Maria Bakunin

Maria Mikhailovna Bakunina (; 1873–1960) was a Russian-Italian chemist and geologist. Born in Siberia, she moved to southern Italy at a young age, taking up chemistry during her education. By the time of her graduation from the University of Naples, she was already a pioneering figure in stereochemistry and made a number of advancements in applied chemistry. During the early 20th century, she carried out a series of geological surveys in the region of Campania, identifying a number of ichthyol deposits for exploitation. With the outbreak of World War II, she continued her work at the University of Naples and dedicated herself to the rebuilding of the Accademia Pontaniana after the war. Early life and education On 2 February 1873, Maria Bakunin was born in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. The third child of Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, after he father died in 1876, she and her family moved to Naples, where they had local connections. Once she had completed her secondary education, she enrolled in chemistry programme of the University of Naples. By 1890, she was already a preparer at the Chemistry Institute under the direction of , who she would later marry. In 1895, she graduated with her degree, having written her thesis on stereochemistry. Career Throughout her career, Maria Bakunin carried out important research into indones, from her early studies on the "geometric isomerism of nitrocinnamic and oxy-cinnamic acids", to her later research into "the make-up of picrotoxin, the esterification of phenols [and] the catalyzing effect of certain colloidal solutions in organic syntheses." Her contributions to applied chemistry also resulted in the preparation of a number of medicinal products. Her research was published in the Annali di Chimica Applicata and Gazzetta Chimica Italiana, as well as in the Proceedings of the Società di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Naples and the Academy of Science in Bologna. Early work In 1900, Bakunin formulated a novel method for using phosphorus pentoxide in the preparation of idones, anhydrides and ethers. For her work in this field, the famed Italian chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro awarded her with the Neapolitan Academy's prize for physics and mathematics.