Rita Harradence
| Rita Harradence | |
|---|---|
Rita Harradence at the University of Sydney
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|
| Born |
16 September 1915 Bexley, New South Wales |
| Died | 6 November 2012 (aged 97) Sussex, England |
| Resting place | Clayton Wood Natural Burial Ground |
| Other names | Lady Cornforth |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Institutions |
National Institute for Medical Research Milstead Laboratory of Chemical Enzymology |
| Alma mater |
University of Sydney (BSc (Hons) 1936, MSc 1937) Oxford University (DPhil, 1941) |
| Thesis | Synthesis of cyclic ketones related to the sex hormones (1941) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Robinson |
| Spouse | John Cornforth |
Rita Harriet Harradence (16 September 1915 − 6 November 2012) was an Australian biochemist who pioneered the synthesis of penicillamine and steroids, and the stereochemistry of molecules involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.
Rita Harriet Harradence was born in Bexley, New South Wales, on 16 September 1915, the daughter of Walter Charles Harradence and his wife Ethel Harriet née Todd. She had brothers, Arthur and Edward. Her father was a carpenter and her mother was a seamstress in a department store. She attended St George Girls High School, an academically selective school for girls, where she excelled, particularly in mathematics. An exceptional teacher, Lilian Whiteoak, sparked an interest in chemistry. When she matriculated in 1933, she was ranked first in New South Wales in chemistry. She also received first class honours in mathematics, and A's in English, French, Latin and mechanics, making her one of the top students in the state.
Harradence won a state scholarship to study chemistry at the University of Sydney, where she earned her BSc honours degree in 1936, topping her class along with Arthur Birch, and an MSc degree in 1937. While there she met John Cornforth, a fellow chemistry student a year behind her. She had broken a Claisen flask and Cornforth, with his expertise of glassblowing and the use of a blowpipe, mended the break. They got to know each other and spent time bushwalking in the Blue Mountains on weekends.
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