Lucia V. Streng (November 6, 1909 – April 28, 1995) was a Russian Empire-born American chemist. She spent much of her career studying the noble gases and their properties, successfully synthesizing krypton difluoride. She and her husband, Alex G. Streng, both held positions at Temple University.[2]

Lucia V. Streng
Born(1909-11-06)November 6, 1909[1]
Russia
DiedApril 28, 1995(1995-04-28) (aged 85)
Pennsylvania
Alma materDonetsk Mining Institute
Known forsynthesis of krypton difluoride
SpouseA. G. Streng
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsTemple University Research Institute

Personal life and education

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Streng was among the first women to receive a degree in mining engineering from Donetsk Mining Institute. She was born in the Russian Empire. During World War II she fled the Soviet Union with her husband and son. The family settled in West Germany for several years, then emigrated to the United States in 1950. Lucia Streng earned money painting china lamps until she and her husband found positions at Temple University.[3]

Career

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Lucia Streng became a research associate at the Temple University Research Institute several years after her husband, Alex G. Streng, was hired as a research chemist. She performed analytical work for the federal Bureau of Mines as well as private companies. In 1963, Streng reported the successful photochemical synthesis of krypton difluoride, a result that no one else was able to produce until 1975.[3][4][5]

Streng published a number of papers, often relating to experimental work with the noble gases krypton[6][7] and xenon.[8][9][10][11] Her contributions were sometimes noted in a manner less formal than shared authorship: in the acknowledgements of one of Alex Streng's papers, he thanked Lucia and another frequent collaborator, Abraham D. Kirshenbaum, for "their contributions in the experimental work."[12]

Lucia Streng retired from the Research Institute in 1975.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Social Security Death Index: Lucia Streng
  2. ^ Lowe, Derek. "Things I Won't Work With: Dioxygen Difluoride". In The Pipeline. Science Translational Medicine. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Jaffe, Mark, "Lucia V. Streng, 85; Innovative Chemist At Temple University," Philly.com, April 30, 1995, http://articles.philly.com/1995-04-30/news/25687426_1_krypton-painting-china-chemist (accessed 24 August 2016) [1]
  4. ^ Xu, Ruren; Pang, Wenqin; Huo, Qisheng (2010). Modern Inorganic Synthetic Chemistry. Burlington: Elsevier Science. p. 54. ISBN 9780444536006. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  5. ^ Lehmann, J (1 November 2002). "The chemistry of krypton". Coordination Chemistry Reviews. 233–234: 1–39. doi:10.1016/S0010-8545(02)00202-3.
  6. ^ Grosse, A. V., A. D. Kirshenbaum, A. G. Streng, and L. V. Streng, "Krypton tetrafluoride: preparation and some properties," Science Vol. 139, No. 3559 (1963): 1047–1048, doi:10.1126/science.139.3559.1047.
  7. ^ Streng, L. V. and A. G. Streng, "Photochemical formation of krypton difluoride from krypton and fluorine or oxygen difluoride," Inorganic Chemistry Vol. 5, No. 2 (1966): 328–329.
  8. ^ Jäger, Susanne; Jouanne, Jörn; Keller-Rudek, Hannelore; Koschel, Dieter; Kuhn, Peter; Merlet, Peter; Rupecht, Sigrid; Vanecek, Hans; Wagner, Joachim (1986). F Fluorine Compounds with Oxygen and Nitrogen (8th ed.). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 46. ISBN 978-3-662-06339-2. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  9. ^ Holloway, John H. (1966). "Synthesis of xenon difluoride by exposure of xenon–fluorine mixtures to daylight at room temperature". Chem. Commun. (1): 22. doi:10.1039/C19660000022.
  10. ^ Kirshenbaum, A. D., L. V. Streng, A. G. Streng, and A. V. Grosse, "Preparation of XeF4 (xenon tetrafluoride) by electric discharge," Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 85, No. 3 (1963): 360–361.
  11. ^ Streng, L. V. and A. G. Streng, "Formation of xenon difluoride from xenon and oxygen difluoride or fluorine in pyrex glass at room temperature," Inorganic Chemistry Vol. 4, No. 9 (1965): 1370–1371.
  12. ^ Streng, A. G. "The Chemical Properties of Dioxygen Difluoride," Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 85 (1963): 1380–1385, doi:10.1021/ja00893a004 (accessed 24 August 2016).