Alexander R. Todd

Alexander Robertus Todd was born on 2 October 1907 in Britain. He trained as a biochemist and turned his attention to nucleotides and nucleosides, the small molecular units that string together into the long chains of genetic material. His research mapped their structure and showed how to synthesize them in the lab, work that extended to nucleotide coenzymes — molecules that help enzymes function. In 1957 the Nobel Prize for Chemistry recognized those contributions. He was later made Baron Todd. He died on 10 January 1997.