Agnes Pockels

Agnes Luise Wilhelmine Pockels (14 February 1862 – 21 November 1935) was a German chemist whose research was fundamental in establishing the modern discipline known as surface science, which describes the properties of liquid and solid surfaces and interfaces. Pockels became interested in fundamental research in surface science through observations of soaps and soapy water in her own home while washing dishes. She devised a surface film balance technique to study the behavior of molecules such as soaps and surfactants at air-liquid interfaces. From these studies, Pockels defined the "Pockels Point" which is the minimum area that a single molecule can occupy in monomolecular films. Pockels was an autodidact. She was not a paid, professional scientist and had no institutional affiliation and so is an example of a citizen scientist. Early life and education Pockels was born in Venice, Austrian Empire, in 1862. At the time, Venice was under Austrian rule, and Pockels' father served in the Austrian Army. When he fell sick, the family moved in 1871 to Brunswick, which was part of the nascent German Empire. There, Pockels attended the Municipal High School for Girls. Agnes was interested in chemistry as a child. However, women were not allowed to enter universities to study. Pockels stated that "I had a passionate interest in natural science, especially physics, and would have liked to study.“ (Agnes Pockels, as translated by Giles from Autobiographical Notes in W. Ostwald, 1932.)