Document:

2005 Flexible Deferral Plan

 Exhibit 4.1 
 SIGMA-ALDRICH CORPORATION 
 2005 FLEXIBLE DEFERRAL PLAN 

WHEREAS, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, a Delaware corporation (hereinafter the “Company”), 3050 Spruce Street, St. Louis, Missouri
63103, previously adopted the Sigma-Aldrich Corporation Flexible Deferral Plan (“Plan”); and 
 WHEREAS, the Company
reserved the right to amend the Plan pursuant to Section 10 thereof; and 
 WHEREAS, effective January 1, 2009, the
Company desires to amend and restate the Plan to incorporate provisions required by Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; and 
 WHEREAS, the Company intends that amounts deferred under the Plan as of December 31, 2004 and any earnings attributable to such deferrals shall be “grandfathered” and governed by the Plan
document as in effect as of December 31, 2004 (“2003 Flexible Deferral Plan”); and 
 WHEREAS, the Company
intends that amounts deferred on or after January 1, 2005 and any earnings attributable to such deferrals, which have not been paid on or before December 31, 2008, shall be governed by the Plan as amended and restated, effective
January 1, 2009 (“2005 Flexible Deferral Plan”) and any subsequent amendments thereto; 
 NOW THEREFORE, the Plan
is amended and restated, effective January 1, 2009, as the 2005 Flexible Deferral Plan to read as follows: 
 1.
Establishment and Purposes. 
 a. Establishment. In recognition of the valuable services performed by certain
employees, the Company established the Plan. The Participants participating in this Plan constitute a select group of management or highly compensated employees. It is the intention of the parties that this arrangement is unfunded for tax purposes
and for purposes of Title I of ERISA. 

 b. Name. The Plan shall be known as the “Sigma-Aldrich Corporation 2005 Flexible
Deferral Plan.” 
 c. Purpose. The purpose of this Plan is to allow Participants to defer a portion of their
compensation so that such amounts may be paid to the Participants (or their Beneficiaries) as specified pursuant to this Plan. 

2. Definitions. 
 Except as otherwise provided herein, the following terms shall have the definitions hereinafter indicated wherever used in this Plan with initial capital letters: 

a. Beneficiary: Any person, entity, or any combination thereof, designated by a Participant in accordance with Section 7.h.
of this Plan, to receive benefits under this Plan in the event of the Participant’s death, or in the absence of any such designation, his or her estate. The term “Beneficiary” shall include one or more Beneficiaries, including all
contingent Beneficiaries designated. 
 b. Board of Directors: The Company’s Board of Directors or other governing
body at any time. 
 c. Company: Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and any corporation or other entity
having purchased all or substantially all of the assets and other property of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation or any successor corporation or other entity resulting from a merger or consolidation with Sigma-Aldrich Corporation. 

d. Code: The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. 

  
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 e. Committee: The Committee shall mean and be comprised of the same individuals as
may then be serving, at any time or from time to time, as members of the Pension Plan Committee under the Company’s Sigma-Aldrich Corporation Retirement Security Value Plan, as amended. 

f. Deferral Election Form: A written document under which a Participant elects to defer a portion of his or her compensation in
substantially the form of Exhibit 1 attached hereto (or such other form or by any other means, electronically or otherwise, as the Company may designate from time to time). 
 g. Deferred Compensation Account: Deferred Compensation Account shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6 of this Plan. 

h. ERISA: The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. 

i. In-Service Account: In-Service Account shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6 of this Plan. 

j. Participant: An employee of the Company, or a subsidiary of the Company, selected by the Company (or a Committee or other group
designated by the Company), in its discretion, to participate in this Plan, provided that all chosen employees shall be members of a select group of management or highly compensated employees. 

k. Plan: Plan shall mean this Sigma-Aldrich Corporation Flexible Deferral Plan. 

l. Retirement: Retirement shall mean a Participant’s termination of employment on or after attainment of age 55. A
Participant shall be deemed to have terminated employment only if the Company and the Participant reasonably anticipate a permanent 

  
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reduction in his or her level of bona fide services to a level less than 50% of the average level of bona fide services provided by the Participant in the immediately preceding thirty-six
(36) months. 
 m. Retirement Account: Retirement Account shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6 of this
Plan. 
 n. Trust or Trust Fund: Any trust established to hold amounts set aside by the Company in accordance with
Section 6. 
 o. Trustee: The institution appointed by the Company and by any additional or successor trustee of the
Trust Fund. 
 3. Participation in the Plan. 
 a. Eligibility. Employees of the Company, or a subsidiary of the Company, selected by the Company (or a Committee or other group designated by the Company), in its discretion, to participate in the
Plan, from time to time shall be eligible to participate in this Plan. Notwithstanding any other provision herein, only individuals who are members of a select group of management or highly compensated employees may participate in this Plan. The
Company hereby designates the Committee to designate, in its discretion, the individuals entitled to participate under this Plan, provided that all individuals participating hereunder must be members of a select group of management or highly
compensated employees of the Company, or a subsidiary of the Company. At any time the Company may designate a different Committee or group to make such designations, or may make such designations itself. 

b. Participation. Participants may elect to commence their participation in this Plan and defer payment of part of their
compensation as provided herein by executing a Deferral Election Form in substantially the form of Exhibit 1 attached hereto (or such other form or by any other means, electronically or otherwise, as the Company may designate from time to time) and
delivering said Deferral Election Form to the Company. 

  
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 c. Deferral Amounts. Each Deferral Election Form executed under this Plan shall
specify the percentage of salary and/or bonus which is to be deferred for each year. A Participant can defer a minimum of one percent (1%), but no more than fifty percent (50%), in increments of one percent (1%), of his or her salary for any year,
and a Participant may defer a minimum of one percent (1%) or up to one hundred percent (100%) of any bonus for any year designated by the Company as eligible for deferral under this Plan; provided, however, no Participant shall be allowed
to defer any part or all of his or her bonus which has been classified by the Company as a “special bonus”. A Participant may elect to defer none of his or her salary and/or none of his or her bonus. For the purposes of this Plan, salary
means the aggregate compensation paid to a Participant by the Company or by a subsidiary of the Company employing the Participant, including base salary, overtime pay, commissions, and all other items that constitute wages within the meaning of
Section 3401(a) of the Code, but does not include any bonuses or other amounts contributed to, or received under, any other plan of deferred compensation. Compensation excludes all stock option transactions, expense account reimbursements,
automobile allowances and moving expense reimbursements. 
 d. Election Periods. For each calendar year in which a
Participant desires to defer his or her compensation under the Plan, he or she must execute and deliver a Deferral Election Form in the form and manner directed by the Company before any deferrals can become effective. The Deferral Election Form
must be made by the date set forth by the Company, which shall be no later than the December 31 prior to the calendar year for which such compensation would otherwise be earned. However, in the year in which an employee is first 

  
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eligible to participate in the Plan, such Deferral Election Form shall be filed within thirty (30) days of the date on which the employee is first eligible to participate in the Plan but
such election shall apply only to the base salary earned during the remainder of the calendar year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of any bonus which is determined to be performance-based compensation under Code Section 409A, the
Company may permit a Deferral Election Form to be filed up until the date that is six months before the end of the performance period, provided (i) the performance criteria are defined in writing no later than ninety (90) days after the
commencement of the period of service to which the criteria relates; (ii) the Participant has performed services for the Company continuously from the later of the beginning of the performance period to which the bonus relates or the date upon
which the performance criteria are established; and (iii) the bonus has not become both substantially certain to be paid and readily ascertainable. The portion of Deferral Election Form indicating the amount of compensation to be deferred for
an upcoming deferral period becomes irrevocable as of the latest date on which it could be made for such year. 
 e.
Effective Elections. All elections provided for in subparagraphs (a) through (d) in this Section shall only be effective if filed with or delivered to the Company (or its designee under Section 8 hereunder) in the manner
requested or directed by the Company. 
 4. Participant Elective Deferrals and Designation of Schedule for Payment of
Benefits. 
 a. Compensation Deferral. Subject to the limits specified in Section 3 herein, during each payroll
period in which a Participant has elected to defer compensation under a Deferral Election Form, the Company shall defer payment of such part of the Participant’s compensation as is specified in the Deferral Election Form (herein the
“Participant Elective 

  
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Deferrals”). Such deferred amounts shall be credited to a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account on a monthly basis (or more frequently in the Company’s discretion). However,
in the case of compensation which is paid less frequently than monthly, any deferred amount shall be credited to a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account no later than one month following the date such compensation would have been paid to
the Participant in the absence of a deferral election. 
 b. Deferral Election Form. In addition to electing the amount
of his or her compensation that shall be deferred pursuant to the Deferral Election Form, a Participant must also designate the applicable percentages of such amount (in whole percentage(s) only) to be allocated his or her Retirement Account and/or
each In-Service Account(s). In the absence of such an election, the entire amount of the Participant’s Elective Deferrals shall be credited to the Participant’s Retirement Account. In the event a Participant elects to have all or any
portion of Participant Elective Deferrals allocated to a new In-Service Account, such Participant must also designate on the Deferral Election form the distribution date for such account. The date must be an objectively determinable date and must be
at least five (5) years from the date such In-Service Account is established. 
 5. Earnings Amounts. In addition to
the Participant Elective Deferrals which shall be credited to a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account, the Company shall also credit (or reduce) a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account by an amount equal to the amount that
would have been earned (or lost) if the amounts deferred under this Plan had been invested in hypothetical investments designated by the Participant from time to time, based on a list of hypothetical investments specified by the Company. The choices
to be selected by the Participant among the list of available hypothetical investments may be different based on the 

  
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Participant’s designation of when a deferral shall become payable (for example, the choices of investments for retirement deferrals may be different from the choices for deferrals to be
distributed while the Participant is still in-service). Such hypothetical earnings shall be referred to in this Plan as the “Earnings Amounts.” The Participant shall designate on his or her Deferral Election Form (or in such other form or
by any other means, electronically or otherwise, as the Company may designate from time to time), the investments used to measure the Earnings Amounts from the list specified by the Company. Such designations shall be made in the manner prescribed
by the Company (for example, the Company may require that all designations be made in one percent (1%) increments). The Participant may change such designations on a daily basis as permitted by the Company. Earnings Amounts shall be credited to
(or deducted from) the Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account at least monthly (or more frequently at the discretion of the Company). Earnings shall be credited (or deducted from) a Deferred Compensation Account until all payments with
respect to such account have been made under this Plan. The Company shall not be liable or otherwise responsible for any decrease in a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account because of the investment performance of the designated assets.
To the extent that a Participant or his or her Beneficiary acquires a right to receive payments from the Company under the provisions hereof, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company or any
subsidiary of the Company. 
 Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary herein, in the event a Participant is permitted to
defer all or a portion of a bonus otherwise payable in shares of Company stock, the earnings and losses on the shares credited under the Plan to the Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account shall be based on the performance of the Company
stock. Furthermore, 

  
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the Company may implement such restrictions and limitations on the Participant’s ability to transfer credited shares of Company stock to other hypothetical investments available under the
Plan as the Company deems appropriate in its sole discretion. 
 6. Deferred Compensation Account. 

a. Deferred Compensation Account. The Company shall cause to be established for each Participant a bookkeeping account (the
“Deferred Compensation Account”) to provide a convenient method of measuring the Company’s obligation to each Participant under this Plan. Each Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account shall be comprised of one or more
subaccounts among which the Company shall record the amounts equal to the Participant’s Elective Deferrals, and the related Earnings Amounts. Such subaccounts shall be limited to an account which shall become payable to the Participant upon his
or her Retirement (“Retirement Account”) and up to five (5) short-term accounts which shall be distributed to the Participant on specified payment dates (“In-Service Accounts”). Deferred Compensation Accounts shall at all
times remain a part of the general assets of the Company and shall remain available for the payment of Company obligations and the obligations of the Company’s subsidiaries. 

b. Unfunded Arrangement. Neither the existence of this Plan nor any Deferred Compensation Account shall be deemed to create a
trust. Any trust referred to in this Plan or created by the Company in connection with this Plan, and any assets held by the trust to assist the Company in meeting its obligations under this Plan, will constitute an unfunded arrangement for tax
purposes and for purposes of Title I of ERISA. Neither the existence of this Plan nor any Deferred Compensation Account shall entitle any Participant, Beneficiary or other person to a claim or lien against the assets of a Deferred Compensation
Account or any other assets of the Company. Any Participant and his or her Beneficiary shall have only the rights of an unsecured general creditor in regard to receiving the benefits payable under this Plan. 

  
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 c. Status of Trust Fund. The Company is under no obligation to segregate any assets
to provide for the Company’s obligations under this Plan. If the Company does elect to segregate assets into a Trust Fund pursuant to subsection (d) of this Section 6, the Deferred Compensation Accounts may be maintained on the books
of the Trust Fund referenced therein. 
 d. Creation of Trust Fund. The Company may, but is not required to, establish a
Trust Fund and make contributions to it corresponding to any or all of the obligations of the Company to make payments under this Plan. These contributions shall be credited with income, expenses, gains and losses in accordance with the investment
experience of the Trust Fund. The Committee may direct the Trustee to establish investment funds within the Trust Fund. The Committee may alter the available funds or procedures for allocating the Deferred Compensation Accounts among them at any
time. All assets of the Trust Funds shall remain the property of the Company. No Participant shall have any priority claim on the Trust Fund or any security interest or other right in or to them superior to the rights of general creditors of the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company. 
 7. Benefit Payments. 

a. Payments Based on Designated Schedule(s). Unless otherwise provided herein, amounts credited to a Participant’s Retirement
Account shall be distributed on the first day of the seventh month immediately following the date of the Participant’s Retirement. Distribution of a Participant’s Retirement Account shall be made in a lump sum unless the Participant has
designated on his or her Deferral Election Form for payment to be made in annual installments between two (2) and fifteen (15) years. If a Participant has elected to receive 

  
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distribution of his or her Retirement Account in annual installments, such Participant may also designate on his or her Deferral Election Form a specific percentage of his or her Retirement
Account balance to be distributed as the first annual installment payment, with the remaining amount to be paid in substantially equal amounts over the remaining distribution period (“First Installment Option”). In the absence of a First
Installment Option election, each annual installment payment will be for substantially equal amounts, except to the extent any increase or decrease in the amount reflects the earnings or losses through the date the amount is paid. 

Unless otherwise provided herein, distribution of a Participant’s In-Service Account shall be made in a lump sum on the date
specified on the Participant’s Deferral Election Form unless the Participant has designated on his or her Deferral Election Form for payment to be made in substantially equal annual installments not to exceed five (5) years. 

b. Payment Election Change. A Participant may elect to (i) extend the deferral period (subject to a minimum of five
(5) additional years) for any In-Service Account and/or (ii) change the method of distribution (for example, the number of annual installments or to elect a First Installment Option) for any In-Service Account or Retirement Account in
accordance with the procedures established by the Company. If a Participant makes such an election, then (a) such change must be made at least twelve (12) months before the original designated distribution date; (ii) such election
change shall not become effective until twelve (12) months after the date the Participant submits the change to the Company and (iii) the first payment with respect to which such election is made shall be deferred for a period of not less
than five (5) years from the date such payment would otherwise have been made. 

  
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 c. Mandatory Lump Sum Payment. Notwithstanding any other designation by a
Participant, if the Participant’s employment with the Company terminates for any reason before the Participant’s attainment of age 55, an amount equal to the balance of the Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account at the time shall
be paid to the Participant in a lump sum. Such payment shall be made on the first day of the seventh month immediately following the Participant’s date of termination, and the Company shall have no further liability hereunder. However, if the
Participant’s termination of employment with the Company is on account of his or her death, the lump sum payment shall be made to the Participant’s designated Beneficiary on the first day of the month immediately following the date of the
Participant’s death. 
 d. Payment Upon the Retired Participant’s Death. If a Participant, who has designated
in his or her Deferral Election Form the payment of his or her Retirement Account and/or any In-Service Account over a number of years, dies at any time following the commencement of his or her payments, the payments shall continue to be made over
the then balance of the years, as designated by the Participant, such payments being paid to the Participant’s Beneficiary. 
 e. Fixed Payment Dates. In all cases in which amounts are payable upon a fixed date, payment is deemed to be made upon the fixed date if the payment is made on such date or a later date within the
same calendar year or, if later, by the 15th day of the
third calendar month following the specified date (provided the Participant is not permitted, directly or indirectly, to designate the taxable year of payment). 
 f. Withholding. Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the Company shall be entitled to withhold from any amount payable hereunder any amount required to be withheld for income, employment or
other federal, state or local taxes. 
  

  
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 g. Payment Only from Company Assets. Except in the case of non-cash compensation
deferred under the Plan, all distributions from the Plan to Participants and Beneficiaries shall be made in cash, unless the Committee determines that other property should be distributed. Any payment of benefits to a Participant or his or her
Beneficiary shall be made from assets which shall continue, for all purposes, to be a part of the general assets of the Company. No person shall have or acquire any interest in such assets by virtue of the provisions of this Plan. To the extent that
a Participant or his or her Beneficiary acquires a right to receive payments from the Company under the provisions hereof, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company. This Plan constitutes a mere
promise by the Company to make benefit payments in the future. 
 h. Beneficiaries. A Participant may designate on his or
her Deferral Election Form (or pursuant to such other form or writing or by other means, electronically or otherwise, as the Company may designate from time to time) a Beneficiary or Beneficiaries to receive the amounts as provided herein after his
or her death. In the absence of such a designation, the Company shall pay any such amount to the Participant’s estate. A Beneficiary designation may be revoked or amended by a Participant at any time in accordance with the procedures
established by the Company. 
 8. Administration of the Plan and Claims Procedure. 

a. Determinations. The Committee, or such other Committee or individual designated by the Company, shall make all determinations
as to rights to benefits under this Plan. The Committee shall have full power and authority to interpret, construe and administer this Plan. The interpretation and construction of this Plan by the Committee, and any action taken pursuant thereto,
shall be binding and conclusive upon all parties in interest. All expenses of the Plan’s administration shall be paid by the Company. 

  
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 The Committee, in carrying out its duties with respect to the administration of the Plan,
shall have, in addition to any other power conferred by the Plan or by law, the following powers: 
 (i) to determine all
questions relating to eligibility to participate in the Plan; 
 (ii) to compute and certify to the Company the amount and kind
of distributions payable to the Participants and Beneficiaries; 
 (iii) to maintain records necessary for the administration
of the Plan that are not maintained by the Company or the Trustee, if any; 
 (iv) to interpret the Plan provisions and to make
and publish such rules with regard to the Plan’s administration not inconsistent with the terms hereof; 
 (v) to
establish and modify the method of accounting for the Plan; 
 (vi) to employ counsel, accountants and other consultants to aid
in exercising its powers and carrying out its duties hereunder; and 
 (vii) to perform any other acts necessary and proper for
the Plan’s administration, except those that are performed by the Trustee, if any, or as otherwise limited by the Company. 

b. Reports. The Company shall provide each Participant with a statement reflecting the amount of the Participant’s Deferred
Compensation Account on at least a quarterly basis. 
 c. No Liability. No Committee member, employee, agent, officer,
member, manager, volunteer or director of the Company (or its designee) shall, in any event, be liable to any person for any action taken or omitted to be taken in connection with the interpretation, construction or administration of this Plan, so
long as such action or omission to act is made in good faith. 

  
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 d. Designation of Committee. The Company hereby designates the Committee to
administer this Plan. Said Committee shall have all the authority as is granted to the Company under the terms of this Plan for the administration of this Plan in accordance with its terms and in ruling on such questions arising out of the
administration, interpretation and application of the Plan. The Committee may approve or disapprove all Deferral Election Forms and elections in connection herewith, and make all other determinations hereunder. Members of the Committee may
participate in the Plan, but no member of the Committee shall be entitled to make decisions which relate solely to his or her own participation. The Company reserves the right to designate a different Committee, or an individual, to administer this
Plan from time to time, or to make any determinations directly at any time. If no such Committee or individual is designated at any time, such functions, as appropriate, may be conducted by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company’s
Board of Directors hereby reserves the right to revoke such designation at any time and to make other designations (and to revoke such designations) at any time. 
 e. Claims Procedure. The following provisions are hereby made a part of this Plan and are intended to meet the requirements of ERISA: 

(1) The named fiduciary under this Plan is the Company. 
 (2) This Plan is unfunded. The Participants shall defer certain amounts under this Plan, but all benefits shall be paid from the Company’s general assets which at all times shall remain subject to
the claims of the Company’s general creditors. 

  
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 (3) Direct payment by the Company is the basis of payment of benefits under this Plan.

 (4) The following claims procedures shall apply for purposes of this Plan. Any and all persons presenting claims hereunder
(individually or collectively, “Claimant”) must follow these procedures: 
 (A) For claims procedure purposes, the
Committee shall appoint among themselves a chairperson of the Committee (or the chairperson of any other Committee designated by the Company to administer this Plan, or a designated member of the Board of Directors or other governing body of the
Company). 
 (B) A Claimant shall make a claim for benefits hereunder by submitting a written claim to the Company (or its
designee) in the manner set forth herein for providing notice to the Company under this Plan. The Committee shall decide whether the claim shall be allowed, and the following claims procedure shall apply: 

(i) If for any reason a claim for benefits under this Plan is denied by the Committee in whole or in part, the Committee shall deliver
to the Claimant a written explanation setting forth: the specific reason or reasons for the adverse determination; references to specific Plan provisions on which the determination is based; a description of any additional material or information
necessary for the Claimant to perfect the claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary; and a description of the Plan’s review procedure including a statement of the Claimant’s rights to bring a civil action
under Section 502 of ERISA following an adverse determination on review, all written in a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant. For this purpose: 

  
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 (a) The Committee’s claim shall be deemed filed when delivered in writing as provided
herein. 
 (b) The Committee’s explanation shall be in writing delivered to the Claimant within 90 days after receipt of
the claim by the Plan, unless the Committee determines that special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the claim. If such an extension of time for processing is required, written notice of the extension shall be furnished to
the Claimant prior to the termination of the initial 90 day period. In no event shall such extension exceed a period of 90 days from the end of such initial period. The extension notice shall indicate the special circumstances requiring an extension
of time and the date by which the Committee expects to render the benefit determination. If the period of time is extended because the Claimant has failed to provide necessary information to decide the claim, the period for making the benefit
determination shall be tolled from the date on which the notification of the extension is sent to the Claimant, until the date on which the Claimant provides the information. 
 (ii) The Claimant shall have 60 days following his or her receipt of a notice of adverse benefit determination to file with the Committee a written request for review of the denial. Claimant shall have
the opportunity to submit written comments, documents, records, and other information relating to the claim for benefits. Claimant shall be provided, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records, and
other information relevant to the Claimant’s claim for benefits. The review of the claim shall take into account all comments, documents, records, and other information submitted by the Claimant relating to the claim, without regard to whether
such information was submitted or considered in the initial benefit determination. 

  
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 (iii) In the case of a request for review of an adverse benefit determination, the Company
shall designate an individual or Committee (herein the “Reviewer”) to review the claim. On review, the Reviewer shall notify the Claimant not later than 60 days after the Company’s receipt of the request for review, unless the
Reviewer determines that special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the claim, in which case a decision shall be rendered as soon as possible, but not later than 120 days after receipt of the request for review. If such an
extension of time for review is required because of special circumstances, written notice of the extension shall be furnished to the Claimant prior to the commencement of the extension. The extension notice shall indicate the special circumstances
requiring an extension of time and the date by which the Plan expects to render the determination on review. If the period of time is extended because the Claimant has failed to provide necessary information to decide the claim, the period for
making the benefit determination shall be tolled from the date on which the notification of the extension is sent to the Claimant, until the date on which the Claimant provides the information. The decision on review shall be in writing and in the
case of an adverse benefit determination shall include: (1) the specific reason or reasons for the decision; (2) references to the specific Plan provisions on which the benefit determination is based; (3) a statement that the Claimant
is entitled to receive, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records and other information relevant to the Claimant’s claim for benefits; and (4) a statement of the Claimant’s right to
bring an action under Section 502(a) of ERISA, all written in a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant. If the decision on review is not furnished within such time, the claim shall be deemed denied on review. 

  
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 9. Non-Assignability of Benefits. Neither any Participant nor any Beneficiary under
this Plan shall have any power or right to transfer, assign, anticipate, hypothecate or otherwise encumber any part or all of the amounts payable hereunder. Such amounts shall not be subject to seizure by any creditor of a Participant or any
Beneficiary hereunder, by a proceeding at law or in equity, nor transferable by operation of law in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of any Participant or any Beneficiary hereunder. Any such attempted assignment or transfer shall be void
and shall terminate the Participant’s participation in this Plan; the Company shall thereupon have no further liability hereunder with respect to such Participant and his or her Beneficiary. 

10. Amendment and Termination. This Plan may not be amended, altered or modified, retroactively, except by a written instrument
signed by the Company and the impacted Participants or their respective successors. The Company may amend, alter, modify or terminate this Plan on a prospective basis at any time, provided further that no such modification or termination shall
adversely affect a Participant’s entitlement to benefits attributable to amounts credited to his or her Deferred Compensation Account prior to the modification or termination of this Plan. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the
Company reserves the right to discontinue this Plan at any time, and/or change the eligibility of the Participants as well as the percentage or amounts Participants may defer. This Plan document sets forth the terms and provisions of this Plan and
any prior written or oral communications regarding the terms of this Plan shall not alter or modify the terms of this Plan. In the event the Plan is terminated, benefits shall become payable due to such termination only to the extent permissible
under the regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Treasury pursuant to Code Section 409A and in the manner set forth therein. 

  
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 11. Impact on Other Benefits. Except as otherwise required by the Code or any other
applicable law, this Plan and the benefits provided herein are in addition to all other benefits which may be provided by the Company to the Participants from time to time, and shall not reduce, replace or otherwise cause any reduction, in any
manner, with regard to any of such other benefits. In no event shall any provision herein be deemed to amend or modify any employment agreement between the Company and any Participant, and no provision herein shall be deemed to entitle any
Participant to continued employment with the Company. 
 12. Notices. Any notice or other communication required or
permitted under this Plan shall be in writing and, if directed to the Company, shall be sent by United States certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to: Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, 3050 Spruce Street, St. Louis, Missouri
63103, Attn: Flexible Deferral Plan Committee, and, if directed to a Participant or to a Beneficiary, may be hand-delivered or mailed to such Participant or Beneficiary at the last known address for such person as it appears in the Company’s
records. A notice or other communication sent by United States certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed as provided above, shall be deemed to have been given on the next business day after mailing. 

13. Governing Law. This Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Missouri without
regard to its conflict of law rules. 
 14. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Plan are for reference only
and are not to be utilized in construing the Plan. 
 15. Gender. All pronouns of whatever gender refer indifferently to
persons or objects of any gender. 
 16. Singular and Plural. Singular terms refer also the plural number and vice versa.

  
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 17. Severability. If any provision of this Plan is held illegal or invalid for any
reason, the remaining provisions are to remain in full force and effect and to be construed and enforced in accordance with the purposes of the Plan as if the illegal or invalid provision did not exist. 

18. Section 409A Provisions. This Plan shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the provisions of Section 409A
of the Code and the regulations thereunder. 
 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has executed and adopted this
restatement of the Plan on this 19th day of December,
2008. 
  

			
	SIGMA-ALDRICH CORPORATION
		
	By:	 	/s/ Douglas W. Rau
	Print Name:	 	Douglas W. Rau
	Print Title:	 	Vice President – Human Resources

  
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 SIGMA-ALDRICH CORPORATION 

DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN 
 EXHIBIT 1 
 DEFERRAL ELECTION FORM 

  
 22First Amendment to the 2005 Flexible Deferral Plan

 Exhibit 4.2 
 FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE 
 SIGMA-ALDRICH CORPORATION 2005 FLEXIBLE DEFERRAL
PLAN 
 WHEREAS, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, a Delaware corporation (hereinafter the “Company”), 3050 Spruce
Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, previously adopted the Sigma-Aldrich Corporation 2005 Flexible Deferral Plan (“Plan”); and 
 WHEREAS, the Company reserved the right to amend the Plan pursuant to Section 10 thereof; and 
 WHEREAS, effective January 1, 2010, the Company desires to amend the Plan to allow for discretionary Company contributions; 
 NOW THEREFORE, effective January 1, 2010, the Plan shall be amended as follows: 
  

	1.	The definition of In-Service Account in Section 1 is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: 

“In-Service Account: In-Service Account shall mean a subaccount of the Deferred Compensation Account which
shall be distributed to the Participant on a specified payment date.” 
  

	2.	The following new definition is inserted in Section 1 therein: 

“Company Contribution Account: Company Contribution Account shall mean a subaccount of a Deferred Compensation
Account which shall become payable to the Participant upon his termination of employment.” 
  

	3.	The definition of Retirement Account in Section 1 is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: 

“Retirement Account: Retirement Account shall mean a subaccount of the Deferred Compensation Account which
shall become payable to the Participant upon his or her Retirement.” 
  

	4.	The following new subsection (f) is inserted at the end of Section 3 therein: 

“f. Company Contributions. The Company may, in its sole discretion, credit a Participant’s Company
Contribution Account at such times and in such amounts as it may determine (“Company Contribution”). 

(1) Discretionary Match. In its sole discretion, the Company may credit a Participant’s Company Contribution
Account with a discretionary matching contribution in an amount equal to 60% of Participant Elective Deferrals up to a maximum of 6% of compensation. Any such discretionary matching contribution will be credited annually within 90 days following the
close of the applicable calendar 

 
year. For purposes of this subsection 3(f)(1), “compensation” means the amount of Participant Elective Deferrals that reduces the amount of compensation taken into account under the
Sigma-Aldrich 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan for purposes of determining the maximum matching contribution under such plan. 
 (2) Discretionary Contribution. At the Company’s election, the Company may credit a Participant’s Company Contribution Account with a discretionary contribution in such amount and at such
time as it determines. 
 The Company has no obligation to make a Company Contribution under this subsection
3(f), nor is the Company obligated to make a Company Contribution to all Participants or in the same amounts.” 
  

	5.	The first paragraph of Subsection 5(a) is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: 

“Earnings Amounts. In addition to the Participant Elective Deferrals and Company Contributions, if any, which shall be
credited to a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account, the Company shall also credit (or reduce) a Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account by an amount equal to the amount that would have been earned (or lost) if the amounts
credited under this Plan had been invested in the available hypothetical investments specified by the Company. Such hypothetical earnings shall be referred to in this Plan as the “Earnings Amounts.” With respect to the Participant Elective
Deferrals, the Participant shall designate his or her hypothetical investment(s) on the Deferral Election Form (or in such other form or by any other means, electronically or otherwise, as the Company may designate from time to time) in the manner
prescribed by the Company. In the case of Company Contributions, the Company shall designate a rate of return or hypothetical investment on which Earning Amounts will be based until the Participant makes an hypothetical investment election in
accordance with the procedures established by the Company. The available hypothetical investments may be differ among the Retirement Account, Company Contribution Account and the In-Service Accounts. A Participant may change his or her investment
elections on a daily basis as permitted by the Company. Earnings Amounts shall be credited to (or deducted from) the Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account at least monthly (or more frequently at the discretion of the Company). Earning
Amounts shall be credited (or deducted from) a Deferred Compensation Account until all payments with respect to such account have been made under this Plan. The Company shall not be liable or otherwise responsible for any decrease in a
Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account because of the investment performance of the designated assets. To the extent that a Participant or his or her beneficiary acquires a right to receive payments form the Company under the provisions
hereof, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company.” 
  

	6.	Subsection 6(a) is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: 

 a. Deferred Compensation Account. The Company shall cause to be established for each Participant a bookkeeping account (the “Deferred Compensation Account”) to provide a convenient method
of measuring the Company’s obligations to each Participant under this Plan. 

 
Each Participant’s Deferred Compensation Account shall be comprised of one or more subaccounts among which the Company shall record the amounts equal to the Participant’s Elective
Deferrals, Company Contributions, if any, and the related Earnings Amounts. Such subaccounts shall include a Retirement Account, a Company Contribution Account and up to five (5) In-Service Accounts. Participants’ Deferred Compensation
Accounts shall at all times remain a part of the general assets of the Company and shall remain available for the payment of Company obligations and the obligations of the Company’s subsidiaries. 

 

	7.	The following is inserted at the end of Section 7(a) as a new paragraph: 

 “Unless otherwise provided herein, amounts credited to a Participant’s Company Contributions Account, if any, shall be distributed to the Participant in a lump sum on the first day of the
seventh month immediately following the date of the Participant’s termination of employment.” 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this amendment to be executed by its duly authorized officer this
29th day of December, 2009. 

 

			
	SIGMA-ALDRICH CORPORATION
		
	By:	 	 /s/ Douglas W. Rau

	Douglas W. Rau
	Vice President – Human Resources

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