synthesis of p-mentha-1, 3, 8-triene. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 2037β2039.
A. J. Birch and H. Fitton (1969). The preparation and some reactions of the irontri -carbonyl complex of thebaine. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 971β976.
A. J. Birch and H. H. Mantsch (1969). Reductions of acridine by metal-ammonia solutions. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 1103β1104.
A. J. Birch, J. H. Birkinshaw, P. Chaplen, L. Mo, A. H. Manchanda, A. Pelter and M. Riano-Martin (1969). The structures of canescin-A and -B. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 1933β1941.
A. J. Birch and J. J. Wright (1969). A total synthesis of mycophenolic acid. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 788β789.
A. J. Birch and J. J. Wright (1969). A total synthesis of mycophenolic acid. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 2635β2644.
A. J. Birch and J. J. Wright (1969). The brevianamides: a new class of fungal alkaloid. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 644β645.
A. J. Birch, J. J. Wright, F. Gager, L. Mo and A. Pelter (1969). The biosynthesis of canescin: a C1-unit in a chain. Tetrahedron Lett. 10, 1519β1520.
A. J. Birch, M. Maung and A. Pelter (1969). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XL. Some aspects of the chemistry of o-isopentenylphenols and related compounds. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 1923β1932.
A. J. Birch, P. L. MacDonald and V. H. Powell (1969). A stereo selective synthesis of (Β±)-juvabione. Tetrahedron Lett. 10, 351β354.
A. J. Birch and R. I. Fryer (1969). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XXXIX. Oosporein. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 1319β1320.
A. J. Birch, R. W. Rickards and K. J. S. Stapleford (1969). Reduction of1-arylpyrroles by metalβammonia solutions. Aust. J. Chem. 22, 1321β1323.
A. J. Birch and S. F. Hussain (1969). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XXXVIII. A preliminary study of fumagillin. J. Chem. Soc. C, 1473β1474.
A. J. Birch and B. McKague (1970). A stereo specific synthesis of trisubstituteddouble bonds. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 813β817.
A. J. Birch and B. McKague (1970). Steroid hormones. XXI. Some testosterone derivatives substituted at C-19. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 341β346.
A. J. Birch, E. G. Hutchinson and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1970). Preparation of some dimethylaminocyclohexa-1, 3-dienesand their reactions with Ξ±Ξ²-unsaturated ketones. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 657.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1970). Reduction by dissolving metals. XV. Reactions of some cyclohexadienes with metal-ammonia solutions. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 1641β1649.
A. J. Birch and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1970). Steroid hormones. XXII. Total syntheses of (Β±)-equilenin methyl ether and (Β±)-estronemethyl ether. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 547β552.
A. J. Birch, J. Diekman and P. L. MacDonald (1970). Syntheses of some 2-substitutedcyclohexenones by Michael-type reactions on tetrahydropyran-2β-yloxycyclohexenes. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 52β53.
A. J. Birch, J. E. T. Corrie and G. S. R. SubbaRao (1970). A nonstereospecific synthesis of (Β±)-davanone. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 1811β1817.
A. J. Birch and J. J. Wright (1970). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XLII. Structural elucidation and some aspects of the biosynthesis of the brevianamides-A and -E. Tetrahedron26, 2329β2344.
A. J. Birch, K. B. Chamberlain, B. P. Moore and V. H. Powell (1970). Termite attractants in Santalum spicatum. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 2337β2341.
M. Allen, A. J. Birch and A. R. Jones (1970). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XLIII. The incorporation of L-lysine into myco -bactin-P. Aust. J. Chem. 23, 427β429.
A. J. Birch, P. L. MacDonald and V. H. Powell (1970). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part VIII. Stereoselective and nonstereoselective syntheses of (Β±)-juvabione. J. Chem. Soc. C, 1469β1476.
A. J. Birch and V. H. Powell (1970). Synthesis of some polycyclic quinones through 1-methoxycyclohexa-1, 3-dienes. Tetrahedron Lett. 11, 3467β3470.
A. J. Birch, E. G. Hutchinson and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1971). Reduction bydissolving metals. Part XVI. Reactions of some aromatic amines with metal-ammonia solutions. J. Chem. Soc. C, 637β642.
A. J. Birch, E. G. Hutchinson and G. Subba Rao (1971). Reduction by dissolving metals. Part XVII. Metalβammonia reductions of some conjugated dienamines. J. Chem. Soc. C, 2409β2411.
A. J. Birch and E. G. Hutchinson (1971). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part XII. Some dienamines and dimethyl acetylene -dicarboxylate. J. Chem. Soc. C, 3671β3673.
A. J. Birch and K. A. M. Walker (1971). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. II. Further applications of tristriphenyl -phosphinechlororhodium. Aust. J. Chem. 24, 513β520.
A. J. Birch, K. B. Chamberlain and S. S. Oloyede (1971). Reaction of sodium dimethyl sulfoxide with 2-bromoanisole. Aust. J. Chem. 24, 2179β2180.
A. J. Birch and M. A. Haas (1971). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. Part III. The reaction of concentrated sulfuric acid with tricarbonylcyclohexa-1, 3-dieneiron com -plexes: a preparation of certain alkyltricarbonyl-Ο-cyclohexadienyliron salts. J. Chem. Soc. C, 2465β2467.
A. J. Birch and R. Keeton (1971). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. X. Some dichloro -carbene adducts of alkoxycyclohexa-1, 4-dienes and their conversion into hydroxycyclopropanes and cycloheptenones. Aust. J. Chem. 24, 331β341.
A. J. Birch and R. A. Russell (1971). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. XI. A synthesis of nidulol methyl ether (5, 7-dimethoxy-6-methylphthalide) and 4, 6-dimethoxy-5-methylphthalide. Aust. J. Chem. 24, 1975β1978.
A. J. Birch (1971). Terpenoid compounds of mixed biogenetic origins. J. Agric. Food Chem. 19, 1088β1092.
A. J. Birch, A. H. Jackson, P. V. R. Shannon and P. S. P. Varma (1972). An improved routeto isoquinolines; synthesis of the alkaloids escholamine and takatonine. Tetrahedron Lett. 13, 4789β4792.
A. J. Birch and D. J. Thompson (1972). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XLV. Probable origin of a B-norflavone. Aust. J. Chem. 25, 2731β2733.
A. J. Birch and E. G. Hutchinson (1972). Reduction by dissolving metals. Part XVIII. Metal-ammonia reductions of somebicyclo [2. 2. 2]octene derivatives: structural effects on double bond reduction and nitrile cleavage. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1546β1548.
A. J. Birch and G. Subba Rao (1972). Reductions by metal-ammonia solutions and related reagents. In Advances in Organic Chemistry. Methods and Results (ed. E. C. Taylor), vol. 8, pp. 1β65. New York: WileyβInterscience.
A. J. Birch, J. E. T. Corrie, P. L. Macdonald and G. Subba Rao (1972). Total synthesis of (Β±)-ethyl acorate { (Β±)-ethyl (3RS)-3-[ (1SR, 4SR)-1-isobutyryl-4-methyl-3-oxo -cyclo hexyl]butyrate} and (Β±)-epiacoric acid. An application of the generation and alkylation of a specific enolate. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1186β1193.
A. J. Birch and K. P. Dastur (1972). A catalytic conversion of 1-methoxycyclo -hexa-1, 4-dienes into 1-methoxycyclo hexa-1, 3-dienes. Tetrahedron Lett. 13, 4195β4196.
A. J. Birch and R. A. Russell (1972). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. XLIV. Structural elucidations of brevianamides-B, -C, -D, and -F. Tetrahedron 28, 2999β3008.
A. J. Birch, W. V. Brown, J. E. T. Corrie and B. P. Moore (1972). Neocembrene-A, a termite trail pheromone. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 2653β2658.
A. J. Birch (1972). Biogenetic aspects of the structure determination of natural products. Some Recent Dev. Chem. Nat. Prod. (ed S. Rangaswami and N. V. Subba Rao), pp. 6β17. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall.
A. J. Birch (1972). Partial synthesis of some novobiocin analogues. Adv. Antimicrob. Antineoplastic Chemother., Proc. Int. Congr. Chemother., 7th, 1971, 1, 1023β1024.
A. J. Birch (1972). The organic chemist in biosynthesis. Matthew Flinders Lecture, Austral. Acad. Sci., Records A. A. S. 2 No 3.
A. J. Birch and D. H. Williamson (1973). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. PartV. Some tricarbonyliron derivatives of cyclohexadiene carboxylicacids. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1892β1900.
A. J. Birch and E. G. Hutchinson (1973). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part XIV. Addition reactions of dienamines and electrophilic olefins. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1757β1760.
A. J. Birch, K. B. Chamberlain andD. J. Thompson (1973). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. Part VI. Some oxidative cyclizations of tricarbonylcyclohexadieneiron complexes. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1900β1903.
A. J. Birch and K. B. Chamberlain (1973). Tricarbonyl (1-ethoxycarbonylmethyl-1-hydroxy-2, 4-cyclohexadiene)iron. Org. Syn. 53, 177.
A. J. Birch and K. B. Chamberlain (1973). Tricarbonyl (2, 4-cyclohexadienone)iron and tricarbonyl (2-methoxy-1, 3-cyclohexa -dienylium)iron fluorophosphate from ani -sole. Org. Syn. 53, 176.
A. J. Birch and K. B. Chamberlain (1973). Tricarbonyl (2, 4-cyclohexadienone) iron from benzene. Org. Syn. 53, 177.
A. J. Birch and K. B. Chamberlain (1973). Tricarbonyl[5- (2-hydroxy-4, 4-dimethyl-6-oxo-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-methoxy-1, 3-cyclohexadiene]iron. Org. Syn. 53, 178.
A. J. Birch, K. B. Chamberlain, M. A. Haas and D. J. Thompson (1973). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. Part IV. Abstraction of hydride from some tricarbonylcyclohexa-1, 3-dieneiron complexes and reactions of the complexed cations with some nucleophiles. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1882β1891.
A. J. Birch and K. P. Dastur (1973). Reactions of cyclohexadienes. Part XIII. Catalytic conversion of 1-methoxy-1, 4-cyclohexadienes into 1-methoxy-1, 3-cyclohexadienes. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1650β1652.
A. J. Birch and K. P. Dastur (1973). Reduction by dissolving metals. XIX. A synthesis of 4-isopropylcyclohexa-1, 4-dienecarbaldehyde. Aust. J. Chem. 26, 1363β1364.
A. J. Birch, K. S. Keogh and V. R. Mamdapur (1973). Conversion of 2, 5-disubstitutedfurans into (Z)-jasmone. Aust. J. Chem. 26, 2671β2674.
A. J. Birch and P. C. Lehman (1973). Metalammonia reduction of aromatic nitrogen heterocycles. Part I. Reductive alkylation of quinoline and some methyl derivatives. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 2754β2759.
A. J. Birch (1973). Biosynthetic pathways in chemical phylogeny. Pure and Applied Chemistry 33, 17β38.
A. J. Birch (1973). Construction of bio -synthetic hypotheses. Journal of the National Science Council of Sri Lanka 1, 19β29.
A. J. Birch and C. J. Dahl (1974). Some constituents of the resins of Xanthorrhoea preissii, australis and hastile. Aust. J. Chem. 27, 331β344.
A. J. Birch and G. Nadamuni (1974). Reduction by dissolving metals. Part XX. Some biphenyl derivatives. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 545β552.
J. Baldas, A. J. Birch and R. A. Russell (1974). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part XLVI. Incorporation of cyclo-L-tryptophyl-L-proline into brevianamide A. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 50β52.
A. J. Birch and K. P. Dastur (1974). A synthesis of 4, 6-dien-3-ones in thebicyclo[4. 4. 0]decane series. Tetrahedron Lett. 15, 1009β1010.
A. J. Birch and P. G. Lehman (1974). Metalammonia reduction of aromatic nitrogen heterocycles. II. 1, 4-Dihydroquinoline. Tetrahedron Lett. 15, 2395β2396.
A. J. Birch (1974). Biosynthetic pathways in chemical phylogeny. Nobel Symposium 25, 261β270.
A. J. Birch (1974). Chance and design. Historical perspective of the chemistry oforal contraceptives. J. Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 107, 100β113.
A. J. Birch (1974). Dihydrobenzenes in synthesis in terpene related areas. J. Agric. Food Chem. 22, 162β167.
A. J. Birch and A. J. Pearson (1975). Organometallics in organic synthesis: alkylations of tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliron cationic complexes with organo-zinc and -cadmium reagents. Tetrahedron Lett. 16, 2379β2380.
A. J. Birch and E. A. Karakhanov (1975). Preparation of some N-substituted 1, 4-di -hydropyridines by metal-ammonia reactions. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 480β481.
G. S. R. Subba Rao, N. S. Sundar, K. S. Rao and A. J. Birch (1975). Total syntheses of (Β±)-18-homo-B-norestrone and (Β±)-18-homo-8-iso-B-norestrone. Ind. J. Chem. 13, 644β647.
A. J. Birch, I. D. Jenkins and A. J. Liepa (1975). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. Nucleophilic reactions on tri -carbonyl cyclohexadienyliron cations. Some cyclohexadienyl phosphinic, phosphonic, and sulfonic acid derivatives. Tetrahedron Lett. 16, 1723β1726.
A. J. Birch and I. D. Jenkins (1975). Tricarbonylcyclohexadienoneiron: a new phenylating agent for amines. Tetrahedron Lett. 16, 119β122.
A. J. Birch and J. Slobbe (1975). Metalammonia reduction and reductive alkylation of 2-furoic acid. Tetrahedron Lett. 16, 627β628.
A. J. Birch and M. Kaye (1975). The other arts: science, invention, technology. Australia75 Festival of the Creative Arts and Sciences.
A. J. Birch, T. J. Simpson and P. W. Westerman (1975). Biosynthesis of ravenelin from [1-13C]- and [1, 2-13C]-acetate. Tetrahedron Lett. 16, 4173β4177.
A. J. Birch (1975). Origin of the Birch reduction. J. Chem. Ed. 52, 458.
A. J. Birch and A. J. Pearson (1976). FriedelβCrafts chemistry of tricarbonyldieneiron complexes: carbonylative annulations of tricarbonylmyrceneiron. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 601β602.
A. J. Birch and A. J. Pearson (1976). Organometallics in synthesis: alkylation of tricarbonyldienyliron cationic complexes with organocadmium reagents. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 954β957.
A. J. Birch and D. H. Williamson (1976). Homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts inorganic synthesis. Organic Reactions 24, 1β186.
A. J. Birch and I. D. Jenkins (1976). Transition metal complexes of olefinic compounds. In Transition Metal Organometallics in Organic Synthesis (ed. H. Alper), vol. 1, pp. 1β82. New York: Academic.
A. J. Birch, J. Baldas, J. R. Hlubucek, T. J. Simpson and P. W. Westerman (1976). Biosynthesis of the fungal xanthone ravenelin. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 898β904.
A. J. Birch and J. Slobbe (1976). Metalβammonia reduction and reductive alkylation of conjugated dienoic acids. Aust. J. Chem. 29, 2737β2739.
A. J. Birch and J. Slobbe (1976). Oxidativede carboxylation of dihydroaromatic acids with lead tetraacetate: a synthesis of olivetoldimethyl ether and of rosefuran. Tetrahedron Lett. 17, 2079β2082.
A. J. Birch and J. Slobbe (1976). Reduction of heterocyclic compounds by metalammonia solutions and related reagents. Heterocycles 5, 905β944.
A. J. Birch, P. W. Westerman and A. J. Pearson (1976). Organometallic compounds in synthesis. VIII. Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic study of tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliron salts. Aust. J. Chem. 29, 1671β1677.
A. J. Birch, R. Effenberger, R. W. Rickards and T. J. Simpson (1976). The structure of phomazarin, a polyketide azaanthraquinone from Pyrenochaeta terrestris Hansen. Tetrahedron Lett. 17, 2371β2374.
A. J. Birch and W. M. P. Johnson (1976). Reduction by dissolving metals. XXI. Some deuteroanisoles. Aust. J. Chem. 29, 1631β1633.
A. J. Birch (1976). Chance and design in biosynthesis. Interdiscip. Sci. Rev. 1, 215β233.
A. J. Birch (1976). Neglected hypothetical approaches. Trends in Biochem. Sci. 1, N206βN207.
A. J. Birch (1976). Science centres, a challenge to the traditional museum. A proposal for a science centre. Science Museums and the Future. Aust. Nat. Commiss. UNESCO.
A. J. Birch (1976). Sir Robert Robinson: a contemporary historical assessment and apersonal memoir. J. Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 109, pt. 3β4, 151β160.
A. J. Birch, C. T. Looker and R. T. Madigan (1977). Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
A. J. Birch and J. Slobbe (1977). Reduction by dissolving metals. XXII. Reduction and reductive alkylation of some methoxy- and dimethylamino-benzoic acids. Aust. J. Chem. 30, 1045β1049.
A. J. Birch and K. B. Chamberlain (1977). Alkylation of dimedone with a tricarbonyl - (diene) iron complex: tricarbonyl[2-[ (2, 3, 4, 5-Ξ·)-4-methoxy-2, 4-cyclohexadien-1-yl]-5, 5-dimethyl-1, 3-cyclohexanedione]iron. Org. Syn. 57, 16β17.
A. J. Birch and K. B. Chamberlain (1977). Tricarbonyl [ (2, 3, 4, 5-Ξ·)-2, 4-cyclohexadien-1-one]iron and tricarbonyl [ (1, 2, 3, 4, 5-Ξ·)-2-methoxy-2, 4-cyclohexadien-1-yl]iron (1+) hexafluorophosphate (1-) from anisole. Org. Syn. 57, 107β112.
A. J. Birch and A. J. Liepa (1978). Biosynthesis of lignans. The Chemistry of Lignans. (ed. C. B. S. Rao), pp. 307β327. Waltair: Andhra University Press.
A. J. Birch and A. J. Pearson (1978). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. Part 9. Tricarbonyliron derivatives of dihydroanisic esters. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 638β642.
A. J. Birch and J. Slobbe (1978). The anodic aromatization of 2, 5-dihydroanisole derivatives. Aust. J. Chem. 31, 2555β2558.
A. J. Birch and S. F. Dyke (1978). Reduction by dissolving metals. XXIII. Conversion of aromatic amines into cyclohexadienamines. Aust. J. Chem. 31, 1625β1628.
A. J. Birch (1978). Biosynthesis in theory and practice: structure determinations. Ciba Foundation Symposium 53, Further Perspectives in Organic Chemistry, 5β24.
A. J. Birch (1978). Chance and design in biosynthesis. Pure and Applied Chemistry 50, 1005β1014.
A. J. Birch (1978). Chemical contraception: accident or design? Papers, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science Congress, 48th, Sydney, 1977, 2/145.
A. J. Birch (1978). Historical aspects, structures of natural products. UNESCO Regional Workshop Structure Elucidation of Natural Products, Univ. Malaya, 1β22.
A. J. Birch, A. J. Liepa and G. R. Stephenson (1979). Organometallic compounds inorganic synthesis. Some tricarbonyl (cyclohexadienyl) iron cations and nitrogen containing nucleophiles. Tetrahedron Lett. 20, 3565β3568.
A. J. Birch, D. N. Butler, R. Effenberger, R. W. Rickards and T. J. Simpson (1979). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part 47. Phomazarin. Part 1. The structure of phomazarin, an aza-anthraquinone produced by Pyrenochaeta terrestris Hansen. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 807β815.
G. M. Badger and A. J. Birch (1979). Marine sciences and technologies in Australia: Immediate issues 1979, pp. 1β16; Priorities for additional research and development1980β81, 1980, pp. 1β35; Towards a marine sciences and technologies program for the1980s, 1981, pp. 1β95; Marine sciences and technologies research grants scheme1980/1981, 1982, pp. 1β20. Reports to the Prime Minister by the Australian Science and Technology Council (ASTEC). Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
L. F. Kelly, A. S. Narula and A. J. Birch (1979). Organometallic compounds inorganic synthesis: reactions of some tri -carbonylcyclohexadienylium-iron complexes with trimethylsilyl enol ethers. Tetrahedron Lett. 20, 4107β4110.
A. J. Birch and T. J. Simpson (1979). Studies in relation to biosynthesis. Part 48. Phomazarin. Part 2. Carbon-13 NMR spectra and biosynthesis of phomazarin. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 816β822.
A. J. Birch (1979). Workshop overview. Science and technology for what purpose? An Australian perspective (ed. A. T. A. Healy), pp. 7β20. Canberra: Ύ«Ά«ΚΣΖ΅.
A. J. Birch (1979). Science policy and science education. Chem. Aust. 46, 3β6.
A. J. Birch, A. L. Hinde and L. Radom (1980). A theoretical approach to the Birch reduction. Structures and stabilities of the radical anions of substituted benzenes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 3370β3376.
A. J. Birch, A. L. Hinde and L. Radom (1980). A theoretical approach to the Birch reduction. Structures and stabilities of cyclohexadienyl radicals. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 4074β4080.
A. J. Birch, A. L. Hinde and L. Radom (1980). A theoretical approach to the Birch reduction. Structures and stabilities of cyclohexadienylanions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 6430β6437.
A. J. Birch, A. S. Narula, P. Dahler, G. R. Stephenson and L. F. Kelly (1980). Organometallic compounds in organic synthesis: reactions of some tricarbonyl -cyclohexadienyliumiron complexes with1, 2-bis (trimethylsiloxy)-1-cyclopentene. Anovel route to 2-substituted 2-cyclopenten-1-ones. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 979β982.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch and T. -C. Khor (1980). Alkylation of tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliron salts with lithium alkyls. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 3625β3626.
A. J. Birch and B. M. R. Bandara (1980). An alternative formation of tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliumiron salts by acid-catalyzed decarbonylation. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 3499β3502.
A. J. Birch and B. M. R. Bandara (1980). Optical resolution of tricarbonyl (1-carboxycyclohexa-1, 3-diene)iron and the absolute configuration of the products. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 2981β2982.
L. F. Kelly, A. S. Narula and A. J. Birch (1980). Organometallic compounds inorganic synthesis. An equivalent of aromatic nucleophilic substitution by reactions of tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliumiron salts with O-silylated enolates: a novel arylation in the2-position of carbonyl compounds. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 2455β2458.
L. F. Kelly, A. S. Narula and A. J. Birch (1980). Organometallic compounds inorganic synthesis: electrophilic reactions of some tricarbonylcyclohexadienylium-iron complexes with allyltrimethylsilanes. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 871β874.
A. J. Birch, P. Dahler, A. S. Narula and G. R. Stephenson (1980). Tricarbonyl -cyclohexadienyliron complexes: synthetic equivalents of aryl cations. A facile synthesis of 2-arylcyclopentenones and its application towards prostaglandin analogues. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 3817β3820.
A. J. Birch, W. D. Raverty and G. R. Stephenson (1980). Absolute configuration of some tricarbonyl (cyclo hexa -diene) iron complexes. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 857β859.
A. J. Birch, W. D. Raverty and G. R. Stephenson (1980). Asymmetric synthesis of optically active tricarbonyliron complexes of 1, 3-dienes. Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 197β200.
A. J. Birch (1980). Stereospecific and regiospecific formations and reactivities of some substituted tricarbonylcyclohexadieneiron complexes. Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 333, 107β123.
A. J. Birch, A. L. Hinde and L. Radom (1981). A theoretical approach to the Birch reduction. Structures and stabilities of cyclohexadienes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 103, 284β289.
A. S. Narula and A. J. Birch (1981). Bisannulation reaction: a single step synthesisof endo-2-ethoxycarbonyl-exo-2-cyano-3, 3-dimethylbicyclo[2, 2, 2]octan-5-one andendo-2-ethoxycarbonyl-exo-2-cyano-1, 3, 3-trimethylbicyclo[2, 2, 2]octan-5-one. Tetrahedron Lett. 22, 591β594.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch, B. Chauncy and L. F. Kelly (1981). Tricarbonyliron complexes of some blocked cyclohexadienes. J. Organomet. Chem. 208, C31βC35.
A. J. Birch, B. M. R. Bandara, K. Chamberlain, B. Chauncy, P. Dahler, A. I. Day, I. D. Jenkins, L. F. Kelly, T. -C. Khor, G. Kretschmer, A. J. Liepa, A. S. Narula, W. D. Raverty, E. Rizzardo, C. Sell, G. R. Stephenson, D. J. Thompsonand D. H. Williamson (1981). Organo -metallic compounds in organic synthesis βXI. The strategy of lateral control of reactivity: tricarbonylcyclohexadieneiron complexes and their organic synthetic equivalents. Tetrahedron 37, Suppl. 1, 289β302.
A. J. Birch, D. Bogsanyi and L. F. Kelly (1981). Rates of reaction of pentane-2, 4-dione with some substituted tricarbonyl -cyclohexadienyl iron cations. J. Organomet. Chem. 214, C39βC42.
A. J. Birch and G. R. Stephenson (1981). Optically active tricarbonyl (cyclohexa -dienyl)iron (1+) salts: synthetic equivalents to spatially directed organic cations. Tetrahedron Lett. 22, 779β782.
A. J. Birch and G. R. Stephenson (1981). Regioselectivity of nucleophilic additions totricarbonyl [Ξ·5-2-methyl-2, 4-cyclohexadien-1-yl]iron (1+) PF6-: temperature dependenceof hydride reductions. J. Organomet. Chem. 218, 91β104.
A. J. Birch, L. F. Kelly and D. J. Thompson (1981). Organometallic compounds inorganic synthesis. Part 10. Preparations and some reactions of tricarbonyl-1, 3- and -1, 4-dimethoxycyclohexa-1, 3-dieneiron and related compounds: the preparation of the tricarbonyl-3-methoxycyclohexadienyliumironcation. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1006β1012.
L. F. Kelly, P. Dahler, A. S. Narula and A. J. Birch (1981). Organometallics in organic synthesis: tricarbonyl (3-methoxy cyclohexa-2, 4-dien-1-yl)iron (1+). A synthetic equivalent of the C-5 cation of cyclohexenone. Tetrahedron Lett. 22, 1433β1436.
A. J. Birch, W. D. Raverty and G. R. Stephenson (1981). Organometallic complexes in organic synthesis. 15. Absolute configurations of some simply substituted tricarbonyliron complexes. J. Org. Chem. 46, 5166β5172.
A. J. Birch (1981). Creative and accountable research. Leighton Lecture, 1981. Chem. Aust. 48, 173β178.
A. J. Birch (1981). Review of βThe Basel Marriage. History of the Ciba-Geigy Mergerβ by P. Erni. Interdiscip. Sci. Rev. 5, 168.
A. J. Birch, A. J. Liepa and G. R. Stephenson (1982). Organometallic complexes in synthesis. Part 16. Reactions of tricarbonyl (cyclo -hexadienyl) iron (1+) salts with aromatic amines. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 713β717.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch and W. D. Raverty (1982). Organometallic compounds in organic synthesis. Part 12. Methods of determination of the stereochemistry of tricarbonylcyclohexa-1, 3-dieneironcomplexes. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1745β1753.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch and W. D. Raverty (1982). Organometallic compounds in organic synthesis. Part 13. Stereoselectivity of complexation of cyclohexadiene esters. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1755β1762.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch and W. D Raverty (1982). Organometallic compounds in organic synthesis. Part 14. Tricarbonyliron as lateral control group in the selective alkaline hydrolysis of somecyclohexa-1, 3-diene carboxylic esters. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1763β1769.
C. C. Kanakam, H. Ramanathan, G. S. R. Subba Rao and A. J. Birch (1982). Strategies of synthesis of aromatic poly -ketides using cyclohexa-1, 4- and 1, 3-dienesin AlderβRickert reactions. Current Science51, 400β402.
A. J. Birch, L. F. Kelly and A. S. Narula (1982). Organometallic compounds inorganic synthesis β part 17. Reactions of tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliron salts with O-silylated enolates, allylsilanes and aspects of their synthetic equivalents. Tetrahedron38, 1813β1823.
A. J. Birch (1982). Inorganic βenzymesβ? Transition metal atoms as assembly and control centers in organic synthesis. Current Science 51, 155β157.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch, L. F. Kelly and T. -C. Khor (1983). The first full resolution of2-methoxytricarbonylcyclohexadienylironhexafluorophosphate, an example of asynthetic organic equivalent in the series of chiral cyclohex-2-enone-4 cations. Tetrahedron Lett. 24, 2491β2494.
A. J. Birch (1983). Overview. Science research in Australia, who benefits? Papers from the ANU public affairs conference 1983 (ed. A. J. Birch), pp. 1β7. Canberra: Centre for Continuing Education, Australian National University.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch and L. F. Kelly (1984). Superimposed lateral control of structure and reactivity exemplified by enantio specific synthesis of (+)- and (β)-gabaculine. J. Org. Chem. 49, 2496β2498.
B. M. R. Bandara and A. J. Birch (1984). The steric course of proton elimination in conversion of a tricarbonylcyclohexadieneiron carbinol into an endocyclic cation. J. Organomet. Chem. 265, C6βC8.
L. F. Kelly and A. J. Birch (1984). Replacement of SO2Ar in tricarbonyl-5Ξ±- (arylsulfonyl) cyclohexa-1, 3-dieneiron complexes: regio- and stereocontrol in reactions of dienyliron cations with some nucleo -philes. Tetrahedron Lett. 25, 6065β6068.
A. J. Birch, W. D. Raverty and G. R. Stephenson (1984). Chirality transfer in the coordination sphere of iron. Organometallics 3, 1075β1079.
A. J. Birch, W. D. Raverty, S. Y. Hsu and A. J. Pearson (1984). Acetylation of dicarbonyl (Ξ·4-cyclohexadiene) triphenyl -phosphineiron. J. Organomet. Chem. C59βC62.
A. J. Birch (1984). Inorganic βenzymesβ: a new approach to organic synthesis. Prog. Bioorg. Chem. Mol. Biol., Proc. Int. Symp. Front. Bioorg. Chem. Mol. Biol., 471β477.
A. J. Birch, B. Chauncy, L. F. Kelly and D. J. Thompson (1985). Organometallic compounds in organic synthesis. XVIII. Removal of OMe from some substituted tricarbonyl cyclohexadieneirons to form substituted tricarbonylcyclohexadienyliron salts. J. Organomet. Chem. 286, 37β46.
A. J. Birch, L. F. Kelly and A. J. Liepa (1985). Lateral control of skeletal rearrangement by complexation of thebaine with iron tri -carbonyl (Fe (CO)3). Tetrahedron Lett. 26, 501β504.
A. J. Birch and L. F. Kelly (1985). Model reactions for sterically controlled syntheses of cyclohex-2-enones with 4, 4- or 5, 5-quaternarycenters: a direct chiral synthesis of4-allyl-4-cyanocyclohex-2-enone from the anion of (+)-tricarbonyl (5-cyano-2-methoxycyclohexa-1, 3-diene)iron. J. Org. Chem. 50, 712β714.
A. J. Birch and L. F. Kelly (1985). Replacement of CO by R3P in thecyclohexa-1, 3-dienetricarbonyliron series. J. Organomet. Chem. 286, C5βC7.
A. J. Birch and L. F. Kelly (1985). Tricarbonyliron methoxycyclohexadiene and dienyl complexes: preparation, properties and applications. J. Organomet. Chem. 285, 267β280.
A. J. Birch (1987). Australian bicentenary: chemistry in Australia. Interdiscip. Sci. Rev. 12, 298β301.
A. J. Abbott, A. Aylward, A. J. Birch and I. Johansen (1988). Science and technology policy in Denmark. OECD Examiners Report. Paris: OECD.
A. J. Birch, L. F. Kelly and D. V. Weerasuria (1988). A facile synthesis of (+)- and (β)-shikimic acid with asymmmetric deuterium labeling, using tricarbonyliron as a lateral control group. J. Org. Chem. 53, 278β281.
A. J. Birch and L. Rydstrand, eds (1988). The nature and role of innovation in the economy: report of the 1988 review of science, technology and engineering in Australia. Barton: Institution of Engineers, Australia, for National Science and Technology Analysis Group.
A. J. Birch, M. J. Birch and J. E. Clarke (1988). Science and technology. In Australia and the World. The Australian Encyclo -paedia, 5th edn. Terrey Hills: Australian Geographic Society.
A. J. Birch (1988). Chemistry in Australia: 200 years on. Chem. Brit. 24, 359, 361β362.
A. J. Birch (1989). A vision of chemical total syntheses. Australian Chemistry Resource Book (Royal Australian Chemical Institute)8, 1.
A. J. Birch, N. S. Mani and G. S. R. Subba Rao (1990). Strategies of synthesis based oncyclohexadienes: part 3. A novel route tomacrolide aromatic polyketides. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1423β1427.
A. J. Birch (1990). Deceit in science: does it really matter? Interdiscip. Sci. Rev. 15, 334β343.
A. J. Birch (1990). Nature is a good scientist. Australian Chemistry Resource Book (Royal Australian Chemical Institute) 9, 1β12.
A. J. Birch (1990). NSTAG 1989: bridging the economy. Search 21, 19β20.
A. J. Birch (1991). Conversations on chemistry (a manifesto for the 21st century). Australian Chemistry Resource Book (Royal Australian Chemical Institute) 10, 34β45.
A. J. Birch (1991). Diene complexes bynucleophilic attack on metal cationic complexes. Cationic dienyl complexes from metal diene complexes. In Inorganic Reactions and Methods (ed. A. P. Hagen). vol. 12A Formation of bonds to C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb (Part 4), pp. 143β148. New York: VCH Publishers.
A. J. Birch (1991). The idea of chemical atoms. Chem. Aust. 58, 228β230.
A. J. Birch (1992). In John Warcup Cornforth. Selected research papers with commentaries (ed. B. T. Golding), pp. 15, 143, 272. Oxford: Pergamon.
A. J. Birch (1992). Review of βWhere the Truth Lies. Franz Moewus and the Origins of Molecular Biologyβ by J. Sapp. Interdiscip. Sci. Rev. 17, 95β96.
A. J. Birch (1992). Steroid hormones and the Luftwaffe. A venture into fundamental strategic research and some of its consequences: the Birch reduction becomes a birth reduction. Steroids 57, 363β377.
B. M. R. Bandara, A. J. Birch and B. Chauncy (1993). Stereoselectivity in the formation of tricarbonyliron complexes of some dihydrobiphenyls. J. Organomet. Chem. 444, 137β141.
A. J. Birch (1993). Investigating a scientific legend: the tropinone synthesis of Sir Robert Robinson. Notes Rec. Roy. Soc. 47, 277β296.
A. J. Birch (1994). Chemistry. In The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Australia (ed. S. Bambrick), p. 277. Cambridge: Cam -bridge University Press.
A. J. Birch (1994). Francis in the lionsβ den. Chem. Aust. 61, 252β253.
A. J. Birch (1995). To See the Obvious. Profiles, pathways, and dreams. Autobiographies of eminent chemists (ed. J. I. Seeman). pp. xxviii and 269. Washing -ton: American Chemical Society.
A. J. Birch (1996). The Birch reduction inorganic synthesis. Pure and Applied Chemistry 68, 553β556.
