Suzanne Veil
Suzanne Veil | |
|---|---|
| Born | Suzanne Zélie Pauline Veil 28 April 1886 Paris |
| Died | February 24, 1956 (aged 69) Paris |
| Occupation | Chemist |
Suzanne Zélie Pauline Veil (28 April 1886 – 24 February 1956)[1] was a French chemist. Her career combined ground breaking research with industrial applications.[2]
Early life and education
Suzanne Zélie Pauline Veil was born in Paris on 28 April 1886.[1][3][2]
Veil was a student of Marie Curie from 1912 to 1918 at the Curie Laboratory at her Radium Institute.[4]
During World War I, Veil trained nurses in radiology methods, ensuring effective radiology services near the front line which enabled medical staff to locate shrapnel in the bodies of wounded soldiers.[4]
Career
Veil went on to join chemist Georges Urbain's laboratory at the École Supérieure de Chimie at the Sorbonne, undertaking her doctorate there.[5][2]
In 1921, Veil was head of the laboratory at the Faculté des sciences de Paris and collaborated with British chemist and physicist Francis W. Aston, translating his seminal work on isotopes in 1923.[4]
In 1924, Veil won the Cahours Prize and the French Academy of Sciences' Berthelot Medal.[2]
Veil became head of research at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in 1930. She researched into the physical chemistry of metal oxides and their mixtures, demonstrating her interest in inorganic chemistry. She studied metal complexes including nickel, chromium and cobalt, and published on periodic phenomena in chemistry in the 1930s.[2][4]
Veil was a contributor to the 1948 Manuel de radiologie industrielle (Manual of Industrial Radiology), which opened chemistry up to radiological applications.[3][2]
Suzanne Veil died in Paris on 24 February 1956.[1]
Selected publications
- Recherches sur quelques propriétés physico-chimiques des oxydes métalliques et de leurs mélanges, (Research on certain physico-chemical properties of metal oxides and their mixtures) (1920)
- Francis William Aston's Isotopes (1922)[6] (translated as Les Isotopes by Suzanne Z. Veil, preface by Georges Urbain), Paris, J. Hermann, (1923) (BNF 31736929)
- Mme R. Duval, Mlle S. Veil et MM. C. Eichner, P. Job, V. Lombard, Nickel, chrome, cobalt, étude générale des complexes, (Nickel, chrome, cobalt, general study of complexes) (1933)
- Les Phénomènes périodiques de la chimie, (Periodic phenomena in chemistry) (1934)
- Manuel de radiologie industrielle (Handbook of industrial radiology) (1948)
Commemoration
In 2026, Veil 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.[7][8][9][4]
References
- ^ a b c "Suzanne Veil (1886–1956)". archives.paris.fr. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey; Harvey, Joy Dorothy (2000). The biographical dictionary of women in science : pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century. Internet Archive. New York : Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-92040-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ a b "Suzanne Veil (1886-1956)". data.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ a b c d e 72 femmes de sciences pour la tour Eiffel Femmes & Sciences (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-15
- ^ Natalie Pigeard-Micault (2026). Les femmes du laboratoire de Marie Curie. Paris: Glyphe. p. 310. ISBN 978-2-35815-358-4.
- ^ F.w. Aston (1922). Isotopes.
- ^ "Eiffel Tower: a list of 72 women scientists will soon be inscribed on the Parisian monument". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ "Eiffel Tower to honor 72 women scientists for posterity". 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ "Les noms des 72 femmes pour la Tour Eiffel ont été révélés". Femmes & Sciences (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-15.