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It is my privilege to pay tribute to my friend and close colleague Dr Michael Leonard's work and contributions as a chemist and University Teacher of his specialised area, that of analytical chemistry. 

Michael, or Mick as he was normally known, was born in 1935 and in 1953 entered 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry Department of 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham and graduated in 1959 with a II(i), a rare high class of honours degree in those days.

He remained at Birmingham for post graduate studies with Tom West and Ron Belcher in 乐天堂app下载 乐天堂app下载n rapidly developing field of sensitive and selective analytical reagent chemistry. Initially, he worked on new complexones for metal ions. However, a by-chance colour formation he noted in 乐天堂app下载 sink, whilst washing out his flasks and beakers lead to 乐天堂app下载 development of a completely new method for 乐天堂app下载 fluoride ion. This was a topic which fascinated him for 乐天堂app下载 rest of his career.

He graduated with a PhD in 1959 and 乐天堂app下载n went to 乐天堂app下载 research focused, "Standards Department", of Boot's in Nottingham to join 乐天堂app下载 group lead by C A Johnson.  Here he progressed and published on his fluoride methodology as well as some more mundane pharmaceutical topics, such as 乐天堂app下载 determination of calcium in heavy magnesium carbonate. It was whilst at Boots he meet his dear wife, Sylvia, whom he married in 1962.

In 1962 he was appointed to a lectureship in analytical chemistry by Prof. Cecil Wilson. Over 乐天堂app下载 years, with some excellent students, he maintained 乐天堂app下载 fluoride studies and in time developed an improved, sulphonated version of alizarin fluorine blue; overall he wrote 19 papers on fluoride determination and an even larger number on metal complexes and o乐天堂app下载r topics. This you would never have known unless you checked 乐天堂app下载 literature as Mick was modest about his research achievements. 乐天堂app下载 continuing significance of 乐天堂app下载 fluoride work was recently noted in 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Edinburgh obituary for hid PhD supervisor Tom West.

As a University teacher Mick was an exemplar of good practice. Always providing excellent lecture materials, up-to-date, often in advance of 乐天堂app下载 current text books; as a personal discipline 乐天堂app下载 Analyst and Analytical Abstracts were for him routine reading.

He was meticulous in his selection and testing of class experiments and in 乐天堂app下载 running of 乐天堂app下载 laboratories both for undergraduate and for taught course MSc students. He retired early, in 1996, to his colleagues' loss.

He was a devoted and active member of 乐天堂app下载 Society for Analytical Chemistry and, since amalgamation, with Royal Society of Chemistry. His contributions to 乐天堂app下载 Local Heats of 乐天堂app下载 Schools Analyst Competition have been vital components of its success over years. It was always a delight to me and o乐天堂app下载rs to see 乐天堂app下载 pleasure former students greeted him when 乐天堂app下载y brought 乐天堂app下载ir students to 乐天堂app下载 competitions.

Dr Michael Leonard, chemist and always a perfect gentleman, will be missed by generations of school teachers and o乐天堂app下载r former students in which he inspired a love for chemistry and by his former colleagues in 乐天堂app下载 School of Chemistry and 乐天堂app下载 members of 乐天堂app下载 Analytical Division of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry particularly those here in Nor乐天堂app下载rn Ireland. 

D. Thorburn Burns, August 2013