Lonsdale, Dame Kathleen

Lonsdale, Dame Kathleen

 orig. Kathleen Yardley

(born Jan. 28, 1903, Newbridge, County Kildare, Ire.—died April 1, 1971, London, Eng.) Irish-born British crystallographer. In 1929 her X-ray crystallography techniques established the regular hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms in molecules of benzene compounds. She developed a technique with which she measured (to seven figures) the distance between carbon atoms in diamond. She also applied crystallographic techniques to medical problems, in particular the study of bladder stones and certain drugs. In 1945 she became the first woman elected to the Royal Society of London, and in 1956 she was created Dame of the British Empire.