Richard Barrer

Richard Maling Barrer (born 16 June 1910 in Wellington, New Zealand, † September 12, 1996 in Chislehurst, Kent ) was a chemist and a well-known figure in the membrane world. He is considered the founder of the zeolite chemistry.

Barrer made ​​in 1935 qualified as a Ph. D. in Cambridge; in 1937 the D.Sc. (New Zealand) and in 1948 the Sc.D. (Cambridge). He was a member of the Royal Society in 1956 and 1965, owner of honor Stipendiats for research purposes of the Royal Society of New Zealand. From 1937 to 1939 he was a Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge, 1939-46 Head of Chemistry at the Technical University of Bradford; 1946/48 Lecturer in Chemistry at Bedford College, University of London; 1948-54 Chair of Chemistry and Head of Department, University of Aberdeen, 1954-76 Professor of Physical Chemistry and Head of the Chemistry Department, Imperial College, London.

During his lifetime, he published more than 400 lectures, three monographs and held 21 patents. In 1996 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize.

According to him, the unit of measurement is named Barrer, which describes the gas permeability of membranes and sealing materials. Furthermore, the zeolite was named after him Barrerit

Named after him is the Barrer Award. It is awarded Association for the best work in the field of porous inorganic chemistry every three years by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Chemical Industry in conjunction with the British zeolite.