Ralph E. Oesper

Ralph Edward Oesper (14 June 1886, Cincinnati – 10 December 1977, Cincinnati) was an American chemist and historian of chemistry.[1]

Biology

Oesper studied in public schools in Cincinnati before matriculating at the University of Cincinnati in 1904. There he received bachelor's degree in 1908, master's degree in 1909, and PhD in 1914 under the supervision of Lauder William Jones. Oesper taught for a brief time at New York University and at Smith College. He then in 1918 became a faculty member and later a full professor at the University of Cincinnati, where he remained until his retirement in 1951 as professor emeritus. In retirement he remained active as an occasional lecturer, a journal editor, and a translator of scientific books and articles.

He wrote about 300 articles on analytical and organic chemistry, colloid chemistry and chemical history. He knew German well and translated about 20 chemistry books and numerous articles from German. He also translated chemistry articles from French and Dutch. He wrote numerous short chemist biographies and lectured on the history of chemistry.

In 1956 he received the first Dexter Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.[2] He left his extensive library to the University of Cincinnati.[3] In 1966 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cincinnati.

He was on the editorial boards of the Journal of Chemical Education, Chymia, Mikrochemie, and Microchimica Acta.

On 29 June 1910 he married Helen Gertrude Wilson (1885–1972).

Selected publications

Articles
  • with Walter Broker and Walter A. Cook: Oesper, Ralph E.; Broker, Walter; Cook, Walter A. (1925). "New chlorocarbonates derived from aromatic and dihydroxy alcohols". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 47 (10): 2609–2610. doi:10.1021/ja01687a028.
  • with Stuart Cohen: "The Preparation of Naphthidine." Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Analytical Edition". 8 (4). 1936: 306–307. doi:10.1021/ac50102a036. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • with Clara L. Deasy: Oesper, Ralph E.; Deasy, Clara L. (1 April 1939). "The Preparation of Lead Tetraacetate". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 61 (4): 972–973. doi:10.1021/ja01873a510.
  • with R. E. Fulmer: Oesper, R. E.; Fulmer, R. E. (1 June 1953). "New Analog of Cupferron". Anal. Chem. 25 (6): 908–909. doi:10.1021/ac60078a016.

Books
  • as translator:
  • Feigl, Fritz (1943). Laboratory manual of spot tests. Academic Press.
  • Feigl, Fritz (1946). Qualitative analysis by spot tests, inorganic and organic applications (3rd ed.). Elsevier.[4][5]
  • Laue, Max von (1950). History of physics. Academic Press.[6]
  • as author:
  • The human side of scientists. 1975.[7]

References
  1. Kauffman, George B. (March 1979). "Éloge: Ralph E. Oesper June 14, 1886–December 10, 1977". Isis. 70: 141–143. doi:10.1086/352159. (subscription required)
  2. "Dexter Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry". Division of the History of Chemistry. American Chemical Society. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  3. "The Oesper Collection in the History of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati". Digital Collections, University of Cincinnati Libraries.
  4. Partington, J. R. (26 September 1948). "Review of Qualitative Analysis by Spot Tests, Inorganic and Organic Applications, 3rd edition, by Fritz Feigl, trans. by R. E. Oesper". Nature. 162: 474. doi:10.1038/162474a0.
  5. Sandell, E. B.; Kolthoff, I. M. (1 March 1947). "Review of Qualitative Analysis by Spot Tests. Inorganic and Organic Applications, 3rd edition, by Fritz Feigl, trans. by R. E. Oesper". J. Phys. Chem. 51 (3): 884–885. doi:10.1021/j150453a027.
  6. Wigner, Eugene P. (November 1950). "Review of History of Physics by Max von Laue, translated by Ralph E. Oesper". Physics Today. 3 (11): 32–33. doi:10.1063/1.3066686.
  7. Kauffman, George B. (December 1977). "Review of The Human Side of Scientists by Ralph E. Oesper". Isis. 68 (4): 630–631. doi:10.1086/351890.
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