UK crystallographer, pacifist, and prison reform activist Kathleen Lonsdale was born #OTD in 1903.
She proved, in 1929, that the benzene ring is flat by using X-ray diffraction methods to elucidate the structure of hexamethylbenzene. She was the first to use Fourier spectral methods while solving the structure of hexachlorobenzene in 1931.
Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle died #OTD in 1790.
Romé de l'Isle's interest in crystals began during his captivity on the Isle of Bourbon where he had ample time to study minerals. His most comprehensive work, "Cristallographie" (1783), was published in 4 volumes. His systematic approach and detailed observations laid the foundation for modern crystallography. He is also credited with formalizing the Law of Constancy of Interfacial Angles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_L._Rom%C3%A9_de_l%27Isle
Austrian molecular biologist Max F. Perutz was born #OTD in 1914.
He is best known for his work on the structure of hemoglobin, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1962, sharing it with John Kendrew.
Using X-ray crystallography, Perutz was able to determine the three-dimensional structure of hemoglobin, which was a groundbreaking achievement in understanding how proteins function at the molecular level.
Project Gutenberg
