Chemistry was their life : pioneering British women chemists, 1880-1949 / by Marelene Rayner-Canham, Geoff Rayner-Canham.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"British chemistry has traditionally been depicted as a solely male endeavour. However, this perspective is untrue: the allure of chemistry has attracted women since the earliest times. Despite the barriers placed in their path, women studied academic chemistry from the 1880s onwards and made interesting or significant contributions to their fields, yet they are virtually absent from historical records." "Comprising a unique set of biographies of 141 of the 896 known women chemists from 1880 to 1949, this work attempts to address the imbalance by showcasing the determination of these women to survive and flourish in an environment dominated by men. Individual biographical accounts interspersed with contemporary quotes describe how women overcame the barriers of secondary and tertiary education, and of admission to professional societies. Although these women are lost to historical records, they are brought together here for the first time to show that a vibrant culture of female chemists did indeed exist in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries."--Jacket.

1. Getting an education. Education for girls. What sort of science? University for women? The choice of university. Commentary -- 2. The professional societies. The London Chemical Society. The Society for Analytical Chemistry. The Royal Institute of Chemistry. The Biochemical Society. The Chemical Society. The Royal Society. Commentary -- 3. The London co-educational colleges. Admission of women to the University of London examinations. King's College. Battersea Polytechnic. East London College (Queen Mary College). Imperial College. Commentary -- 4. The London women's colleges. Queen's College, Harley Street. Bedford College. Royal Holloway College. London School of Medicine for Women. Commentary -- 5. English provincial universities. Armstrong College (University of Newcastle). Owens College (Victoria University of Manchester). University College, Liverpool (University of Liverpool). Yorkshire College (University of Leeds). University College, Sheffield (University of Sheffield). Mason College (University of Birmingham). University College, Bristol (University of Bristol). Commentary -- 6. The Cambridge and Oxford Women's Colleges. Admission to Cambridge. Girton and Newnham Colleges. Oxford Women's Colleges. Commentary -- 7. Universities in Scotland and Wales. Girl's education in Scotland. Entry of women to Scottish universities. University of St. Andrews. University College, Dundee. University of Aberdeen. University of Edinburgh. University of Glasgow and the Royal Technical College, Glasgow. Education in Wales. University College of North Wales, Bangor. Commentary -- 8. Hoppy's 'biochemical ladies'. Women and biochemistry. Some women biochemists at Cambridge. Commentary -- 9. Women Crystallographers. The early history. The Braggs and X-ray crystallography. The influence of J.D. Bernal. Commentary -- 10. Women in pharmacy. Society of Apothecaries. Pharmaceutical Society. Association of Women Pharmacists. Early pioneers. Commentary -- 11. The role of chemists' wives. The amateur assistant. The woman chemist as professor's wife. The independent wife-chemist. The collaborative couples. A contrast in women organic chemists. Commentary -- 12. Women chemists and the First World War. The war and young women. Women chemists and the war gases. Women chemists in industry. Women in biochemistry. Other war work by women chemists. Traditional roles for women. Commentary -- 13. The interwar period and beyond. The interwar period. Women chemists in teaching careers. Women in chemical industry. Women chemists in the food industry. Women chemists in biomedical laboratories. Women chemists in the photographic industry. Women chemists in other research laboratories. Women chemists as scientific librarians and indexers. Women chemists as factory inspectors. Women chemists in the 1940s. The late-and after-career of some women. Commentary.

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