Women's Fields of Chemistry: 1900--1920

In the first two decades of this century, there was a significant opposition to women in chemistry. However, there were three areas in which women played a very significant role: atomic science, biochemistry, and crystallography. In this paper, we provide suggestions for the appeal of these fields which were all on the fringes of mainstream chemistry. The role of the supervisor/mentor may have been of great importance, a view supported by accounts of the personalities of the Braggs in crystallography, of Hopkins in biochemistry, and of Rutherford in atom science.