Dmitri Mendeleev

Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist who is regarded as the father of the periodic table of the elements. His classification of the elements predicted the properties of those that had not yet been discovered.

Early Life and Education

Mendeleev was born in 1834 in Tobolsk, Siberia, the youngest of a large family. His father was a teacher and his mother managed a glass factory.

He studied at the Main Pedagogical Institute in Saint Petersburg and at the University of Heidelberg. He worked as a teacher and later as a professor.

He wrote a textbook on chemistry and became a professor at the University of Saint Petersburg. He was a prolific writer and a member of the scientific community.

The Periodic Table

Mendeleev arranged the elements in order of their atomic weight. He found that the properties of the elements repeated periodically.

He published the periodic table in 1869. The table arranged the elements in groups and periods according to their properties.

He left gaps in the table for elements that had not been discovered. He predicted the properties of these elements, and his predictions were later confirmed.

The Predictions and Their Confirmation

Mendeleev predicted the existence and the properties of gallium, scandium, and germanium. The elements were discovered within the following decades.

The predictions matched the observed properties closely. The success of the predictions established the validity of the table.

The periodic law became a foundation of chemistry. The table was refined as new elements were discovered and as the structure of the atom was understood.

The Other Work

Mendeleev worked on the measurement of the properties of gases and on the nature of solutions. He studied the expansion of liquids and the density of the atmosphere.

He was interested in the petroleum industry and in the development of Russian resources. He was an adviser to the government on economic matters.

He was a critic of the theory of the ether and of the findings of spiritualism. He was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Later Life and Death

Mendeleev resigned from the University of Saint Petersburg in 1890 after a dispute with the government. He worked for the Bureau of Weights and Measures.

He was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times but never received it. He died in 1907 in Saint Petersburg.

The element mendelevium is named in his honour. The periodic table remains a central tool of chemistry.

Legacy

Mendeleev is regarded as one of the greatest chemists of all time. The periodic table is one of the most important achievements in the history of science.

His predictions of the properties of the undiscovered elements were a triumph of the scientific method. The table continues to be used and to be refined.

He is remembered for his insight and for his systematisation. His name is associated with the classification of the elements.

The Classification of the Elements

Mendeleev arranged the elements in order of their atomic weight. He found that the properties repeated periodically.

The table was published in 1869. The arrangement revealed the relationships between the elements.

The classification was refined as new elements were discovered. The table became a central tool of chemistry.

The Predictions

Mendeleev left gaps in the table for the undiscovered elements. He predicted their properties.

The predictions were confirmed by the discovery of gallium, scandium, and germanium. The success established the validity of the table.

The predictions were a triumph of the scientific method. They demonstrated the power of the periodic law.

The Other Work

Mendeleev worked on the measurement of gases and on the nature of solutions. He studied the expansion of liquids.

He was interested in the petroleum industry and in the development of Russian resources. He advised the government on economic matters.

He was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He received many honours and was nominated for the Nobel Prize.

The Textbook and the Table

Mendeleev wrote a textbook of chemistry. In the search for a systematic order he arranged the elements in the periodic table.

The table was published in the journal of the Russian Chemical Society in 1869. It was a summary of the known elements and of their properties.

The table became the foundation of the teaching of chemistry. It is displayed in classrooms throughout the world.

The Later Years

Mendeleev was the director of the Bureau of Weights and Measures. He reformed the system of weights and measures in Russia.

He was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times but never received it. The omission is regarded as one of the great oversights of the prize.

He died in 1907 in Saint Petersburg. The element mendelevium is named in his honour.

See also

• Periodic table
• Chemical elements