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Scientific apparatus and instruments

Vacuum desiccator belonging to Rosalind Franklin

  • After 1940 – before 1958

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Glass chamber for dehydrating samples over a desiccant chemical. Desiccant crystals remain in the bottom lobe of the device. A valve on the side of the upper lobe allows a vacuum to be attached. After being used by Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) and Raymond Gosling (1926-2015) at King’s College London circa 1952, this desiccator remained in Gosling’s possession. The practice of drying and moistening samples played an important role in Franklin and Gosling’s research on the structure of DNA. They showed that the DNA molecule occurred in two distinct forms, A and B, depending on humidity. In Gosling’s 1954 PhD thesis, he described using a desiccator to dry DNA samples over the chemical phosphorus pentoxide.

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  • 44.5 cm H x 36.8 cm D (object with lid in place)
  • 12.7 cm H x 36.8 cm D (lid)
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  • Science History Institute
Credit line
  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

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Science History Institute. Vacuum Desiccator Belonging to Rosalind Franklin. Photograph, 2025. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/qumhgda.

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The Science History Institute recognizes there are materials in our collections that may be offensive or harmful, containing racist, sexist, Eurocentric, ableist, or homophobic language or depictions. The history of science is not exempt from beliefs or practices harmful to traditionally marginalized groups. The Institute is engaged in ongoing efforts to responsibly present and address the evidence of oppression and injustice inextricable from the history of science. If you would like to learn more about our ongoing efforts or if you encounter harmful, inaccurate, or insufficient descriptions, please contact us at digital@sciencehistory.org.