Untold Stories of Women in Electrochemistry: Vicenta Arnal, a Spanish Scientist in the 1930s

Abstract

This paper examines Vicenta Arnal Yarza’s (1902-1960) life and scientific contributions to electrochemistry in the late 1920s and the 1930s. In Spain, this was a time of ambitious programs to modernize and internationalize scientific research, which included the training and career promotion of some women. Vicenta Arnal’s pathway shifted from the early years of her international scientific education with top scientists in the field to a domestic career devoted to improving the teaching and popularizing of chemistry under the constraints of the Franco dictatorship, which brought about a dramatic regression in gender equity.