Arthur Campbell

Arthur Derek Campbell (27 May 1925 – 20 December 2020) was a New Zealand analytical chemist. He was a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Otago from 1948 to 1988, becoming a professor emeritus on his retirement.

Early life and education Campbell was born in Waimate on 27 May 1925, the son of Mona Sevicke Campbell (née Jones) and David Brown Campbell. He was educated at Waimate High School, and then proceeded to study chemistry at the University of Otago, graduating Master of Science with second-class honours in 1948, and PhD in 1953. His doctoral thesis was titled Some applications of acrylonitrile.

In 1950, Campbell married Ruth Florence Smith, and the couple went on to have three children.

Campbell's early research centred on carboxylic acid derivatives. However, he became interested in organic microanalysis, and developed many analytical procedures, and improved techniques for analysing perfluorinated organic compounds. Campbell died in Dunedin on 20 December 2020.

Honours and awards In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, Campbell was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to science.