Darleane C. Hoffman obituary: chemist who expanded the periodic table

"Darleane Hoffman was a trailblazing nuclear chemist whose work helped to extend the periodic table and deepen our understanding of the heaviest elements. The transuranic elements - those with an atomic number higher than uranium's 92 - are all unstable and radioactive. Her discovery of naturally occurring plutonium-244 overturned the long-held premise that uranium-238 was the heaviest element found in nature. Her research influenced our understanding of nuclear fission, advanced cancer therapies and improved nuclear-waste-management protocols. She has died aged 98."

"One of her proudest achievements was validating the discovery of element 106, later named seaborgium in honour of her friend and mentor, Glenn Seaborg. Beyond her landmark discoveries, Hoffman will also be remembered for her advocacy for women in science. Born in Terril, Iowa, Hoffman developed an early fascination with science - encouraged by her father, a school principal who taught mathematics."

"She began studying applied art at Iowa State College in Ames, but switched to chemistry, inspired by her teacher Nellie Naylor and physicist Marie Curie, who attained global renown for her work on radioactivity. Hoffman was drawn to nuclear chemistry and the excitement of a field still in its infancy. Later, she would tell her students that she was often the only woman in her university chemistry classes."

Darleane Hoffman was a nuclear chemist whose research extended the periodic table. She discovered naturally occurring plutonium-244, overturning the premise that uranium-238 was the heaviest natural element. Her research influenced understanding of nuclear fission, aided cancer therapies and improved nuclear-waste-management protocols. She validated the discovery of element 106, later named seaborgium. Born in Terril, Iowa, she shifted from applied art to chemistry, inspired by Nellie Naylor and Marie Curie. After earning a doctorate in 1951, she worked at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos, becoming Los Alamos's first female division leader in 1979.

Read at Nature