Berta Karlik Scientist

Berta Karlik was an Austrian physicist. She worked for the University of Vienna, eventually becoming the first female professor at the institution. While working with Ernst Foyn she published a paper on the radioactivity of seawater. She discovered that the element 85 astatine is a product of the natural decay processes. The element was first synthesized in 1940 by Dale R. Corson, K. R. MacKenzie, and Emilio Segrè, after several scientists in vain searched for it in radioactive minerals.

Personal facts

Birth dateJanuary 24, 1904
Birth place
Vienna
Nationality
Austria
Date of deathFebruary 04, 1990
Place of death
Vienna
Residence
Austria
Education
University of Vienna
Known for
Astatine

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