FLANIGEN, Edith, American chemist, b-1929, retired in 1994. Her career was spent in the petroleum-refining business and also on environmental issues, as a materials science expert. 102 patents are listed in her name. These were mainly for cleaner fuels, clean-up of environmental disasters, water purification, and highly active chemical catalysts. Much of this later technology revolved around molecular sieves, which filter on the basis of molecule size. Then from 1952-94 she worked for Union Carbide, initially on extraction of useful silicone polymers. After 1956 she became interested in molecular sieves as catalysts, Zeolite Y being the most important. Edith was also co-inventor of a synthetic emerald, which Union Carbide marketed. One of  few women in the National Academy of Engineering (USA).