chemistry

Margot Dorenfeldt

Margot Dorenfeldt is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Margot Dorenfeldt rather than just read about it. In short: Margot Dorenfeldt (1895–1986) was the first woman to graduate from Norwegian Institute of Technology (1919) and specialized in inorganic chemistry and electrochemistry. She published several papers in radiochemistry.

Key takeaways

Margot Dorenfeldt belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Margot Dorenfeldt to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Margot Dorenfeldt from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Margot Dorenfeldt (1895–1986) was the first woman to graduate from Norwegian Institute of Technology (1919) and specialized in inorganic chemistry and electrochemistry. She published several papers in radiochemistry.

Biography She was the daughter of Lauritz J. Dorenfeldt (1863–1932), an engineer who was educated in Berlin, and the granddaughter of businessman Lauritz Dorenfeldt Jenssen (1837–1899). Her mother was Aagot Bødtker (1869–1963). Margot was born 2 October 1895 in Worms, Germany, when her family was there; her father was working on assignment as technical director of a cellulose factory. Margot Dorenfeldt was the second woman to enroll at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) after Aslaug Urbye (who enrolled in 1910, but never completed her studies). In 1919, Dorenfeldt became the first woman to graduate from NTH. While in college, she was active in student debates and made critical comments about her fellow engineers and their record of participation in social politics.

Career Dorenfeldt found her first job in 1920 as an assistant at the chemistry laboratory at Royal Frederick University (now University of Oslo). A few months later, she was promoted to a secretary-like position, from which she could perform research and teach. Soon she was investigating the atomic weight of chlorine while working with the radiochemist and associate professor Ellen Gleditsch, who had previously worked with Marie Curie in Paris. Dorenfeldt helped publish their results in English, German and French. In 1922, the university granted Dorenfeldt a scholarship so she could study at the Collège de France in Paris. While there she met and married a fellow Norwegian and changed her name to Margot Dorenfeldt Holtan. She published research using her married name as well as her maiden name. As a wife and mother of two, Margot attended to her family but continued working in the field as a part-time secretary and chemist and, according to her own records, she also published scientific work with her husband. Throughout her life, she remained close to her father and his business interests and she took a government position in 1946 and then became an association board member from which she could help protect the interests of his pulp and paper businesses.

Personal life She was married on 23 February 1923 in Paris to Norwegian engineer Eugen Nannestad Holtan (1893–1959).

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Margot Dorenfeldt

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Margot Dorenfeldt claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Margot Dorenfeldt before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Margot Dorenfeldt ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Margot Dorenfeldt

In research: Margot Dorenfeldt appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Margot Dorenfeldt in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Margot Dorenfeldt is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1895 births, 1986 deaths, 20th-century Norwegian women scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Margot Dorenfeldt outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Margot Dorenfeldt in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Margot Dorenfeldt means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Margot Dorenfeldt out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Margot Dorenfeldt in simple terms?

Why does Margot Dorenfeldt matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Margot Dorenfeldt?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Margot Dorenfeldt.