Which chemist became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alone, receiving it in 1964?

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alone when she received it in 1964.

Hodgkin was a British chemist who pioneered the use of X-ray crystallography to determine the three-dimensional structures of important biological molecules. Her work revealed the structures of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin, helping connect chemistry with medicine.

The 1964 Nobel citation honored her determinations of the structures of biochemical substances using X-ray techniques. She had previously shared the 1947 Royal Society’s Davy Medal and later received the 1965 Order of Merit.

Hodgkin is sometimes confused with Marie Curie, who was the first woman to win any Nobel Prize, in Physics in 1903. Hodgkin’s distinction was specifically the 1964 Chemistry award, awarded for her structural chemistry research.