If you were asked to name a woman who made important contributions to the field of chemistry, the person who would likely come to mind is Marie Curie. Madame Curie was awarded both the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work with radioactivity and radioactive elements. Can you name other female scientists, engineers, and inventors who have advanced chemistry?
How about Rosalind Franklin, who used x-ray crystallography to determine the shape of DNA? The Nobel Prize could only be awarded to living persons, so she was not included when Watson and Crick were formally recognized for the discovery.
Do you who Ruth Benerito is? She is responsible for wash-and-wear cotton. Her work on cross-linking polymers in fabrics has led to the development of anti-wrinkle clothes. Chemical treatments also confer flame resistance and stain resistance.
Do you know Marie Daly was? In 1947, she was the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry. She was a college professor who, in addition to her research, developed programs to attract and aid minority students in the sciences and medicine.
How many women in chemistry can you name? Here's the list I've started. If you have names for me to add, you can reply to this post or email me with the woman's name and a brief description of what she contributed to chemistry or chemical engineering.