Charles Frederick Sidener WEIA-KKOWN Biblepassuge t,ellsthat some itre set out I n his etwlitx teaahing ye I’l*,reasl,r sideZltrcovered most. itpostles, some a$ prophets, and srmc as tenchem. of t,lie (:hrrnienl suhjects, but :LS opportunity oflered, tlirough In Ch:irles Frederick Sidener the Pawers t,hnt cio the qrowtlr of the ~:licmicttli:wulty kat the rnivertiity of Minn choosing eertii,inly ehoac a teacher, itrid a teacher pur t!xaellence. he cmcent,riLtcd more and more on his choseri field of a m i Born in Ilontsvilie, Ill,, the young Sidenor moved w i t h his family chemistry, retaining only one general course in the i:heinist.ry of the materials of engineering, nsubjject iwwhich to ftcd Iring, Minrr., and Inter sltonded the Stst,e I‘niversity in Minneapolis. Here he dehis long experienw as special consultant for milnwis and industrid plants well fitted him. veloped a keen interest in cliemisbry, taking During a S d J h r t t i C d leave, one year WHS spent all the work in t,hat field that ire possibly could, rmd set,ing as asaistxnt, t o Pmfsssor Dodge. In in Ziirich, Switzerland, working with F. f. Treadwell at, the Eidgenovsische Polyleclmikum. 1883, shortly %iter gmduntion, lie pius ai>This assoeixtion formed the tinsis of a life-long pointed instructor in cliemirtry in his alma mater, and there he remiiined in active duty, friendship; and correspondence on problems of malytical chemistry wns kept up between climbing d l the rungs of the professional liiddor, t h e t v o u n t i l Professor Tresdwell’s death. unt,il, after forty years of devo1,ion to his high Tre;~~IwelI’s in Aucnce was ”cry marked, far the eduixitional ideals, Ire gave u p Iris profw.;irurship itdvisnbility of constant attention to possible and the headship of the Division < I f hna1ytic:il source8 of inaccuracy in even gonerally accepted Chemistry, nnd I I P C B ~ B emeritus professor in methods of analysis was more than ever im.Jnne, 1923. p r e m d upon Sidener’s mind. An interesting I liiivo said that Professor Sidener l r s p been coincidence may be related in eonnoetion with outstnudingly u, teacher. In these days LL unit,he subject of sniLIyt,iealaecumcy. In discussversity profassor is iiruslly spoken of as primiirily B t,eeclrer or Iximsrily a rosexrch nit~n. C. F. Sror:Nl~:s ing t,he met,ter one day Dr. Treadwell, who WLS himselfan ilniericsn although pi,aacticnlly ‘IVhich l i n e is followed depends to tiame sxtent upon natural qualifications and interest in the one fieid or t h e his wliolt. eiluoalion was olhined in Germany, said that Bunsen other, anti t,o u very eonsiderahlc extent upon circumatnnocs. In had once told him thiit he, Treadwell, WE the mast scrupulously the e w e of Professor Sidener the circumstance which caused his curcful student that, had ever tieen in the fieidelberg lahoratory, namc t o occur less frequently i n cannoction with yolilisbi:rl re- witli the cxcept.ion of one other, also an American, who had search papers than would otherrise have been the case, w a s t,bt: studied ait,li Bunsen some y e w s earlier. TIie name of this man fact thnt he, together with Professor Dodge and later hy l~imself, WLLS I h I @ ~and , it, t,m.ned out that it was the same l’rofessor did a great amount of industrid, analytical, arid consulting xork. Dodge under whom Sidener had rcceived Iris an;dyt,ictll training ITis roputntion for aceuracyand honesty grew rapidly, mid h i s cx- ut thr IlniverFit,y of Minnesota. Thus, Professor Siidoner came i w t , services wcro sogreatlyin demand that his timc schedulo was very nslomlly hy his exceptiond ability as an anttly&t. This taxed to t,helimit hy hisdouble duty as teacher nnd anulytiesl con- I r c ~ m i n w a e ,coupled with hii knowledge of indust.ris1 and rultant. At that time itw;wnot ascommon its it n o w is for indos- engineering suhit.anees gained fnmr his wide experience as contial plants to maintain their oxn laburatories and chemicid st,affs. sulting chemist,, formed the lxtsin of his great success iis u. teacher This led to a great den1 v i wwk being sent out to puhlir imitl , of :ninlyticul chemistry. Able t.0 mswcr ahnost any question r~ndEreqiicntly a consulting c,hemist woidd contract tu
