Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Hodgkin was a British chemist. She was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1910. She used X-ray technology to discover the shapes of important molecules. She won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.

Early Life

Hodgkin became interested in chemistry as a child when she grew crystals. She studied chemistry at Oxford University. She began using X-rays to study the structure of molecules. She worked on this despite having severe arthritis in her hands.

A portrait of the Nobel Prize winning chemist Dorothy Hodgkin.
A portrait of the Nobel Prize winning chemist Dorothy Hodgkin. (University of Bristol / Wikimedia Commons)

Big Discoveries

Hodgkin figured out the structure of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin. Understanding these shapes helped scientists make better medicines. She won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. She was only the third woman ever to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Fun Facts

  • Hodgkin worked with painful arthritis in her hands for most of her career.
  • It took her 35 years to figure out the structure of insulin.
  • She was Margaret Thatcher's chemistry teacher at Oxford.

Did You Know?

Hodgkin's work on insulin took 35 years to complete. Understanding insulin's shape helped scientists develop better treatments for diabetes, which affects millions of people worldwide.