George Barger

Who was George Barger?

George Barger FRS was a British chemist.

He was born to an English mother and Dutch father in Manchester, England. He was educated at The Hague High School and King's College, Cambridge. His main work focused on the study of alkaloids and investigations of simple nitrogenous compounds of biological importance. Barger identified tyramine as one of the compounds responsible for the biological activity of ergot extracts. He also made significant contributions to the synthesis of thyroxine. and vitamin B₁

Barger was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1919 and awarded their Davy Medal in 1938.

Barger was married in 1904 and had two sons and one daughter. He died at Aeschi, Switzerland.