Jenny Hempel facts for kids

Jenny Hempel (born February 19, 1882 – died February 13, 1975) was a Danish scientist who studied plants. She was a pioneer in plant physiology, which is the study of how plants work. In 1916, she became the first Danish woman to earn a PhD in botany (the study of plants). She was the only one until 1956!

Jenny Hempel made an important discovery about succulent plants, like cacti. She found that the liquid inside their cells (called cell sap) changed how acidic it was throughout the day. We now know this change is linked to a special way these plants do photosynthesis, called CAM.

Life and Discoveries

Jenny Hempel was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her father was an apothecary, which is like a pharmacist. She loved studying plants and learned about plant physiology from a professor named Wilhelm Johannsen.

In 1911, Jenny earned a degree called "magister." This was for her research on how a chemical called ether affected plant growth. After that, she worked with another scientist, S. P. L. Sørensen, at the Carlsberg Laboratory.

Studying Plant Sap

At the laboratory, Jenny Hempel focused on the pH of plant sap. pH tells us how acidic or basic something is. She was especially interested in how the acidity of sap in succulent plants changed during the day and night. Another scientist, Benjamin Heyne, had noticed this before, but Jenny studied it in much more detail.

Her research showed that the sap inside succulent plant cells became more acidic at night and less acidic during the day. This daily change, called a "diurnal fluctuation," was a big discovery!

First Danish Woman with a PhD

Based on her important work on plant sap acidity, Jenny Hempel earned her PhD in 1916. This was a huge achievement because she was the very first Danish woman to get a doctoral degree in a plant science. She held this unique position for many years.

In 1917, Jenny married Wilhelm Munthe, who was a librarian from Norway. They had two sons, and one of them became Preben Munthe. After her marriage, Jenny decided to stop her scientific career.

Lasting Impact

Even though Jenny Hempel stopped her research, her discoveries were very important. Her work directly led to more studies on the pH of soils and plants by other famous scientists like Christen Raunkiær and his student Carsten Olsen. Her findings helped us better understand how plants work and adapt to their environments.

See also

In Spanish: Jenny Hempel para niños