Dorothy Virginia Nightingale facts for kids

Dorothy Virginia Nightingale was an American chemist. She lived from 1902 to 2000. She was famous for her work in chemistry. She studied how light is made by chemicals (chemiluminescence). She also researched a special type of chemical reaction called the Friedel-Crafts reaction.

Dorothy helped many students with their science projects. She guided 24 PhD students and 26 Masters students. She also wrote 56 science papers.

About Dorothy's Life

Dorothy was born in Colorado. She grew up there until she was 17. Then, her family moved to Columbia, Missouri. Her mother, Jennie Beem, was a teacher. Her father, William David Nightingale, was a rancher.

Dorothy never married. Her students became like her family. After she retired, she moved back to Colorado. She lived in a retirement community there. She loved climbing mountains and taking pictures of wildflowers. Dorothy also enjoyed traveling the world.

Dorothy's Education

Dorothy's mother helped her get interested in chemistry. When Dorothy was young, some students took her on a field trip. They showed her many chemistry experiments at Colorado State University. This experience truly amazed her.

Dorothy decided to study chemistry. She went to the University of Missouri. She started college at age 17. She even worked as a grader in the German language department. At first, she wanted to be a high school language teacher.

However, a chemistry professor named Herman Schlundt helped her. He convinced her to go to graduate school. This way, she could become a college teacher. Dorothy earned her master's degree at the University of Missouri. Her master's work was about special compounds that glowed.

She then went to the University of Chicago for her PhD in chemistry. She earned her PhD in 1928. Her PhD research focused on other chemical compounds. She was a member of the Honors society at the University of Chicago.

Her Amazing Career

Dorothy joined the University of Missouri staff in 1923. She was one of only two female chemistry instructors there. After getting her PhD, she returned to teach at the university.

She published 56 science papers. She also guided the research of 24 PhD students and 26 Masters students. Dorothy's research looked into several areas:

• How chemicals make light (chemiluminescence).
• How the Friedel-Crafts reaction works.
• Reactions of certain chemicals called nitroparaffins.
• Reactions of other chemicals called azadispiroketones.

Her work was very important. It helped develop ways to make many chemicals. These chemicals are used in things like high-octane gasoline, synthetic rubbers, plastics, and detergents.

In 1938, Dorothy took a break from teaching. She spent time at the University of Minnesota. She learned about their advanced research equipment. She used this knowledge to improve the chemistry program at the University of Missouri.

Helping During Wartime

Dorothy also worked on government research projects. During World War II, she helped the United States government. She searched for new medicines to fight malaria. Her team prepared many chemical compounds. However, none of them worked better than the medicines already in use.

Rising Through the Ranks

Over the years, Dorothy moved up in the chemistry department. She started as an instructor. Then she became an assistant professor. In 1958, she finally became a full professor.

In 1959, she received a special award. It was the Garvan–Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society. This award is given for great service to chemistry. Dorothy stopped teaching in 1972. She then served on a special committee until 1975.

A Champion for Women

Dorothy also wrote a book. It was called A History of the Department of Chemistry' University of Missouri-Columbia, 1843-1975. Before she retired, she became the director of graduate studies.

She also started looking at how women were doing in science education. She worried that women did not have enough chances to advance. She noticed it took her 30 years to become a professor. This was twice as long as it took most men at that time.

Throughout her career, Dorothy joined many important groups. She was a member of the American Chemical Society. She was also the vice president and treasurer of the Missouri's Chemical Society division. She served as a local vice president for Phi Beta and local president for Sigma Delta Epsilon.