Guy Orpen

Biography

 Although of South African stock, I was born on the island of Trinidad, was educated in England and subsequently obtained my B.Sc. at the University of Cape Town where I worked with Luigi Nassimbeni. I gained my Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge under the guidance of George. Sheldrick and Jack Lewis, during which time I carried out neutron diffraction research at Brookhaven National Laboratory, U.S.A. with Dick McMullan and Tom Koetzle.

Research Interest

One of the great challenges in chemistry is understanding the link between the structures of molecules and their properties and activity. The ability to design chemical compounds for effect remains a central but unfulfilled ambition. Modern chemistry rests on knowledge of the structures of the molecules and solids that make up the world around us. The key to understanding the behaviour of a compound lies in knowing its shape at the molecular level, understanding why it has that shape and how its shape and properties may be exploited.