Born: 26 August 1920, France
Died: 7 January 2011
Country most active: France
Also known as: Alberte Bucher-Pullman
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Alberte Pullman (née Bucher) was an esteemed French theoretical and quantum chemist. She studied at the Sorbonne from 1938, making significant contributions at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Collaborating with Raymond Daudel, she earned her doctorate in 1946. Marrying Bernard Pullman that same year, they jointly authored influential works, including “Quantum Biochemistry” (1963). Their pioneering quantum chemistry applications shaped the field and predicted carcinogenic properties of aromatic hydrocarbons.
Key Contributions:
– Doctoral Thesis on “Linking Electronic Structure and Carcinogenic Properties of Aromatic Hydrocarbons,” Paris (1946): Introduced K-region concept, defined vital L and M regions, and linked them to cancer links. Summarized findings in 1956 book.
– Explored Theoretical Organic Chemistry using early molecular orbital methods (1947-1955), outlined in a 1952 book.
– Pioneered calculations on biomolecular essentials, particularly Nucleic Acid components.
– Innovated techniques for complex systems: Introduced “supermolecule” method to study hydrogen bonding, molecular hydration, and cation binding. Devised approaches to compute and visualize large molecules’ molecular electrostatic potentials and fields. Initial applications encompassed DNA, RNA, proteins, and ionophores.
– Revolutionized Theoretical Studies on ion movement across biological membranes, involving Gramicidin A; shaped models for acetylcholine receptor channel. Explored lipid layer structures and interactions with inserted molecules.
– Advanced Theoretical Research on cation-p interactions and their constituents.