Overview
This lecture covers key facts about Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, her life, scientific achievements, and her Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Early Life and Education
- Born on 12 May 1910 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Developed an interest in crystallography after receiving a chemistry book as a child.
- Studied chemistry at Oxford University.
- Faced difficulties finding work as a woman despite good grades.
- Earned a PhD from Cambridge University with J.D. Bernal as a mentor.
Academic Career
- Joined Oxford University in 1934 and spent her entire career there.
- Became affiliated with the University of Oxford, Royal Society, Oxford, UK at the time of her Nobel Prize.
Scientific Achievements
- Specialized in using X-ray crystallography to determine molecular structures.
- Determined the structure of penicillin in 1946 using X-ray diffraction.
- Unraveled the structure of vitamin B12, the most complex vitamin, in 1956.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1964
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.
- Recognized "for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances."
- Was the sole recipient of the award (prize share 1/1).
Later Life and Death
- Died on 29 July 1994 in Shipston-on-Stour, United Kingdom.
Key Terms & Definitions
- X-ray crystallography — A technique using X-ray diffraction patterns to determine the structure of molecules.
- Penicillin — An antibiotic, the structure of which was solved by Hodgkin.
- Vitamin B12 — A complex vitamin whose structure Hodgkin determined.
- J.D. Bernal — A pioneer in molecular biology and Hodgkin’s mentor.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review how X-ray crystallography works and its role in biochemistry.
- Explore the contributions of women scientists to molecular biology.