A chemicals detection system that can detect directly a broad range of compounds without the need to derivatise or swap detection methods took its inventor, Joanne Bone, to the finals of the British Female Inventor of the Year 2002. Her patented universal detection for liquid chromatography is suitable for use in the pharmaceutical, water and food manufacturing industries.
Bone started work on the project for her doctorate in chemistry at Loughborough University and has since set up a company, Phlogiston Scientific, to take the technology forward. 'Once I knew I was onto a breakthrough, I filed for a patent and looked into setting up a business. I was sure that my equipment would make life easier for other chemists in the analytical field,' she said.
This year the Female Inventor of the Year awards, which are sponsored by The Patent Office, include a new category dedicated to women employed to carry out r&d.
