His work: The Periodic Table.
The establishment of a law, moreover, does not take place when the first thought of it takes form, or even when its significance is recognised, but only when it has been confirmed by the results of the experiment.
-Dmitri Mendeleev [Link]
So we all know that Mendeleev had come up with the Periodic Table of Elements in 1869, while he was publishing his textbook, Principles of Chemistry, right? But just how did he actually do it? Well, it all started with a game of cards...
A Simple Game of Cards
In an effort to make sense of the properties of each of the elements that were known at the time, and the relationships that they had with one another, Mendeleev created a card game, which many of his friends referred to as 'Patience'. He wrote all of the properties of each of the known elements onto separate pieces of card, and spent most of his time organising and re-organising these pieces of cards to find patterns or similarities in the properties of the elements. These continuous games of 'Patience' was what had helped him construct one of the earliest versions of the periodic table (above right).
A Simple Game of Cards
In an effort to make sense of the properties of each of the elements that were known at the time, and the relationships that they had with one another, Mendeleev created a card game, which many of his friends referred to as 'Patience'. He wrote all of the properties of each of the known elements onto separate pieces of card, and spent most of his time organising and re-organising these pieces of cards to find patterns or similarities in the properties of the elements. These continuous games of 'Patience' was what had helped him construct one of the earliest versions of the periodic table (above right).
Mendeleev also created the Periodic Law in 1869, along with the Periodic Table. The original Periodic Law states that:
1. The elements, if arranged according to their atomic weights show an evident periodicity of properties.
2. Elements which are similar as regards to their chemical properties have atomic weights which are either nearly the same value or which increase regularly.
3. The arrangement of the elements or of groups of elements in the order of their atomic weights, corresponds with their so called valencies.
4. The elements which are most widely distributed in nature have small atomic weights, and sharply defined properties. They are therefore typical elements.
5. The magnitude of the atomic weight determines the character of an element.
6. The discovery of many as yet unknown elements may be expected.
7. The atomic weight of an element may sometimes be corrected by the aid of a knowledge of those of adjacent elements.
8. Certain characteristic properties of the elements can be foretold from their atomic weights.
Mendeleev worked alone while working on the Periodic Table and the Periodic Law, but he didn't do it all by himself. He stayed in close contact with other scientists around the globe and received information and data that they had collected, and converged it with his own notes to create a more accurate and agreeable set of data to which he could arrange the elements.
Mendeleev is usually the one that is credited for creating the periodic table; not because he was the first one that did it, but because his system was the most detailed and understandable. He also included all of the elements known at the time, not just a few of them, and boldly corrected untrue facts about some of the elements' atomic masses because it didn't seem to fit in with his theory of the Periodic Law. He was also as daring as to predict undiscovered elements and their properties by leaving gaps in the places where the elements should go. One element that he had predicted and named eka-manganese was discovered and named technetium by scientists in 1934, almost 70 years after he had predicted its existence, and 30 years after his death. These astonishing discoveries of elements that fit in perfectly with his predictions was what had earned Mendeleev his status as the creator of the periodic table; even now, nearly 145 years after his death.
Nonetheless, there is still some controversy about the origin of the periodic table, many believing that Julius Lothar Meyer had created the Periodic Table first, because he had published his version of the periodic table in 1864, five years before Mendeleev had, through the first edition of his textbook 'Die modernen Theorien der Chemie' . However, Meyer's version of the Table was incomplete; he had only managed to order 28 elements out of the 57~63 that were known at the time. Mendeleev published his periodic law in 1869, five years later than Meyer, but had been able to organise all of the elements that were known, and was even able to predict the properties of 10 elements, 7 of which were eventually discovered. Admittedly, there were several flaws in Mendeleev's table, the biggest flaw probably being that Mendeleev had ordered the elements by atomic mass, not by atomic number. Still, it is obvious that without Mendeleev's periodic table as a starting point, many scientists would not even have had the chance to expand on his creation and make it what it is today.
Mendeleev is usually the one that is credited for creating the periodic table; not because he was the first one that did it, but because his system was the most detailed and understandable. He also included all of the elements known at the time, not just a few of them, and boldly corrected untrue facts about some of the elements' atomic masses because it didn't seem to fit in with his theory of the Periodic Law. He was also as daring as to predict undiscovered elements and their properties by leaving gaps in the places where the elements should go. One element that he had predicted and named eka-manganese was discovered and named technetium by scientists in 1934, almost 70 years after he had predicted its existence, and 30 years after his death. These astonishing discoveries of elements that fit in perfectly with his predictions was what had earned Mendeleev his status as the creator of the periodic table; even now, nearly 145 years after his death.
Nonetheless, there is still some controversy about the origin of the periodic table, many believing that Julius Lothar Meyer had created the Periodic Table first, because he had published his version of the periodic table in 1864, five years before Mendeleev had, through the first edition of his textbook 'Die modernen Theorien der Chemie' . However, Meyer's version of the Table was incomplete; he had only managed to order 28 elements out of the 57~63 that were known at the time. Mendeleev published his periodic law in 1869, five years later than Meyer, but had been able to organise all of the elements that were known, and was even able to predict the properties of 10 elements, 7 of which were eventually discovered. Admittedly, there were several flaws in Mendeleev's table, the biggest flaw probably being that Mendeleev had ordered the elements by atomic mass, not by atomic number. Still, it is obvious that without Mendeleev's periodic table as a starting point, many scientists would not even have had the chance to expand on his creation and make it what it is today.
Although he was shortlisted three times, Mendeleev passed away in 1907 without a Nobel Prize for his effort. However, he ended up with a much higher honour; when scientists at Berkeley created 17 atoms of a rare, undiscovered, and quite radioactive element in 1955, they gave it an atomic number of 101, and decided to name it Mendelevium in 1963, after Dmitri Mendeleev. There have been well over 800 Nobel prize winners, but only 15 of them have actually had an element named after them.
There is also a school, a college, a university, an asteroid, a volcano, a city, a town, and even a crater on the moon, that is named in memory of this famous man, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev.
There is also a school, a college, a university, an asteroid, a volcano, a city, a town, and even a crater on the moon, that is named in memory of this famous man, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev.
Websites used to make this page:
Dimitri Mendeleev, http://www.scienceshorts.com/gq/dimitri.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
A Historic Overview: Mendeleev and the Periodic Table, http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/educate/scimodule/cosmic/explore_1ST.pdf, accessed 19th February, 2013
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODIC TABLE, http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/perhist.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907), http://www.aip.org/history/curie/periodic.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
Periodic Classification, http://www.citycollegiate.com/periodictable.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
Julius Lothar Meyer and Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history/themes/the-path-to-the-periodic-table/meyer-and-mendeleev.aspx, accessed 20th February, 2013
Profiles in Chemistry: Dmitri Mendeleev, http://stuyence.com/profiles-in-chemistry-dmitri-mendeleev/, accessed 22nd Feb 2013
Dmitri Mendeleev, http://www.famousscientists.org/dmitri-mendeleev/, accessed 21st February, 2013
Dmitriy Mendeleev: A Short CV, and A Story of Life, http://www.mendcomm.org/Mendeleev.aspx, accessed 19th February 2013
Dimitri Mendeleev, http://www.scienceshorts.com/gq/dimitri.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
A Historic Overview: Mendeleev and the Periodic Table, http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/educate/scimodule/cosmic/explore_1ST.pdf, accessed 19th February, 2013
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODIC TABLE, http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/perhist.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907), http://www.aip.org/history/curie/periodic.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
Periodic Classification, http://www.citycollegiate.com/periodictable.htm, accessed 19th February, 2013
Julius Lothar Meyer and Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history/themes/the-path-to-the-periodic-table/meyer-and-mendeleev.aspx, accessed 20th February, 2013
Profiles in Chemistry: Dmitri Mendeleev, http://stuyence.com/profiles-in-chemistry-dmitri-mendeleev/, accessed 22nd Feb 2013
Dmitri Mendeleev, http://www.famousscientists.org/dmitri-mendeleev/, accessed 21st February, 2013
Dmitriy Mendeleev: A Short CV, and A Story of Life, http://www.mendcomm.org/Mendeleev.aspx, accessed 19th February 2013