John Howard Purnell OBE FRSC[1] (17 August 1925 Rhondda, South Wales — 12 January 1996 Swansea, Wales)[2] was a Welsh chemist.
[3] After graduating with a first class honours in chemistry at University College, Cardiff in 1946 he went on to the University of Wales and received a PhD in 1952.
[3] Purnell began to work in the field of gas chromatography in this field in 1952 at Cambridge University while working with Professor R. G. W.
[3] In 1965 he became Professor of Physical Chemistry at University College, Swansea where he remained until his retirement in 1992.
[[:Category:|]] He was president of the Royal Society of Chemistry between 1994 and 1996.