WOMEN IN WATER: MARIE-ANNE PIERRETTE PAULZE

Marie-Anne was born in 1758 in Montbrison, France. She married a colleague of her father, Antoine Lavoisier, at the age of 13. In 1775, he was appointed as a gunpowder administrator in Paris.

As her husband’s interests and career developed, she helped him with his studies in chemistry. Her own interest in science and chemistry flourished and she had the opportunity to become formally educated.

Her husband was arrested and sentenced to the guillotine during the French Revolution and died on May 8, 1794. After his death, she gathered all of his research and documents and published them under the title of Mémoires de Chimie, which means Chemistry Memoirs. The first volume examined how liquids are formed while the second explored the composition of water. This book made her “The Mother of Modern Chemistry.”

Although she was never properly credited, her signature was in the book and many believe that she worked side by side with her husband.

Sources: Wikipedia Scientific Women Smart Water Magazine