Marguerite Perey
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Catherine Perey (19 October 1909 – 13 May 1975) was a French
physicist
. In 1939, Perey discovered the element francium
by purifying samples of lanthanum
that contained actinium
. She was a student of Marie Curie
. In 1962, she was the first woman to be elected to the French Académie des Sciences.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. In 1939, Perey discovered the element francium
Francium
Francium is a chemical element with symbol Fr and atomic number 87. It was formerly known as eka-caesium and actinium K.Actually the least unstable isotope, francium-223 It has the lowest electronegativity of all known elements, and is the second rarest naturally occurring element...
by purifying samples of lanthanum
Lanthanum
Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57.Lanthanum is a silvery white metallic element that belongs to group 3 of the periodic table and is the first element of the lanthanide series. It is found in some rare-earth minerals, usually in combination with cerium and...
that contained actinium
Actinium
Actinium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Ac and atomic number 89, which was discovered in 1899. It was the first non-primordial radioactive element to be isolated. Polonium, radium and radon were observed before actinium, but they were not isolated until 1902...
. She was a student of Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
. In 1962, she was the first woman to be elected to the French Académie des Sciences.
Publications
- "Sur un element 87, dérivé de l'actinium," Comptes-rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des sciences, 208: 97 (1939).
- "Francium: élément 87," Bulletin de la Société chimique de France, 18: 779 (1951).
- "On the Descendants of Actinium K: 87Ac223," Journal de Physique et le Radium, 17: 545 (1956).
Positions
- 1929-34 Personal assistant (preparateur) to Marie CurieMarie CurieMarie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
, Institut du Radium. - 1934-46 Radiochemist, Institut du Radium.
- 1946-49 Maitre de Recherches, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut du Radium.
- 1949- Professeur titulaire de la Chaire de Chimie Nucleaire, Universite de Strasbourg.
Education
- Diplôme d'État de chimiste, École d'enseignement technique féminine, 1929.
- Doctorat des Sciences, Sorbonne 1946.
Honors
- Officier of the Légion d'HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
1960 - Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris 1960
- Elected correspondante of the Académie des SciencesFrench Academy of SciencesThe French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
(Paris) 1962. First woman to be elected to the Académie since its founding in 1666. - Lavoisier Prize of the Académie des Sciences 1964
- Silver Medal of the Société Chimique de France 1964
- Commandeur of the Ordre National du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
1974