Mike Sutton
Michael Alfred (Mike) Sutton: born London 1942; married, with two children and three grandchildren
Education: BA Hons (Chemistry) Oxford 1964; D Phil (History of Science) Oxford 1972
Employment: Research Assistant, The British Museum 1964-5; Assistant Lecturer, Oxford College of Further Education 1965-70; Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic/Northumbria University 1970 – 2004 (Visiting Fellow there 2004-16)
Publications: Over 50 articles on history of science, history of ideas and folklore studies 1971 – 2016; Hon. Editor Ambix 1982-91
Other: involved since 1960 in traditional music, song and dance; member of team representing Britain at UNESCO International Folkloriada, Tokyo 2000
FeatureWhat is the moon made of?
Mike Sutton looks at what we’ve learned about the moon’s chemistry in the 50 years since Apollo 11
FeatureThe father of the periodic table
Mike Sutton looks at how Mendeleev’s patience revealed periodicity in the elements
FeatureHahn, Meitner and the discovery of nuclear fission
80 years ago, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner made a discovery that led to nuclear weapons – yet Meitner was never given the recognition she deserved
FeatureDerek Barton and shape-shifting molecules
It’s 100 years since Derek Barton was born. Mike Sutton looks at his work developing conformational analysis
FeatureMarie Curie, the migrant chemist
150 years after Marie Curie’s birth, Mike Sutton delves into her life and research
Feature200 years of Gmelin’s handbook
2017 marks 200 years since Leopold Gmelin first published his influential handbook – and it’s still going strong, as Mike Sutton discovers
FeatureThe chemist with x-ray vision
Mike Sutton tells the tale of John Kendrew and his work on the structure of myoglobin
FeatureHistory of noble gases
Mike Sutton tells the story of William Ramsay’s hunt for the noble gases
FeatureSulfate aerosols and the summer that wasn’t
After the Mount Tambora megavolcano erupted in 1815, the years that followed had weather that changed the world, as Mike Sutton explains
FeatureThe bonds that bind
Mike Sutton plots the journey of the scientists who solved the riddle of chemical bonding
FeatureSnakes, sausages and structural formulae
Mike Sutton tells the story of how August Kekulé dreamt up the structure of benzene
FeatureIs all matter made of just one element?
William Prout’s answer to this perennial question launched two centuries of controversy. Mike Sutton reports
FeatureThe green molecule
From the observation that plants replenish oxygen in the air to artificial photosynthesis for making liquid fuel, Mike Sutton tells the story of the chemists fascinated by chlorophyll
FeatureChemists at war
The first world war saw chemistry play a vital role – and in more than just poison gas. Mike Sutton looks back
FeatureOrdering the elements
From the law of octaves to the periodic table as we know it, Mike Sutton traces how chemists put their house in order
FeaturePaving the way to polythene
It is 50 years since Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta won the Nobel prize for their work on polymers
FeatureAlfred Werner: the well-coordinated chemist
Alfred Werner’s careful experiments led to the discovery of what came to be known as coordination bonds. Mike Sutton looks at how he pointed the way to chemistry’s complex future
FeatureMaking pain history
From ancient folk remedy to the wonder drug of the early industrial age and beyond. Mike Sutton traces the remarkable history of aspirin
FeatureThe golden helix
The discovery of the importance and structure DNA was more than just Crick and Watson’s eureka moment. Mike Sutton untangles the tale of life’s molecular mysteries
