Table Of ContentThe Posthumous Nobel Prize in
Chemistry. Volume 2.
Ladies in Waiting for the Nobel Prize
1311
ACS SYMPOSIUM SERIES
The Posthumous Nobel Prize in
Chemistry. Volume 2.
Ladies in Waiting for the Nobel Prize
Vera V. Mainz, Editor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois
E. Thomas Strom, Editor
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Sponsored by the
ACSDivisionoftheHistoryofChemistry
AmericanChemicalSociety,Washington,DC
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Mainz,VeraV.,editor.|Strom,E.Thomas,editor.|American
ChemicalSociety.DivisionoftheHistoryofChemistry.
Title:TheposthumousNobelPrizeinchemistryVolume2.
LadiesinWaitingfortheNobelPrize/VeraV.Mainz,editor,
UniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-Champaign,Urbana,Illinois,/
E.ThomasStrom,editor,UniversityofTexasatArlington,Arlington,Texas;
sponsoredbytheACSDivisionoftheHistoryofChemistry.
Description:Washington,DC:AmericanChemicalSociety,[2018]|Series:ACS
symposiumseries;1262,1311|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2017044852(print)|LCCN2017047783(ebook)|ISBN
9780841232501(ebook,v.1)|ISBN 9780841233904(ebook,v.2)|
ISBN9780841232518(v.1)|ISBN9780841233911(v.2)
Subjects:LCSH:Chemistry--Awards--History.|NobelPrizes--History.|Nobel
Prizewinners.
Classification:LCCQD39.2(ebook)|LCCQD39.2.P672017(print)|DDC
540.79--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017044852
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Foreword
The purpose of the series is to publish timely, comprehensive books
developed from the ACS sponsored symposia based on current scientific
research. Occasionally, books are developed from symposia sponsored by other
organizationswhenthetopicisofkeeninteresttothechemistryaudience.
Beforeabookproposalisaccepted,theproposedtableofcontentsisreviewed
forappropriateandcomprehensivecoverageandforinteresttotheaudience. Some
papersmaybeexcludedtobetterfocusthebook;othersmaybeaddedtoprovide
comprehensiveness. When appropriate, overview or introductory chapters are
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As a rule, only original research papers and original review papers are
included in the volumes. Verbatim reproductions of previous published papers
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ACSBooksDepartment
Contents
Preface.............................................................................................................................. ix
1. WomenScientists:AnUphillBattleforRecognition ........................................... 1
MagdolnaHargittai
2. Politics,Persecution,andthePrize: LiseMeitnerandtheDiscoveryof
NuclearFission ....................................................................................................... 33
RuthLewinSime
3. MarjoryStephenson:FounderofMicrobialBiochemistry ............................... 53
M.F.Rayner-CanhamandG.W.Rayner-Canham
4. MariettaBlau:ANearbutJustifiableMiss? ...................................................... 67
VirginiaTrimble
5. IdaNoddack:ForetellerofNuclearFission ...................................................... 105
JamesL.Marshall
6. TheRemarkableLifeandWorkofKatharineBurrBlodgett(1898–1979) .... 151
MargaretE.Schott
7. ErikaCremerandtheOriginsofGas–SolidAdsorptionChromatography,
1944–1947.............................................................................................................. 183
JeffreyAllanJohnson
8. DameKathleenLonsdale:Scientist,Pacifist,PrisonReformer ...................... 199
MaureenM.JulianandMaryVirginiaOrna
9. RachelCarson: TheRightPerson,attheRightTime,withtheRight
Message ................................................................................................................. 217
AmandaHofackerCoffman
10. MargueritePerey(1909–1975):DiscovererofFrancium ................................ 245
SarahS.Preston
11. RosalindFranklin:HerPathwaytoDNA ......................................................... 265
BurtronH.DavisandE.ThomasStrom
12. IsabellaKarle:CrystallographerParExcellence ............................................. 283
LouMassa
vii
13. MargheritaHack:FriendoftheStars ............................................................... 295
MarcoFontaniandMaryVirginiaOrna
14. ProfessorEmeritaDarleaneChristianHoffman:DeterminationWins ......... 311
CarolineF.V.Mason
Editors’Biographies .................................................................................................... 319
Indexes
AuthorIndex ................................................................................................................ 323
SubjectIndex................................................................................................................ 325
viii
Preface
Shedidn’twriteit. Butifit’sclearshedidthedeed,. . .
Shewroteit, butsheshouldn’thave. (It’spolitical, sexual, masculine,
feminist.)
Shewroteit,butlookwhatshewroteabout. (Thebedroom,thekitchen,
herfamily. Otherwomen!)
Shewroteit,butshewroteonlyoneofit. (JaneEyre. Poordear,that’s
allsheever. . .)
Shewroteit,butsheisn’treallyanartist,anditisn’treallyart. (It’sa
thriller,aromance,achildren’sbook. It’sScifi!)
Shewroteit,butshehadhelp. (RobertBrowning. BranwellBrontë. Her
own“masculineside.”)
Shewroteit,butshe’sananomaly. (Woolf. WithLeonard’shelp. . .)
Shewroteit,BUT(1,2). . .
Thesymposiumonwhichthisbookisbasedoriginatedafteroneofus(Tom
Strom)organizedasuccessfulAmericanChemicalSociety(ACS)symposiumin
March2016,onthePosthumousNobelPrizeinChemistry. Afterward,theother
of us (Vera Mainz) pointed out that the chemists represented in that symposium
anditssubsequentsymposiumvolumewere“alldeadwhiteguys.”
The fact that only white men were included in the first symposium partly
reflects the prevailing past (and continuing) gender imbalance in chemistry,
but it also shows the power of the Matilda effect, first articulated by Matilda
Joslyn Gage (Figure 1) (1826–1898) (3). The Matilda effect is an implicit bias
against acknowledging the achievements of women scientists, whose work is
oftenattributedtotheirmalecolleagues(4). Animplicitbiasisonewhichisnot
consciousordeliberate,butneverthelessreal.
The gender imbalance in the previous symposium was also noted in the
on-line comments for the Chemical and Engineering News article that reported
on it (6). Redressing that imbalance was the purpose of the current symposium
entitled “Ladies in Waiting for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Overlooked
Accomplishments of Women Chemists.” This symposium, which took place in
August2017,wassponsoredbytheACSHistoryofChemistryDivision(HIST),
theWomenChemistsCommittee(WCC),andACSPresidentAllisonCampbell.
As we began to organize the symposium, the primary question was which
womenshouldbethesubjectoftalks. Two,LiseMeitnerandRosalindFranklin,
were mentioned in the on-line commentary in Chem. Eng. News and we fully
agreedthattheyshouldbeincludedinthesymposium. LiseMeitner,astheEditor
ix
