At what institute did Mendeleev teach chemistry before joining Saint Petersburg University?

Before joining Saint Petersburg University, Mendeleev taught chemistry at the Saint Petersburg Technological Institute.

Mendeleev became a professor at the institute in 1864, during an important phase of Russia’s expanding technical education system. The institution trained specialists for industry and engineering, giving him an opportunity to connect chemical theory with practical manufacturing problems.

He joined Saint Petersburg University the following year, in 1865. There he earned his Doctor of Science degree with a dissertation on the combination of alcohol and water, a subject that helped establish his reputation in physical chemistry. He later became a full professor and taught inorganic chemistry.

The two appointments are easy to reverse because Mendeleev held influential positions at both institutions during the 1860s. The technological institute came first in his professorial career; Saint Petersburg University followed soon afterward. His teaching work at the university eventually led to his famous textbook Principles of Chemistry and helped shape the research environment in which he developed the periodic system.