A lead user of instruments in science: John D. Roberts and the adaptation of nuclear magnetic resonance to organic chemistry, 1955-1975.

During the 1960s organic chemistry underwent a spectacular transformation as a result of the introduction of high-tech instruments. In this process, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) became an important analytical technique in organic chemistry. The theme of this essay is the relationship of Varian Associates of Palo Alto, California, the major manufacturer of NMR spectrometers up to the 1970s, with one early and crucial user, the organic chemist John D. Roberts, who was based at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Roberts's research and teaching contributed to the fast and smooth acceptance of NMR in organic chemistry. He embraced the role of mediator between the instrument manufacturer, which had expertise mainly in physics and electrical engineering, and the customers, who were mostly organic chemists. This essay focuses on the tactics used by Roberts and James N. Shoolery at Varian Associates to implement novel types of instrumentation and on the modes of cooperation between instrument manufacturer and academic scientist.