bunsen was one of the most universally admired scientists of his generation. he was a master teacher, devoted to his students, and they were equally devoted to him. at a time of vigorous and often caustic scientific debates, bunsen always conducted himself as a perfect gentleman, maintaining his distance from theoretical disputes. he much preferred to work quietly in his laboratory, continuing to enrich his science with useful discoveries. as a matter of principle he never took out a patent. he never married.