Chemical genius! How did Mendeleev make chemical elements from "chaotic" to "orderly"?

Mendeleev: Founder of the periodic table of chemical elements

Can you imagine? Once upon a time, chemical elements were like a pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces, with no rules at all. But someone stood up and used his wisdom and persistence to cleverly piece these pieces together to create a magnificent scientific blueprint. This person is Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (Дмитрий Иванович Менделеев, February 8, 1834 - February 2, 1907).

Mendeleev was born on February 8, 1834 in Tobolsk, Siberia, Russian Empire. His mother ran a glass factory and had a good life. But who would have thought that a fire burned the factory to the ground, and the family had no choice but to move to St. Petersburg. Although his family suddenly became poor, Mendeleev showed great interest in science since he was a child. There seemed to be countless curious questions in his head, and his intelligence could not be hidden.

In 1850, Mendeleev successfully entered St. Petersburg State University and started his scientific journey. When he graduated in 1855, he won a gold medal for his outstanding performance, which was a great honor! However, after graduation, he unfortunately contracted tuberculosis and had to go to Crimea for recuperation, where he also became a teacher. After recovering from his illness, he returned to St. Petersburg to continue his studies and obtained a master's degree. In 1859, he went to Heidelberg University in Germany, where he was like a sponge, absorbing the most cutting-edge chemical knowledge at the time.

In the middle of the 19th century, chemists had discovered 63 elements, but the relationship between these elements was a mess and there was no clue. When Mendeleev was writing the book "Principles of Chemistry", he wondered if he could classify these elements properly. He plunged into the study of the atomic weight and chemical properties of elements, and suddenly discovered a magical law: as the atomic weight increases, the chemical properties of the elements do not change all the time, but repeat after a period of time. This is like your daily life, although you live every day, but some things happen regularly and repeatedly.

In 1869, Mendeleev formally proposed the periodic law of elements and created the world's first periodic table. This table is amazing! Not only did he arrange the elements according to their atomic weight, he also boldly reserved spaces on the table and predicted some elements that had not yet been discovered and their properties. For example, he left a space next to aluminum, predicting that the atomic mass of this metal that had not yet appeared was 68, the density was 6 grams per cubic centimeter, and the melting point was still very low. As a result, six years later, French chemist Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbodran really discovered gallium, whose atomic mass was 69.7, the density was 5.9 grams per cubic centimeter, and the melting point was also very low, just as Mendeleev had arranged in advance, accurately filling that vacancy.

Mendeleev's "Principles of Chemistry" is simply a "martial arts secret book" in the field of chemistry. After its first publication in 1868, it was like a super bestseller, with eight editions published. This book not only systematically sorted out the chemical knowledge known at that time, but also described in detail how the periodic law of elements was discovered and its great significance. The international chemical community regards it as a standard textbook. It has influenced countless generations of chemists, like a beacon, illuminating the way forward for countless chemistry enthusiasts.

Mendeleev was not only a great scientist, but also a great teacher. He taught at St. Petersburg University for many years and trained a large number of outstanding chemists. His teaching methods and ideas, like a gust of fresh air, blew into the field of chemical education in Russia and even the world, and had a far-reaching impact.

Do you think Mendeleev only shines in the field of chemistry? Then you underestimate him! He is like a super cross-border king, and he has made important contributions in many fields. He has studied gas laws, meteorology, petroleum industry, agricultural chemistry, smokeless gunpowder, and even weights and measures. For example, he invented a new type of smokeless gunpowder and promoted the modernization of Russian weights and measures. He also actively advocated improving the current situation of the petroleum industry, mining industry, manufacturing industry, agriculture and trade. In addition, the modern solution theory he proposed - the dissolution hydration theory, also added an important piece of the puzzle to the development of chemical theory.

Of course, Mendeleev’s periodic table wasn’t perfect at first. As science progressed, it was discovered that the atomic weights of some elements were not accurately determined. But his theory, like a tree with tenacious vitality, continued to thrive. In 1894, scientists discovered noble gas elements such as argon, which were not originally on Mendeleev’s periodic table. But Mendeleev was not idle. In 1906, in his last edition of Principles of Chemistry, he opened a new column for noble gases, which made the periodic table complete in terms of columns, like a perfect puzzle, with all the pieces finding their place.

Regrettably, Mendeleev never won the Nobel Prize in his lifetime. This is mainly because the Nobel Prize has been awarded since 1901, when Mendeleev's periodic law of elements had been proposed for more than 30 years, and some judges believed that the "timeliness" of his results was insufficient. Moreover, at that time, the research directions in the field of chemistry were diverse and the competition was fierce. The selection criteria were more inclined to experimental results. Mendeleev's main theoretical contributions made it difficult for him to stand out in the selection. In 1906, Mendeleev was only one step away from the Nobel Prize, but he lost the election by one vote and passed away the following year, which became a great regret in the history of science. But even without the Nobel Prize, his periodic table is still the "stabilizing force" in the field of chemistry, and his contributions have been recognized by the world.

Mendeleev's periodic table is the "stabilizing force" in the field of chemistry. It provides chemists with a very clear framework, allowing everyone to better understand the relationship between elements. With this table, chemical research is like navigation, which is much more convenient, and it also points out the direction for the discovery and research of new elements. His contribution is not limited to the field of chemistry. His scientific spirit and innovative thinking are like a burning flame, inspiring countless later generations to bravely explore the unknown.

On February 2, 1907, Mendeleev died of myocardial infarction, just six days before his 73rd birthday. It was such a pity. At his funeral, students followed the hearse with a huge copy of the periodic table, which was probably the most affectionate and special tribute to this great scientist.

Mendeleev changed the face of chemistry with his life, and his periodic table became the cornerstone of chemical research. His name, like a bright star, will always shine in the long river of scientific history, and his contributions will always inspire future scientists to bravely knock on the door to the unknown world.

About the author: Liang Renhai, a teacher at Guilin University of Technology, a senior laboratory technician, an expert in Science Popularization China, and the operator of the Science Popularization China Top 100 account "Guangdong Science Popularization" in 2023 and 2024. He is a member of the China Science Writers Association, a member of the Guangxi Scientist Spirit Propaganda Team, one of the top ten science communication experts in Guangdong Province, a member of the Guangdong Science Popularization Lecturer Team, and a senior youth science counselor of the China Youth Science and Technology Education Workers Association.