Theodora Greene’s protecting groups
Katrina Krämer uncovers the woman behind the book on every organic chemist’s shelf
The book Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis is a classic. Chemists have called it the ‘most useful book ever’, a ‘lab bible’ and a ‘go-to book’. Many keep a copy – often simply known as Greene’s – handy in their office or lab. But not many know that it was written by a woman, Theodora Greene, at a time when female organic chemists were even rarer than today.