Denise Barthomeuf
Denise Barthomeuf | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 November 1934 |
| Died | November 26, 2004 (aged 70) |
| Known for | Work on zeolites |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | French National Centre for Scientific Research, Rhône-Poulenc, Exxon |
Denise Marie Barthomeuf (26 November 1934 - 2 November 2004) was a French chemist. She was known for her pioneering research on the structure of the zeolites mineral group.
Early life and education
Denise Marie Barthomeuf was born to Madeleine (née Gallet) and Jean Baptiste Barthomeuf on 26 November 1934 in Lyon.[1] She eared her degree in science from the University of Lyon in 1960 and her Phd in Chemistry in 1963.
Career
In 1958, Barthomeuf began her career at the Faculté des sciences de Lyon as an assistant in Professor Marcel Prettre's laboratory. She was promoted to senior assistant in 1964.[2]
Her early years of research focussed on the study of catalytic cracking catalysts. Her first academic contribution was at the International Catalysis Congress in Paris in 1960, where she presented a paper on the influence of several novel physical-chemical properties on the cracking activity of silica-alumina catalysts.[3]
Whilst her research initially focused on catalytic cracking catalysts, after spending eight months at Moscow State University, in the laboratory run by Professor Klawdija Topchieva, she turned her attention to zeolites in the 1960s.[2]
In the later 1960s, Barthomeuf was the first to identify the importance and role of the composition and spatial organisation of the atoms that make up the microporous materials in determining the properties of zeolites. This led her to develop methods for modifying zeolites, which had a strong imapct in the field, including the introduction of dealuminated zeolites in catalytic cracking.[2]
Barthomeuf joined the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1974.[2] She also worked in industry for eight years in three different roles, at Rhône-Poulenc; Liha; then Exxon in the United States where she focused on basic zeolites, aluminophosphates and separation processes.[2] She worked at three CNRS laboratories: both the Institute for Research on Catalysis and the Organic Catalysis Laboratory in Villeurbanne, and later at the Surface Reactivity Laboratory in Paris.[4]
Barthomeuf conceptualised the relationships between the properties of zeolites, their acidity and their catalytic behaviour. In the 1980s, she published a series of articles and lectured on the concept of topological density of aluminium atoms in networks. She developed a predictive model defining the optimum acidity and activity for each structure. She enriched the model, accounting for the existence of electrostatic field gradients within the cavities, and explaining the changes in selectivity in hydrocarbon cracking reactions as a function of pore composition and size. These concepts are now fully integrated into the study of zeolites.[2]
Barthomeuf founded the Groupe français des Zéolithes, which she chaired until 1990.[2] She was vice-chair of the International Zeolite Association and chaired their Breck Award Committee from 1986 to 1989.[5]
Awards
- 1985: CNRS Silver Medal[6]
Retirement, death and commemoration
Barthomeuf retired in 1995 and earned a masters degree in archaeology, developing an interest in the manufacture of early alloys.[2] She also became involved in humanitarian work with disadvantaged communities in Nepal.[7][4]
Barthomeuf died on 2 November 2004 in Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or.[1]
Since 2017, the international Denise Barthomeuf Prize has been awarded for theses in the field of zeolites or related materials.[8][9]
In 2026, Denise Barthomeuf was announced as one of 72 historical women in STEM whose names have been proposed to be added to the 72 men already celebrated on the Eiffel Tower. The plan was announced by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo following the recommendations of a committee led by Isabelle Vauglin of Femmes et Sciences and Jean-François Martins, representing the operating company which runs the Eiffel Tower.[10][11][12][4][13]
Publications
- 1962: Contribution à l'étude des propriétés acides des gels mixtes silice-alumine
- 1963: Contribution à l'étude des gels mixtes silice-alumine
Researchgate records 143 publcations by Barthomeuf.[14]
References
- ^ a b "matchID - Moteur de recherche des décès". deces.matchid.io. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Société chimique de France. "Hommage - Denise Barthomeuf (1934 - 2004)" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 13 Feb 2026.
- ^ Influence of several novel physical-chemical properties on the cracking activity of silica-alumina catalysts, Actes Intern. Congr. Catalyse, 2 (1960), 1961, 1, p. 1313).
- ^ a b c 72 femmes de sciences pour la tour Eiffel Femmes & Sciences (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-13
- ^ "IZA Announcements 2004-2005". www.iza-online.org. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ Burgos, Valérie (2023-01-31). "Médailles d'argent du CNRS 1960-2010". Comité pour l'histoire du CNRS (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ Une action humanitaire pour les habitants de l'Himalaya, Le Progrès, 5 March 2000
- ^ "39ème réunion annuelle du GFZ - Sciencesconf.org". gfz2024.sciencesconf.org. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ LCS (2021-02-09). "Dr. Florent Dubray received the very prestigious Denise Barthomeuf Award from the French Zeolite Association (GFZ)". Laboratoire Catalyse & Spectrochimie. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "Eiffel Tower: a list of 72 women scientists will soon be inscribed on the Parisian monument". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "Eiffel Tower to honor 72 women scientists for posterity". 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "Les noms des 72 femmes pour la Tour Eiffel ont été révélés". Femmes & Sciences (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "The names of these three female scientists from Lyon will be engraved on the Eiffel Tower!". Le Bonbon. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "Denise Barthomeuf". Researchgate.