Dorothy Hahn

Dorothy Anna Hahn (1876–1950) was a lifelong educator and American professor of organic chemistry at Mount Holyoke College. She was most known for her research which utilized the then newly developed technique of ultraviolet spectroscopy to study hydantoins.

Biography Dorothy Hahn was born on April 9, 1876, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the second of two daughters born to Mary Beaver and Carl S. Hahn, a German immigrant. She received extensive academic training in chemistry and was an instructor at numerous women's colleges across the United States. In 1908 she established her independent research group at Mount Holyoke College, publishing numerous scientific journal articles and books. She died in 1950 at the age of 74.

Education and employment

In 1894, Hahn graduated from Miss Florence Baldwin's School for Girls, Preparatory for Bryn Mawr College, now known as Baldwin School. She went on to attend Bryn Mawr College, earning a bachelor's degree in both chemistry and biology in 1899. Upon completion, she became a professor and taught chemistry at the Pennsylvania College for Women, now known as Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and remained there until 1906. confirming the ring structure of hydantoins utilizing ultraviolet spectrophotometry techniques developed by her colleague Emma Perry Carr. During her time as a professor, she coauthored several books alongside other notable authors such as Arthur Messinger Comey. These books included A Dictionary of Chemical Solubilities, Inorganic (1921), The Catalytic Oxidation of Organic Compounds in the Vapor Phase (1932) and Pyrimidines: Their Amino and Aminoxy Derivatives (1933). She also participated in translating and enlarging Ferdinand Henrich's Theories of Organic Chemistry. She also was a member of Sigma Xi and the American Association of University Women.

Outside of academia, Hahn showed interest in industrial chemistry and conducted research on coal tar products in the private sector. These pursuits allowed Mount Holyoke to gain funds for new facilities and scholarships. To celebrate her contributions, Mount Holyoke College furnished a seminar room in her honor within the then new chemistry building.