Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist who formulated the
periodic law. He classified the elements in the periodic table. He also
foretold the properties of three of the possible elements.
EARLY LIFE
Dmitri Mendeleev was born on February 8, 1834, in Russia, to
Ivan Pavlovich Mendeleev and Maria Dmitrievna Mendeleev. Dmitri had a tough
childhood after the death of his father. For a
short while, Dmitri's family survived on his father's pension. But it
was not enough, so they started to work in a glass factory. Another disaster
struck Dmitri's family. The glass factory, which his mother used to run, was
burned down. The family moved on to settle in St Petersburg.
DMITRI MENDELEEV EDUCATION
Dmitri graduated from the Main Pedagogical Institute in 1855
and got a master's degree in chemistry in 1856. During hard times, he still
pursued his dream and worked hard. He learned mathematics, physics and
chemistry.
DMITRI MENDELEEV WORK
After studying overseas for some time, Dmitri went back to
St Petersburg and worked as a professor. After he completed his studies in chemistry,
he realized that there were few good chemistry textbooks available. To resolve
this issue, Dmitri researched and worked on his own books. He went to an
international conference in which scientists who were interested in atoms and
elements had gathered. This impacted the young Dmitri, who started to think about the different elements in chemistry. He soon
wrote his thesis, On the Combinations of Water with Alcohol.
Mendeleev even came up with a complete textbook of organic
chemistry. It was a 500-page textbook. He won the Demidov Prize for the success
of this book. He became a member of many popular scientific societies. His
lectures were attended by a large number of students from various departments.
DMITRI MENDELEEV DISCOVERIES
His major
contribution to science was discovering
the periodic table of elements for which he used the periodic law. In 1869, his
research caught the attention of the famous Russian Chemical Society, and the
society's newspaper published his work and findings about the atomic weights of
the elements. In 1870, Mendeleev explained the periodic law. He released his
second book The Principles of Chemistry in two volumes in 1868 and 1870, respectively.
The book became very popular and was translated into French, German and English.
Not only did he discover the periodic table, but he also
predicted three of the possible elements which needed to be found. While he worked
on the table, he left an empty space for a new chemical element whose
properties were entirely different from the other elements in its group. When
those three elements were eventually discovered, Mendeleev's periodic table of
elements was proven accurate.
Mendeleev's periodic table of elements set the foundation
for the development of modern chemistry. The table itself is flexible and is
still developing. At the end of the eighteenth century, Mendeleev retired from
his university position. He got involved in government-related work.
He propounded various theories on mass, weight and gases. He
also proposed that there are many important chemical compounds present in
petroleum. He was not only good at chemistry, but he also took an interest in
the solar eclipse, the movement of the pendulum clock, mining, and polar ice.
Mendeleev mastered physics, natural sciences, and economics.
DMITRI MENDELEEV AWARDS
He was awarded the Copley
Medal in 1905. He received the highest honor for his discovery of the periodic
table by the British Royal Society.
DMITRI MENDELEEV MARRIAGE
Mendeleev married Feozna Nikitchna in 1862. But after twenty
years of marriage, the couple got divorced. In 1882, he married Anna Ivanova Popova.
He was the father of six children.
DMITRI MENDELEEV DEATH
Mendeleev died on February 2, 1907, at the age of 72 in St
Petersburg, Russia. As a tribute on his funeral
day, many people bought copies of the periodic table. A crater on the moon, a planetoid,
and element number 101 were named after him.
