Katherine Alice Burke (1875 – 6 July 1924) was a British chemist and one of the nineteen signatories of the 1904 petition to the

Chemical Society The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation. ...

Early life and education

Burke was born in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

in 1875. She obtained her BSc. degree from her studies at Bedford College and later

Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...

. She graduated in 1899.

Career

Burke transferred from Birkbeck to

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

, London, to work under Frederick Donnan, in the laboratory of noted Scottish chemist,

William Ramsay Sir William Ramsay (; 2 October 1852 – 23 July 1916) was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements ...

, a strong supporter of the rights of women chemists. Burke also collaborated with Ramsay in his work on the radioactive elements. While at

, Burke also worked with Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, Edward Charles Cyril Baly and his co-author on six papers Effie Marsden, on studies relating absorption spectra to chemical constitution. Burke and Marsden co-authored a paper, and she had one publication with Baly and two with Donnan. Burke acted as a private research assistant to Ramsay and translated a book by Danish chemist,

Julius Thomsen The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...

, on systematic researches in

thermochemistry Thermochemistry is the study of the heat energy which is associated with chemical reactions and/or phase changes such as melting and boiling. A reaction may release or absorb energy, and a phase change may do the same. Thermochemistry focuses on ...

into English as part of her work. This translation appeared in print in 1905. In 1906, Burke was appointed a member of staff as Assistant in the Department of Chemistry. By 1921, she had been promoted to Assistant Lecturer.

1904 petition to the Chemical Society

In 1904, perhaps at Ramsay's suggestion, Burke, along with 18 other British women chemists, signed a petition setting out their reasons to the

why they should be afforded Fellowship status like their male counterparts. The petition eventually led to the admission of women as Fellows of the Society (one of the Societies that amalgamated to become the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

), as well as identifying prominent female chemists working in Britain at this time. Burke also signed the 1909 letter to the ''

Chemical News A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wi ...

'' along with Effie Marsden and Maud Gazdar.

Death

Burke died on 6 July 1924. Her colleague, the Irish scientist Frederick Donnan recorded in her obituary:

"In 1906, she was appointed a member of the Chemical Staff at University College, and from that time until her death on July 6th, 1924, she continued her teaching work, having charge of the practical laboratory work for students of the Intermediate Science class, and giving courses of lectures to more advanced students on the chemical aspects of radioactive transformations."

References

External links

The absorption spectra of the nitrates in relation to the ionic theory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Katherine Alice 1875 births 1924 deaths Alumni of Bedford College, London Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London British women chemists English chemists People associated with University College London