Catherine Chamié

Catherine Chamié (13 December 1888 – 14 July 1950) was a French chemist. In conjunction with Irène Joliot-Curie, she first measured the half-life of radon. She also undertook extensive research on the photographic effect of groupings of atoms, an effect which bears her name, known as Chamié effect.

Early life and education Born on 13 December 1888 in Odessa, Catherine Chamié was the daughter of the Franco-Syrian notary Antoine Chamié, and his Russian wife Helene Golovkine.

Career After completing the courses and gained experiences in the field of radioactivity, she wrote to Marie Curie for seeking opportunities to work on a part-time basis at her laboratory in the Radium Institute. Marie offered her a position. Chamié later joined as a chemist on a voluntary basis at the department of measurement of the Radium Institute. Her works included the preparation of radium salts and the analysis of radioactive ores from the Congo. She soon got a research grant which made her work at the Radium Institute as a paid job. In 1929 she became naturalized in France.

She died at the age of 61 in Paris on 14 July 1950 of “radiation-related causes”.

Publications Between 1921 and 1950, she wrote more than 40 research articles. Her important works include New principles of psychology, their application to the study of systems of knowledge and personality (1937) Psychology of knowledge: Formation, structure and evolution of scientific knowledge (1950)