María Josefa Molera Mayo (23 January 1921 – 3 September 2011) was an eminent Spanish scientist specialising in chemical kinetics and gas chromatographic analysis techniques, whose work has significantly influenced the current structure of scientific research in Spain.
Born in the Navarrese town of Isaba, Molera Mayo’s childhood was marked by the events of the Spanish Civil War (her father died on the battlefield).
He studied at the Central University of Madrid (now the Complutense University), where he excelled in chemical sciences, graduating with honors in just three years.
Later, not without difficulties due to her status as a woman, she managed to obtain her doctorate at the Institute of Physical Chemistry “Rocasolano” of the CSIC under the direction of Professor Ríus Miró.
In his dissertation, he dealt with the application of mercury vein electrodes as a replacement for mercury drops, for which he received an extraordinary research award.
His scientific career was not limited to Spain. He received a scholarship from the Ramsay Memorial Fellowship Trust, which enabled him to work at the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry at the University of Oxford and in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Sheffield.
He was known for his contribution to the development of the gas chromatograph in Spain and for his pioneering work in the characterization of wine together with the scientists Mª Dolores Cabezudo and Marta Herráiz.
In collaboration with the chemist JA Domínguez and the mathematician J. Fernández Biarge, he developed methods for analyzing chemical reactions by gas-liquid chromatography, using a combination of up to four chromatography columns.
His instruments were recognized by gas chromatograph manufacturers and earned him the prestigious Peking-Elmer Hispania Prize in 1967.
She has also been awarded the Alfonso X el Sabio Prize of the CSIC and the Chemistry Medal of the Royal Spanish Physical Society.
The AuthorIgnacio del Villar
Public University of Navarre.
Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain
