5 WOMEN IN CHEMISTRY HISTORY
EMILY ASTON IRMA GOLDBERG MARY ENGLE PENNINGTON
BORN 1866 DIED 1948 BORN 1871 DIED ? BORN 1872 DIED 1952
Carried out research on topics including One of the few women with an organic A biological chemist who developed new
mineral analysis, atomic weights, and chemistry reaction named after her: The refrigeration techniques to help people
molecular surface energies. Coauthored Goldberg amidation reaction, which joins preserve food. The first female lab chief of
14 research papers over a 16-year period. an aniline and an aryl halide. the US Food and Drug Administration.
MICHIYO TSUJIMURA SYBIL ROCK LONEY GORDON
BORN 1888 DIED 1969 BORN 1909 DIED 1981 BORN 1915 DIED 1999
Carried out research on green tea, isolating Engineer and pioneer in mass spectrometry Analysed cultures of Bordetella pertussis,
several of its chemical components. She was who developed techniques to analyse the cause of pertussis, also known as
awarded a doctorate degree in agriculture, results from mass spectrometers, as well as whooping cough. Her work led to the
the first woman in Japan to achieve this. developing procedures in mixture analysis. creation of the pertussis vaccine.
ELIZABETH HARDY SINAH ESTELLE KELLEY SARA BORRELL RUIZ
BORN 1915 DIED 2008 BORN 1916 DIED 1982 BORN 1917 DIED 1999
Discovered the Cope Rearrangement, an Worked on mass production of the An analytical chemist who researched
important reaction in organic chemistry, antibiotic penicillin in the United States the biochemistry of steroid hormones.
while working in Arthur Cope’s lab. She also after World War II. Also researched sugar, She was a founding member of the
researched and developed organic dyes. fermentation products, and strontium-90. Spanish Society of Biochemistry.
GAO XIAOXIA KATHERYN LAWSON DARSHAN RANGANATHAN
BORN 1919 DIED 1998 BORN 1926 DIED 2008 BORN 1941 DIED 2001
An analytical chemist who developed Investigated transition metal compound A bioorganic chemist who researched
tools and methods to detect elements in properties. Her data helped evidence supramolecular chemistry and chemical
small quantities. Her work led to further Crystal Field Theory, which describes simulation of key biological processes,
ways of separating rare earth elements. electron orbital energies in the compounds. such as protein folding.
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