Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
1910-1994
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1964 - "For her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biological substances."
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| Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
1910-1994
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The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1964 - "For her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biological substances." |
First to determine the three-dimensional structure of a complex bio-organic molecule. She determined the structure of cholesteryl iodide by x-ray diffraction in 1941-42 (published in 1945) in complete three-dimensional detail, at a time when no one else was determining complex structures in three dimensions because of the formidable calculations involved.
Determined the structure of penicillin in 1944 (published in 1949), again in three-dimensional detail; there was only fragmentary and conflicting evidence on the structure from chemical work of this rather unstable molecule, which was of immense importance as an antibiotic during and immediately after World War II.
Determined the structure of vitamin B-12 in 1956, using one of the first high-speed digital computers. This was by far the most complex molecule whose three-dimensional architecture had been established, and some of its unusual structural features were quite unanticipated.
Determined the structure of insulin in 1969. This culminated a study pursued over three decades. The details of the structure provided insight into the function of this vital hormone.