Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum

Who was Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum?

Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum was a Swedish chemist and secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1923 to 1933.

Söderbaum enrolled at Uppsala University 1879, and was awarded his Ph.D. in 1888 for the thesis Studier öfver platooxalylföreningar, and was made docent in chemistry the same year. He was made a senior lecturer in chemistry and chemical technology at Chalmers Polytechnic Institute in Gothenburg in 1893. In 1899, he was made professor of agricultural chemistry at Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture's experimental field in 1899. When the experimental field was reorganised as the Central Establishment for Agricultural Trials in 1907, he was made head of this organisation's chemical department, and remained on this post until 1923.

Söderbaum's scientific activities until 1896 were devoted partially to the studies complex platinum compounds, and partially and primarily to the synthesis and investigation of organic compounds of various classes.