Women Chemists Research Articles

Why Do Things Burn? Elizabeth Fulhame's Challenge to the Antiphlogistic Theory of Combustion.

Motivated by her interest in fabric arts, late-eighteenth-century British chemist Elizabeth Fulhame experimentally investigated whether cloths of gold, silver, and other metals could be made by chemical rather than mechanical processes. In contrast to other women studying science at this time, she not only published an original monograph under her own name that challenged both the phlogistic and antiphlogistic views of combustion but also proposed an alternative explanation for oxidation and reduction. Although her contemporaries widely cited her innovative research, her history is not well known, yet a careful analysis of her work provides further insights into the reception of the antiphlogistic theory and the challenges and limitations experienced by women in chemistry during this period.

IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards 2023

IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards 2023

2025 Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award—Call for Nominations

Abstract IUPAC announces the call for nominations for the IUPAC 2025 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Awards. The purpose of the awards program, initiated as part of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry celebrations, is to acknowledge and promote the work of women in chemistry/chemical engineering worldwide. In 2011, 23 women were honored during a ceremony held at the IUPAC Congress in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 2 August 2011. At each of the subsequent IUPAC Congresses, 12 women received this recognition; in Istanbul in 2013, in Busan, Korea in 2015, in Sao Paulo in 2017, in Paris in 2019, virtually in 2021, and in The Hague in 2023. A similar award ceremony will take place during the 2025 IUPAC Congress in July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards 2023

IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards 2023

Impact of a Low-Stakes Assessments Model with Retake in General Chemistry: Connecting to Student Attitudes and Self-Concept

Across a variety of fields, the use of low-stakes assessments has led to reductions in achievement gaps and improved student success. Here, we probe the use of a low-stakes assessment model with a retake option for failed quizzes in a two-semester general chemistry sequence. We find that the quiz-retake rate in general chemistry II was significantly higher for students who had completed a retake in a general chemistry I section, and the percentage of students who failed at least one quiz in general chemistry I but passed all quizzes in general chemistry II was significantly higher for students who had retaken at least one quiz in general chemistry I. However, across both semesters only 40% of students who failed a quiz and were offered a retake completed one. To examine this trend, we probed a connection to student attitudes and self-concept. As instruments, we used version 2 of the Attitudes towards Chemistry Subject Inventory (ASCIv2) and the Chemistry Subject Concept Inventory (CSCI), which were administered across all sections of our general chemistry I course in the fall 2021 semester, and the results subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. Two sections employed low-stakes assessments (quizzes), with one section offering a retake option, while the remaining two used a traditional assessment pattern of five exams. The instruments were applied again for the quiz-retake section of general chemistry II, affording a longitudinal comparison of students common to both sections. In a pairwise comparison, we find significant increases in factors corresponding to Intellectual Accessibility and Chemistry Self-Concept for students in the quiz-retake sections across semesters, with the former more pronounced for men and the latter for women. We take these results to provide additional data supporting the benefit of low-stakes assessments with a retake option, that may be particularly impactful for women in chemistry.

Women in chemistry: remarkable progress, but are we there yet?

Abstract The chemistry enterprise continues to evolve, becoming increasingly more diverse and inclusive. Likewise, opportunities and roles for women in the chemistry enterprise have evolved. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, women faced tremendous obstacles pursuing a career in chemistry. Through determination, hard work – and with some good fortune – a few pioneering role models were able to overcome challenges. Countless women have followed in their footsteps. For example, the percentage of PhDs in science awarded to women in the United States has quadrupled over the past 50 years to over 30 %. In addition, the frequency of women elected to professional chemical society leadership or awarded a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry has increased significantly over the past 25 years, even accelerating in the last 5–10 years. Yet, the progress is uneven and much remains to be done to reach gender parity. There are major differences across countries in representation by women researchers in science and technology. In addition, there are significant gender gaps in faculty at top global universities in chemistry departments, as well as in governance at the largest publicly traded U.S. chemical companies. Moreover, progress is needed to reach gender equity in U.S. chemist compensation. However, I am optimistic that women will continue to progress and move towards parity. Like previous women leaders of the global chemistry enterprise, tomorrow’s successful women will have the passion, courage, and determination to overcome challenges and achieve the equity and opportunities they deserve.

Women in (Bio)Analytical Chemistry: Moving Towards Equity and Inclusion

Women's participation in science has been an increasingly relevant and discussed topic in recent decades. Throughout history, women have faced numerous barriers and challenges to enter and stand out in this field of knowledge. However, despite the difficulties, women have contributed significantly to scientific advancement in all areas. In Brazil, the discussion about the participation of women in science has been highlighted in national events around analytical chemistry and academia. Thus, some changes have been implemented to minimize the differences discussed herein. Today we see more and more women engaged in science, holding prominent positions as researchers, professors, and leaders in their fields. They exist in many scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, and technology. In addition, women have also been involved in emerging and interdisciplinary areas such as computer science, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. It is crucial to promote gender equality in chemistry by providing an inclusive environment and encouraging the active participation of women. This can be achieved by implementing policies that promote equal opportunities, encouraging female role models and mentors, supporting women chemists' training and professional development, and valuing and recognizing their contributions. Women's participation in chemistry is essential to scientific advancement in this field. We bring unique perspectives, creativity, and skills to address chemical challenges and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of chemical processes and their practical applications. Gender diversity in chemistry drives innovation and promotes a more prosperous and inclusive scientific environment. It is essential to provide equal opportunities, support, and encouragement for women to enter and thrive in academic careers in the exact sciences, thus strengthening female representation in this field and boosting scientific excellence. In this context, the BrJAC journal worked on organizing an issue dedicated to women researchers in the field of (bio)analytical chemistry. The central idea is to celebrate those female researchers who have worked hard and dedicatedly in analytical chemistry. The interview was with Dr. Joanna Szpunar from the National Research Council of France (CNRS). She talked about her career and experience as a prominent researcher in the spectroanalytical chemistry field. The point of view was with Dr. Maria Valnice Boldrin Zanoni from UNESP, who excels in electroanalytical chemistry and shares a new perspective on artificial photosynthesis technology. The Letter written by Dr. Quezia Cass from UFSCar presented us with text on separation techniques highlighting affinity selection mass spectrometry. The issue will also feature three reviews, eight articles, and three technical notes, all led by women in (bio)analytical chemistry. It is imperative to thank all the reviewers who participated in this process by giving their time and expertise in evaluating the manuscripts. Many thanks! We hope you enjoy the reading and learn some of the work these researchers have been developing in (bio)analytical chemistry.

Reactions

WOMEN IN SCIENCE Reactions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2023, 101 (11), p 3April 3, 2023Cite this:C&EN 101, 11, 3Letters to the editorShyamala RajenderThank you, Shyamala Rajender. Having been an undergraduate at Cornell University, class of 1967, with a group of 15 female chemistry majors, I had no idea that women were discriminated against in chemistry when I arrived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In general we were treated well, but I learned that we were the first women in chemistry to be allowed to be classroom and lab teaching fellows. All of a sudden I realized that I had never had any female chemistry professors! I looked around, and few universities had even one female chemistry faculty member. Later, when applying for jobs, I was asked to promise not to get pregnant.So thank you, Dr. Rajender. Your case against the University of Minnesota had to be one of the first to detail and fight against discrimination against women in an academic science department. You are my heroine.Georgia WeinsteinLexington, MassachusettsCardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s diseaseI was struck by the analogy between cholesterol/cardiovascular disease (CVD) and amyloid-β/Alzheimer’s disease in the excellent article in the March 13 issue of C&EN (page 20). The analogy is probably more apt than the rest of the article suggests. In the 1970s and ’80s, most people thought cholesterol caused CVD. While it is true that drugs that manipulate cholesterol have had some positive effects, it is now clear that inflammation may play a causal role in CVD. The plaques on arteries form after the inflammation, and there are multiple causes for this. Actual causes include bacteria in the bloodstream, insulin, tobacco, and stress hormones. The limited success with Alzheimer’s drugs, even when they reduce plaques in the brain, is interpreted by some researchers in the field as evidence there is an underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease that has not yet been discovered. That idea was missing from this otherwise informative article.David E. HendersonHanover, New Hampshire CorrectionFeb. 20/27, 2023, page 40: The Newscripts article on Parafilm has an incorrect name for the current manufacturer of the material. It is Amcor, not Bemis Manufacturing Company.

Awardees of the IUPAC 2023 Distinguished Women In Chemistry or Chemical Engineering

Abstract To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science this 11 February IUPAC announced the awardees of the IUPAC 2023 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering:

Awards recognize Latin American women in chemistry

Awards recognize Latin American women in chemistry

2023 Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award—Call for Nominations

Abstract IUPAC is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the IUPAC 2023 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Awards. The purpose of the awards program, initiated as part of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry celebrations, is to acknowledge and promote the work of women in chemistry/chemical engineering worldwide.

Advancing Women in Chemistry: A Step Toward Gender Parity.

As chemistry progressed over the years, modern society witnessed the significant contribution of women chemists. However, the persisting gender imbalance in the scientific community, attributed to improper societal norms and several other reasons, is a matter of concern. The manuscript highlights some great women chemists, such as Nobel Prize awardees, who have created history through their outstanding research work and are role models for other women. Since women continue to encounter recurring obstacles to moving forward in their area, the "leaky pipeline" of women in chemical science remains problematic. Numerous factors, including having to shoulder the labor of childcare and household work and a lack of awareness of regulations and possibilities, contribute to prejudices and the gender gap in higher-level administrative and decision-making roles. To close the gender gap and empower women chemists, we highlight some initiatives (awards, fellowships, schemes, and grants) that have been put forth by governments, organizations, foundations, companies, industries, and publishing societies. As per statistics, only 4% of female scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry until now. Only 35%, 22%, 14%, 26%, and 5% of women are serving as editors-in-chief, while 38%, 40%, 18%, 22%, and 21% are working as associate editors of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Wiley, Elsevier, and Springer journals, respectively. A further issue is that women receive far fewer honors in chemistry. To promote a more encouraging atmosphere for women scientists at all career phases, we listed some recommendations that research grant funders, academic institutions, publishers, and scientific organizations can follow. For gender parity, the paper sought to address the current situation of women in the chemical sciences. Women's contributions to chemistry will promote innovation and progress in the field.

IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards 2021

IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards 2021

Front Cover: Celebrating Women in Chemistry (Chem. Asian J. 14/2022)

The Front Cover is entitled ‘Chemistry Tomorrowland’ by its creator Tan Kai Xin. According to the artist, the illustration portrays females as bold, passionate, and innovative chemists. Inspired by the futuristic abstraction art style, female chemists are presented in an advanced space. The use of radial composition creates a central focus point of women as scientists in the center of the foreground with the architecture adapted from the molecular structure of corannulene and lab equipment in the background. Inclusivity of women in chemistry is also equally important as more and more females of different races and religions become key figures in the science field. This combination of ideas creates Chemistry Tomorrowland. The cover was designed for the journal‘s special collection highlighting Women in Chemistry. The idea behind this special collection and its initiation are described in the Editorial by Mihaiela C. Stuparu.

“I am not a Lady, I am a Scientist.” Chemistry, Women, and Gender in the Enlightenment and the Era of Professional Science

This article introduces a collection of papers on women, gender, and chemistry in eighteenth- and twentieth-century Europe and the United States. After briefly surveying previous research on women and gender in science and outlining the long history of women in chemistry, we present this special issue’s main findings concerning several key themes, including the identities and strategies of women engaged in chemical activities and the enabling circumstances and networks that helped these women gain entry into male-dominated institutions and fields of study. We suggest that these overarching themes are equally relevant to the Enlightenment era and the late nineteenth- and early to mid-twentieth-century age of professional science, thus illustrating the benefits of jointly treating cases that might otherwise seem to have little in common.

Patriotic Women: Chemistry and Gender in the Eighteenth-Century Spanish World

During the second half of the eighteenth century, Western countries witnessed an explosion of societies and publishing initiatives aimed at creating and disseminating what contemporaries called useful knowledge. These “economic societies,” “societies of friends of the country,” or “societies of improvers” sought to improve their local communities through the scientific management of natural and social resources. This article analyses the opportunities that this movement of patriots opened up for women in chemistry, who went from being “exceptional women” to representing themselves as female “friends of the country.” This article shows the different ways in which these women “friends of the country” negotiated their authorship, agency, and public visibility in order to maintain gender conventions and the importance of their kinship networks. It also illustrates the other side of the coin: how women’s contributions also benefited male scientific societies, which gained visibility and secured the social position of their members in enlightened circles.

“Men Don’t Like to Work Under a Woman”: Female Chemists in the Photographic Manufacturing Industry, ca. 1918–1950

Around the start of the 1920s, the situation of female chemists in the photographic manufacturing industry was literally and figuratively explosive, for their record in conducting hazardous organic syntheses made the research director of the largest photographic firm conclude that chemistry was not an appropriate field for women. About two decades later, by contrast, the photographic industry had developed into one of a relatively small number of industries where female chemists had obtained recognition and promotions not only as librarians, patent professionals, and chemical analysts but also as experimental and theoretical investigators in research and development laboratories. This article suggests that to make sense of this turnabout, it is crucial to carefully examine the position of women chemists in corporate organisational structures and hierarchies, including the possible unintended consequences of segregating women into separate scientific labs and/or teams. This study’s findings also point to the value of using scientific groups and labs as units of analysis in historical research on women scientists in industry, an approach that could be extended to other cases and might help stimulate more dialogue between historians of corporate science and R&D on one hand and historians of women and gender in science on the other.

2023 Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award—Call for Nominations

Abstract IUPAC is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the IUPAC 2023 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Awards. The purpose of the awards program, initiated as part of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry celebrations, is to acknowledge and promote the work of women in chemistry/chemical engineering worldwide. In 2011, 23 women were honored during a ceremony held at the IUPAC Congress in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 2 August 2011. At each of the subsequent IUPAC Congresses, 12 women received this recognition; in Istanbul, Turkey in 2013, in Busan, Korea in 2015, in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2017, in Paris, France in 2019, and virtually (in Montréal) in 2021. A similar award ceremony will take place during the 2023 IUPAC Congress in August 2023 in The Hague, The Netherlands.

ACS Women Chemists Committee announces its 2022 Rising Star Award recipients

ACS Women Chemists Committee announces its 2022 Rising Star Award recipients

The Role and Representation of Women in Chemistry in the Czech Republic, Especially at the University of Chemical Technology Prague

The article describes the cultural changes of Czech society in the approach to education and the involvement of women in research and pedagogical activities in chemical fields at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague over the last 100 years. The achievements of female researchers and academics in the last two decades at this university are reviewed.