Asima Chatterjee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Asima Chatterjee
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Asima Chatterjee
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| Born | 23 September 1917 |
| Died | 22 November 2006 (aged 89) Kolkata, India
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic chemistry, phytomedicine |
| Institutions | Rajabazar Science College University of Calcutta |
Asima Chatterjee (born September 23, 1917 – died November 22, 2006) was a brilliant Indian scientist. She was an organic chemist who studied how chemicals work in living things. She also worked in phytomedicine, which is about using plants for medicine.
Asima Chatterjee is famous for her work on plant-based medicines. She researched vinca alkaloids, which are natural compounds from plants. She also helped create medicines to treat epilepsy and malaria. She wrote many books and papers about medicinal plants found in India. She was the first woman in India to earn a Doctorate of Science degree from an Indian university!
Contents
About Asima Chatterjee
Early Life and Family
Asima Chatterjee was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on September 23, 1917. She grew up in a middle-class family. At that time, it was not common for girls to go to school, especially for higher studies.
Asima was the oldest child and had a younger brother. Her father, Indra Narayan Mookerjee, was a doctor. He was very supportive of both his children's education, which was unusual back then. Her father loved plants, and this helped Asima become interested in medicine. She became especially curious about how plants could be used as medicine.
Her Amazing Education and Work
Even though most women didn't go to college then, Asima chose to study Chemistry. She finished her first degree with honors from Scottish Church College in Calcutta in 1936. She then earned her Master's degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Calcutta in 1938.
But she didn't stop there! Asima went on to get her D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) from the University of Calcutta in 1944. This was a huge achievement. She was the first woman ever to receive a doctorate from an Indian university!
While studying for her doctorate, she worked with famous scientists. One was Prafulla Chandra Ray, known as the "father of Chemical science in India." She also worked with Satyendra Nath Bose, a well-known physicist. They studied chemicals from plants and how to create new organic compounds.
After her doctorate, she did more research in the United States. She worked with Lásló Zechmeister on special plant compounds called alkaloids. In 1945, she married Prof. Baradananda Chatterjee, who was also a scientist. They had a daughter named Julie.
Later, Asima became a professor at the University College of Science in Calcutta. She kept researching natural compounds from medicinal plants. It was hard for scientists in India back then because there wasn't much money for research. Asima sometimes used her own money to send samples for testing outside India. She also struggled to get the right chemicals and pay her students.
In 1967, she faced a very difficult time. She lost both her father and her husband within four months. She also had her own health problems. But with the help of her colleagues, she bravely returned to her work.
Through her research, she helped develop important medicines. She created drugs to treat epilepsy and convulsions. She also worked on chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients. One of her most successful creations is an anti-epileptic drug called 'Ayush-56'. It was made from a plant called Marsilia minuta and is still used today!
Her team also developed anti-malarial drugs from different plants. Asima spent 40 years studying cancer and anti-cancer drugs. She researched alkaloids, which were very helpful in chemotherapy for cancer patients when other treatments were limited.
Inspiring Others
Asima Chatterjee was a true pioneer. Being the first woman to get a doctorate in India inspired many. She also helped start a chemistry department at the Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta.
Her achievements showed many women in India that they could follow their dreams. She encouraged them to become innovators and experts in science.
Key Discoveries and Contributions
Asima Chatterjee made many important contributions to science:
- She started studying alkaloids found in the Rauwolfia canescens plant.
- She explored the chemistry of many types of indole alkaloids (plant compounds).
- She helped figure out the structure of compounds like ajmalicine and sarpagine.
- She was the first to suggest the structure of sarpagine.
- She found and described geissoschizine, which is important in how indole alkaloids are formed in plants.
- She worked on making complex indole, quinoline, and isoquinoline alkaloids in the lab.
- She developed ways to prepare beta-phenylethanolamines, which are used in making alkaloids.
- She figured out the structure of luvangetin from the Luvanga scandens plant.
- She studied how certain acids affect plant compounds called coumarins. She also found easy ways to make complex coumarin systems.
- She investigated how acids cause a specific type of chemical reaction in beta phenylethanol amines.
- She introduced using periodic acid to find and locate certain chemical bonds in organic compounds.
Awards and Recognition
Asima Chatterjee received many honors and awards for her amazing work:
- She was a Premchand Roychand Scholar at the University of Calcutta.
- From 1962 to 1982, she held the Khaira Professor of Chemistry position at the University of Calcutta. This was a very important role.
- In 1972, she became the Honorary Coordinator for a special program. This program aimed to improve teaching and research in natural product chemistry in India.
- In 1960, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in New Delhi.
- In 1961, she won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in chemical science. She was the first woman to ever receive this award!
- In 1975, she received the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian awards. She also became the first female scientist to be the General President of the Indian Science Congress Association.
- Many universities gave her honorary D. Sc. degrees.
- The President of India nominated her to be a Member of the Rajya Sabha (India's upper house of Parliament) from 1982 to 1990.
- On September 23, 2017, Google honored her with a special Google Doodle for her 100th birthday.
- She also won the C.V Raman award and the P.C Ray Award.
- IIT Patna named a girls' hostel after her.
See also
In Spanish: Asima Chatterjee para niños
