Elizabeth Hardy (chemist)


Elizabeth MacGregor Hardy was a North American chemist who discovered the Cope rearrangement while working in Arthur Cope's research group at Bryn Mawr College. The rearrangement drew upon the electronic models of Edward D. Hughes and Christopher Kelk Ingold, but also the non-electronic work of Rainer Ludwig Claisen and Ernst Tietze.

Early life and education

Elizabeth MacGregor Hardy was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to parents Thomas Woodburne Hardy and Margaret Ada Hardy. Hardy attended McGill University and graduated with a Bachelor in Science in 1938. In 1939, Hardy obtained a Master of Arts degree from Bryn Mawr College. She went on to do a Ph.D. at Bryn Mawr College with Arthur C. Cope, which she completed in 1942.
After graduation students, Elizabeth Hardy and Evelyn Hancock coauthored nearly half of Cope's papers from Bryn Mawr.
Hardy went on to work for American Cyanamid.

Career and research

Elizabeth MacGregor Hardy worked as assistant professor of Organic Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in 1939 and 1940. In the years 1942-1958, Hardy worked as a chemist at Calco Chemical Division. The Elizabeth MacGregor Hardy went on and worked as literature chemist at Lederle Labs from 1958 to 1975. After working for Lederle Labs, Hardy worked as a senior resident literature chemist for American Cyanamid Company from 1975 and on. She was member of American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society and Chemical Institute of Canada. Hardy worked on different research fields such as molecular rearrangements, preparation of unsaturated esters and ketones, vat dyestuffs, esterification of leuco vat dyes, organic sulfur compounds, and pharmaceutical chemistry.

Publications and patents

Elizabeth MacGregor Hardy has a considerate number of publications and patents under her name and in collaboration with other scientists.