Mendeleev

Abstract

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev is the undisputed champion of the periodic system in at least two senses. First of all, he is by far the leading discoverer of the system. Although he was not the first to develop a periodic system, his version is the one that created the biggest impact on the scientific community at the time it was introduced and thereafter. His name is invariably and justifiably connected with the periodic system, to the same extent perhaps as Darwin’s name is synonymous with the theory of evolution and Einstein’s with the theory of relativity. Although it may be possible to quibble about certain priority aspects of his contributions, there is no denying that Mendeleev was also the champion of the periodic system in the literal sense of propagating the system, defending its validity, and devoting time to its elaboration. As discussed in chapter 3, there were others who produced significant work on the system, but many of them, such as Alexandre-Émile Béguyer De Chancourtois, William Odling, and Gustavus Hinrichs, moved on to other scientific endeavors. After publishing their initial ideas, these contributors devoted their attention to other fields and never seriously returned to the periodic system to examine its full consequences to the extent that Mendeleev did. This is not to suggest that Mendeleev himself worked only on the periodic system. He is also known for many other scientific contributions, as well as for working in several applied fields, such as the Russian oil industry and as the director of the Russian institute for weights and measures. But the periodic system remained Mendeleev’s pride and joy throughout his adult life. Even toward the end of his life he published an intriguing essay in which he returned to the periodic system and, among other speculations, attempted to place the physicist’s ether within the periodic system as a chemical element. Much has been written on Mendeleev, and it would be impossible to do justice to his contributions in the space of a few pages.