October 19, 2013 <Back to Index> Physicist Marguerite Catherine Perey, 1909 Writer Vasco Pratolini, 1913 Marshal of France Victor François, 2nd Duc de Broglie, 1718 This page is sponsored by: PAGE SPONSOR

Marguerite Catherine Perey (19 October 1909 – 13 May 1975) was a French physicist. In 1939, Perey discovered the element francium by purifying samples of lanthanum that contained actinium. She was a student of Marie Curie. In 1962, she was the first woman to be elected to the French Académie des Sciences. 1929-34 Personal assistant (preparateur) to Marie Curie, Institut du Radium. 1934-46 Radiochemist, Institut du Radium. 1946-49 Maitre de Recherches, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut du Radium. 1949- Professeur titulaire de la Chaire de Chimie Nucleaire, Universite de Strasbourg. 1950-63 Member of the Atomic Weights Commission